K-States Jordy Nelson has made himself into a potential top NFL draft pick

MJordy Nelson never got this type of treatment when it all began.

There he was — the small-town Kansas kid who couldn’t land a major-college scholarship just five years ago — eating at an upscale steakhouse in Washington, D.C., sitting between Washington owner Daniel Snyder and head coach Jim Zorn.

Nelson, the consensus All-America wide receiver from Kansas State, certainly has come a long way. After arriving at K-State as a walk-on defensive back, no scholarship guaranteed unless it really worked out well, Nelson’s trip to the nation’s capital was just another sign of how he beat the odds.

“I never dreamed this would happen,” Nelson told The Star this week. “I didn’t think K-State would have happened either.” So how did it come to this, where a small-town boy from Riley, Kan., has elevated himself so much that his agent thinks he might even be selected late in the first round Saturday when the NFL draft kicks off?

“All the hard work, and things just went my way,” Nelson said. “It’s that and some luck and all of the great coaches that I have had. I did everything I could.”

Nelson’s agent Vann McElroy agrees.

“I feel pretty good about the second round,” McElroy said of Nelson’s potential place in the draft, “but he could end up being at the bottom of the first (round). What they (NFL teams) have really come to realize is he’s not simply a try-hard white kid.”

McElroy said Nelson has come far since the winter NFL combine, much like his ascension at K-State. The Wildcats transformed him from a strong safety to a wide receiver who finished second nationally last season in receptions (122) and yards (1,606).

The teams that have shown the most interest in Nelson, according to McElroy, are Washington, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Carolina and the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have two selections in the first round, and the No. 35 overall pick in the second round. The key is whether Nelson still will be on the board in the second round when the Chiefs select.

Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. projects Nelson will go to the 49ers with the No. 39 overall pick in the second round. Nelson says if the Chiefs take him, it would have its pluses and minuses.

“I would be closer to my family, but it also might be a hassle,” he said. “I might start hearing from family I never heard of.”

K-State coach Ron Prince said NFL types wonder if Nelson is the real deal. After all, he’s clean-cut, small-town, no trouble.

“Nowadays, everyone wants to know if someone is too good to be true,” Prince said. “All he’s proven is he’s our go-to guy. It’s not like people didn’t know we were going to throw to him. Look at the last game (at Fresno State). They knew it. He still catches 15 passes. He’s just a great kid with character who is big and fast and can make plays.”

Nelson plans to watch the draft with his family. He’s not getting his hopes up, only hoping he gets taken Saturday, which would mean he went in either the first or second round. Washington, by the way, has the 21st pick in the first round.

“The draft is a crazy thing,” Nelson said. “Look what happened to Brady Quinn last year when he kept falling. You see it every year. Will I be nervous Saturday? Probably. It’s just another step. Really, it doesn’t matter where I go. I just want to go.”

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