University of Connecticut Athletics
Ed Nelson to Pursue Career in the National Football League
4/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. (April 13, 2006)-- University of Connecticut senior Ed Nelson (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) announced Thursday his intention to pursue a career in the National Football League. The 6'-6”, 265 lb. Nelson will be available to scouts for testing and timing during a Pro Day on April 21 on the UConn campus.
The Pro Day will take place beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs. Scouts and media are welcome to attend and Nelson will run through a variety of drills and tests during the workout.
“I am excited about exploring the option of competing in the NFL,” said Nelson. “I feel that the hard work and work ethic that I showed during my college basketball career will help me to be ready for this opportunity. I have gotten great feedback in the last week that I am an individual that NFL teams could and will be very interested in. I am anxious for the chance to show scouts next week that I can help their team in the future.”
Nelson will be represented by Joe Linta, the President of Branford-based JL Sports. JL Sports currently represents over 40 NFL players and coaches, including Pro Bowl selections Will Shields of the Kansas City Chiefs and Matt Birk of the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel. For more information, Linta can be contacted at (203) 668-0079.
“I came up to work out Ed with little expectations and came away convinced that he is an NFL prospect at the tight end position,” said Linta. “He is very quick, has outstanding hands and great lower body strength. I have never heard a stronger recommendation about a player’s heart, drive and commitment than Coach Calhoun had for Ed. I have already contacted several teams that have committed to attending the workout.”
“I think this is a really great opportunity for Ed,” said UConn head basketball coach Jim Calhoun. “He clearly has the talent to play basketball at the professional level, but if anyone can make this transition, it is him. He knows he has our support and we will do anything we can to help him make this move successfully.”
Nelson completed his college basketball career this season at Connecticut, playing in 29 games for the Huskies as a frontcourt reserve. He played two seasons at UConn, appearing in 60 games and averaging 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. He transferred after playing his first two seasons at Georgia Tech, where he was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2001-02. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 62 games for the Yellow Jackets.
