Draft Profile Jackson Nelson - 2014 Draft Prospect

[Chris25]

Jackson Nelson
Height: 187cm
Weight: 80kg
From: Geelong Falcons, Vic Country
Position: Midfielder, Defender​

When you're talking about underrated players, it's not very often a member of the AIS/AFL Academy will be mentioned. But that's exactly the case with Jackson Nelson. Tall midfielders seems to be all the rage, but he isn't mentioned. Arguably one of the more consistent performers in this draft pool, Nelson just seems to do his thing every week and typically to not much fanfare. He reminds me a bit of Nick Vlastuin in that regard. Everyone knows he is a good player, yet they get distracted by whatever flashier player comes along. But at the end of the day, which player will remain standing? My money is on Nelson. The likes of Laverde and DeGoey are climbing the draft boards every week, but Nelson remains an afterthought.

At TAC Cup and U18 Championship level, Nelson has proven himself as a quality half back and inside midfielder. There is a strong argument to make in regards to him being the best half back in the draft in fact. But back to 2013 for now, and Nelson was a strong performer for both Geelong Falcons and Vic Country as a 17 year old. Playing in 12 TAC Cup games, he averaged around 17 disposals - particularly strong in terms of handball receives and uncontested marking. Playing off half back he provided a lot of run, working up the ground to link up with his inside midfielders. Nelson looked good doing so, and continued on with that form for Vic Country in four matches. Not quite as many possessions, but a disposal efficiency of around 76% highlighted the impact he could have. But as you'd hope, Nelson has taken the next step in 2014 and has stamped himself as one of the best players at the talented Geelong Falcons. Consistently winning 20+ disposals a match, Nelson has become a bigger part of the midfield rotations while still remaining in his customary half back position. Again, he is taking lots of marks in defence and running hard up the ground. His tackling pressure has been really good too, he tackles hard and had a massive 12 tackles just this weekend. For Vic Country this year, he was perhaps more solid than spectacular. His best game came against South Australia with 21 disposals, 5 tackles, 2 clearances and a goal. While other players may have caught the eyes of viewers, Nelson did nothing to hurt his draft stocks at all.

And as I said before, Nelson may well be the best half back in the draft - and that should not be underestimated when it comes to draft day. Every club is looking for that position. And Nelson ticks a lot of boxes. From his size and versatility to play either tall or small, to his disposal and work rate. He's a good clean player, and a smart one at that. He seems to read the play well, and knows when to attack and when to defend. A lot of the time he is probably the type of player you wont notice much, and that's a good thing. His kicking is neat over a distance, although not elite. And the same can be said for his speed, he might not burn off players chasing him but he in turn wont get burnt off by the smaller forwards either. His versatility to play in the midfield is another positive. It's possible that teams may consider developing him as a midfielder first and foremost, but personally I'd be happy just with having him part of the rotations.

If he were to play more in the midfield though, his offensive game will need to improve quite a bit. The modern midfielder needs to kick goals, and Nelson has only kicked about 3 in two years - and that's TAC Cup and U18 Championships combined. He is good at setting play up offensively from the back lines, but hasn't really shown much in terms of finishing off plays himself. But otherwise, it's just a case of developing his inside midfield game and continuing to improve defensively. He is a good rebounder, but hasn't been forced to play one on one quite as much in the TAC Cup as he will at AFL level.

So where does he sit in terms of draft range? Personally, I'd be surprised to see him drop out of the first round. But conservatively, I'd put a 10-25 range on Jackson Nelson. The likes of Nick Vlastuin and David Myers are two players I'd consider to be similar to Nelson in style. And while he might not be getting a lot of attention by phantom drafters, I don't expect the same would be true when it comes to the professionals.

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