Quenton Nelson recruit scouting report: Offensive tackle

Quenton Nelson has established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the 2014 class. His efforts have earned him scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic High School product is 6’5, 295 and runs a 5.64 40-yard dash. He could end up playing guard, OT or DT in college, though most of the major recruiting services expect him to end up at OT. Nelson is a consensus four-star player a top-100 overall recruit.

ESPN, which projects him at guard, is the biggest dissenter of the major services, ranking him ninth at his position and 159th overall. Rivals, on the other hand, rates him as a top-25 player and the third-best tackle in the class. Scout considers him the No. 5 tackle in the nation, while 247Sports has him at No. 7.

You can follow Nelson on Twitter right here.

Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: There’s a lot to like about Quenton Nelson. He plays tough, physical football and finishes his blocks very well. When he flat backs, he can really deliver a blow, but sometimes, even on some of his better blocks, he bends at the waist too much, stops his feet, and leans. To a certain extent, that can be fixed with better technique and more coaching, and assuming that happens, Nelson should turn into an excellent run blocker in college. I also really like his balance in the open field when picking off linebackers and safeties. He doesn’t lunge at them, which is a common problem for high school offensive linemen. But at tackle, pass protection is at least half of the equation, if not more, and I am not blown away by Nelson’s pass protection. I find it to be good, but not great. He does not have the quickest of feet to adjust to counter moves. Overall, though, Nelson is a good prospect. I tend to think he is more in the “best 15 tackle” group than the “best five.”