Jaguars Top 10 Draft Busts: Reggie Nelson

In one of the most obvious draft picks in recent memory, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected safety Reggie Nelson from the University of Florida with the 21st overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. The Jaguars had let veteran safety Deon Grant walk in free agency and had shown heavy interest in the Florida playmaker. The Jaguars originally picked 16th in the draft, but traded down with the Denver Broncos who moved up to select defensive end Jarvis Moss, another player who many Jaguars fans felt the Jaguars could draft. Not only was safety a definite need, but so was defensive end (sound familiar..?).

Nelson started right out of the gate for the Jaguars and looked like he was going to be that playmaking safety the Jaguars were searching for. In his rookie season, Nelson had 11 passes defensed and 5 interceptions. Quite frankly, he flew all over the football field. Later in the season however, you could see some major deficiencies in his game. He would often bite on play action passes, get caught looking in the backfield, and take some poor pursuit angles. It was chalked up to being a rookie, but much like former Jaguars defensive back Fernando Bryant, Nelson was never able to recapture that rookie season magic. He struggled to perform the next two seasons, and by the end of 2009 found himself benched and a major liability on the defense. After an embarrassing performance against the Indianapolis Colts, Nelson wouldn't start another game for the Jaguars.

At the end of the 2010 pre-season, Reggie Nelson was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for a conditional 7th round pick and cornerback David Jones. Nelson spent just three seasons with the Jaguars.