Nebraska EDGE Garrett Nelson declares for 2023 NFL Draft

Nebraska EDGE Garrett Nelson has made his decision on whether or not he will enter the 2023 NFL Draft. The Cornhuskers star is declaring for the draft, he announced Tuesday.

Thank you for everything ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GTwqTJWTkZ

— Garrett Nelson (@gnelson763) December 27, 2022

“Ever since I was a little kid, my dream to attend the University of Nebraska, follow in my father’s footsteps, and become a collegiate athlete was a constant in my life,” Nelson wrote in a letter to the Nebraska faithful. “Representing this University, the people of this state, and my family was one of the highest honors I will have in my life. I thank everyone who supported me, and loved me along the way.”

Nelson is coming off the best year of his career at Nebraska this year, totaling 65 tackles and 5.5 sacks for the Cornhuskers. It was an impressive follow-up to his junior season, which saw him rack up 57 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Nelson could have come back for one more year with Nebraska because of the COVID-19 waiver. Instead, he’s off to the draft.

He arrived in Lincoln as a three-star recruit and the No. 707 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will be held at the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassmen were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.