Oakland Raiders: Nick Nelson’s roster spot is in serious jeopardy

Oakland Raiders cornerback Nick Nelson has found himself fighting for a roster spot after a disappointing summer and some impressive play from his adversaries.

Oakland Raiders cornerback Nick Nelson entered the preseason seemingly fighting for one of the depth corner roles on the team. While a starting spot seemed out of reach, it wasn’t too long ago that the team viewed him as a potential starter of the future.

Now, Nelson finds himself fighting for a roster spot — and on the outside looking in.

The Raiders selected Nelson in the fourth round of last year’s draft and there was considerable promise surrounding the pick. After all, Nelson had led one of the most dominant defensive units at Wisconsin and was considered a Day 2 prospect before a meniscus injury tanked his draft stock.

While he doesn’t have blazing speed — as evidenced by a 4.52 40-yard dash time — Nelson is a physical corner with good footwork and anticipation. That alone made him an ideal fit in defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s physical unit.

However, Nelson struggled to get going in his rookie year playing both on the boundary and in the slot. In fact, Nelson’s disastrous 39.1 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 124th out of 125 qualified corners.

He wasn’t just bad out there, he was downright unplayable.

But given his draft status and pre-draft hype, it was still expected that Nelson would make the roster this season and have another shot at cracking the starting lineup. Unfortunately, the summer hasn’t gone quite as planned for the talented defensive back.

Nelson had had a rough first three preseason games and has been outplayed by nearly every other cornerback on the roster.

Whether he was getting burned by Trent Sherfield in the Arizona Cardinals game or blowing coverage assignments in others, it hasn’t exactly been a summer to remember for the 22-year-old cornerback.

And as a result, Nelson finds himself needing a standout performance in Week 4 of the preseason if he is going to survive final roster cuts. And we mean standout in a good way.

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With the likes of Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, Trayvon Mullen, and Isaiah Johnson all considered locks, that leaves one final roster spot for a fifth corner on the team. That is, assuming the Raiders even carry five cornerbacks.

Hybrid defensive back Lamarcus Joyner was added in the offseason and the safety/cornerback hybrid has been playing a lot of slot corner so far. Essentially, he is their fifth cornerback.

But even if the team does carry five corners, Nelson doesn’t appear to be the favorite for that spot anymore.

Undrafted rookie Keisean Nixon has surprised many this summer and the South Carolina product is pushing for a roster spot. Based on merit and performance alone, Nixon is the clear-cut choice.

Fortunately for Nelson, he does have upside and draft pedigree working on his side.

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However, “potential” can only get you so far in the NFL. Eventually, players have to perform or they’ll be passed up in favor of the next high-upside project.

And with Nelson, the Raiders may have seen enough in this year and a half that they’re fine moving on and rolling with the undrafted Nixon who’s shown much more promise on the field.

Nelson will have to play his best football in Week 4 against Seattle if he is to claw back and secure a roster spot. If not, he might be departing Oakland after just one season.

Not a great look for a former fourth-round pick.