Cole Nelson
Canadian gridiron football player (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cole Nelson (born March 12, 1997) is a Canadian professional football offensive lineman and defensive lineman. He previously played for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Defensive lineman
Nelson with the Edmonton Elks in 2023 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Offensive lineman Defensive lineman |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 12, 1997 Ponoka, Alberta, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 312 lb (142 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lacombe Composite |
| University | Alberta |
| CFL draft | 2021: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2023 | Edmonton Elks |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
University career
Nelson played U Sports football for the Alberta Golden Bears from 2016 to 2020 as a defensive lineman.[1] He played in 17 games where he had 21 total tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.[2]
Professional career
Nelson was drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by the Edmonton Elks in the 2021 CFL draft and signed with the team on June 23, 2021.[3] He began the year on the injured list, but made his professional debut in week 3, on August 19, 2021, against the BC Lions.[4] He played in nine games in 2021 where he had three defensive tackles.[5]
In 2022, Nelson spent the majority of the season on the practice roster and converted to the offensive line.[6] He dressed in one regular season game as a backup defensive lineman.[5][6][7] At the end of the season, he signed a one-year contract extension on November 2, 2022.[2] In 2023, Nelson played in 10 regular season games, including eight starts at defensive tackle, where he had 10 defensive tackles.[8][9] On January 5, 2024, it was announced that he had signed a two-year extension with the Elks.[10] However, he was released prior to training camp on May 12, 2024.[11]