Miami’s Nelson and Mallory: Senior Bowl Prospects
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During the summer months, college football revolves around recruiting and finding the next potential superstars of the future. Since hiring coach Mario Cristobal earlier this year, the Miami Hurricanes have gone all in on the recruiting trail and have come up with some headline grabbing commitments from top tier prospects like Francis Mauigoa and Jaden Rashada among others.
With so much excitement around the new coaching staff, renewed recruiting efforts, and big budget NIL deals, it would be easy for Miami fans to forget about the goldmine of proven veteran talent already on the Canes’ roster. But that doesn’t mean that experts aren’t taking notice.
Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, took time to shout out two Hurricanes, offensive tackle Zion Nelson and tight end Will Mallory, on twitter with a mention that they’ll be on his watchlist for this upcoming season.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is an annual invitational of the nation’s best NFL draft prospects who have completed their college eligibility, for a showcase after the conclusion of the college season and prior to the draft.
Although the U was not represented at this year’s edition of the event, both Nelson and Mallory seem like very good candidates to make the roster in 2023. Nelson, a 6’5” left tackle who somehow looks lanky despite carrying 316 pounds, is a fourth-year junior and one of the country’s top upperclassmen at the position.
Zion Nelson could be a first round selection if he continues to progress through the 2022 season.
University of Miami Athletics
His arm length is reported to be 35 inches, a larger reach than San Francisco 49ers’ Trent Williams and Green Bay Packers’ David Bakhtiari, who are both All-Pro tackles. Nelson’s impressive footwork and elite frame have him on just about every NFL scout’s draft board and many consider the tackle to be a potential first round selection.
Mallory may not be receiving the attention that Nelson is, but don’t sleep on the Jacksonville native. The fifth-year senior has been a touchdown machine at tight end for the Canes, notching four scoring receptions in each of the last two seasons. He’s got the prototypical frame for the position at 6’5” 245-pounds and is one of the top route running tight ends in the conference.
Mallory scored three of his touchdowns late in the year and it looked as though he and Heisman candidate quarterback Tyler Van Dyke were starting to click. Miami loses their two most productive receivers from 2021 and Van Dyke will need to find new places to put the pigskin. If Mallory has a career campaign in 2022, he could end up at the NFL combine and break a few school records along the way.
The Hurricanes look like they have a solid grasp on both the future and the present. Attracting top level recruits is only part of the battle. Developing those talented kids into reliable and productive players of high moral character is the real task at hand for Cristobal and his staff.
Fans and scouts alike will be watching to see how the season pans out for Miami’s draft eligible players. If Nelson and Mallory can adjust quickly to the new system and hit the ground running this fall, they may find themselves at the Senior Bowl next winter and perhaps the NFL Draft combine in the spring.
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