Nebraska Football: Trey Palmer, Garrett Nelson hearing from NFL teams

Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive end Garrett Nelson (44) and defensive back Marques Buford Jr. (1) walk off the field (Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports)
Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive end Garrett Nelson (44) and defensive back Marques Buford Jr. (1) walk off the field (Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Trey Palmer and Garrett Nelson both have the same dream. They’re just going about it differently. It appears that both former Nebraska football players’ approaches are working, considering that the defensive lineman and the wide receiver are reportedly getting plenty of attention from NFL scouts following the Huskers’ Pro Day.

It’s not all that surprising that Palmer is getting quite a bit of attention from the scouts. He set the Nebraska football school record for receiving yards in his only season with the Huskers. He was also invited to the NFL combine. Nelson was a solid defensive player, but he didn’t set records, and the league snubbed him during their big event.

Palmer has reportedly talked to with New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and he had a top-30 visit with the Minnesota Vikings. It’s thought that he’s impressed even more than that, and there are more than a few teams who are looking at the fastest receiver at the combine as a secret weapon who could go as fast as the late second round or early third round.

Meanwhile, Garrett Nelson isn’t getting as much love as his former teammate but it looks like he is getting plenty of looks from an NFL team that has been a kind of Nebraska football preserve. According to former defensive coordinator Bill Busch, he’s talked to the Cincinnati Bengals, who are quite interested in the defensive lineman.

It’s certainly an exciting proposition to see Nelson land on the Bengals. Their head coach is, of course, former Nebraska football quarterback Zac Taylor. They’ve also got former Husker offensive coordinator Troy Walters as the receivers coach. And Stanley Morgan as a Bengals receiver and special teams ace. Oh and there’s one of Nelson’s former teammates in Cam Taylor-Britt making waves as a rookie.

Obviously, what NFL teams are doing and saying now doesn’t mean that either Palmer or Nelson are going to go sooner or get drafted at all. But it’s clearly good news for the former Nebraska football stars.