10 rookies -- OLB Tyler Nielsen

No. 5 -- OLB Tyler Nielsen

During the Orange Bowl, A.J. Edds sort of made it official.

He said Tyler Nielsen would take over for him at outside linebacker. Edds spent time in the same meeting room, video bay and same drills with Nielsen for three years. Edds knew what he was talking about.

Nielsen was penciled in at outside linebacker all spring. While the middle linebacker position changed, Nielsen stuck. Again, following the law of natural progression, Nielsen should be ready to roll. He's a fourth-year junior. He's got the requisite height and weight (6-foot-4, 235) to deal with tight ends. Speed to deal with running backs? We'll see.

Also in favor for Nielsen, he's paid his special teams dues. Last season, he stood out on kick coverage and, I believe -- wait, I can check it out on the DVR of the Orange Bowl -- OK, there he is lined up on punt coverage, too. If you look at some of the recent history with Iowa's "program" players, you know that special teams is a positive step (Dallas Clark, Abdul Hodge). Nielsen did have seven tackles last season, most of which came in special teams action.

No guarantees, of course, but a positive sign.

Situation

Nielsen's responsibilities and profile will be new, but he's far from a new player.

As noted above, he's been Edds' shadow for the last three years, so some of that preparation likely rubbed off. Nielsen has seen what successful linebacker (Edds, Pat Angerer) have done, the time they've put in, to be successful. He knows the path.

Even out of Humboldt High School, Nielsen gained national laurels in high school. He earned a spot in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He also was the Iowa Gatorade player of the year in 2006. (Also, going back to the track post from two weeks ago, he won the Class 3A 400 meters in 49.94 as a senior.)

This will be Nielsen's first shot in the spotlight. That can do weird things, but he's also a mature player. That should play in his favor.

Outlook

How many outside linebackers have their been in Norm Parker's 11-plus seasons as Iowa's defensive coordinator?

Can't remember all the way back, but Grant Steen had a three-year run. Edds had his three seasons. Ed Miles held the job for a season-plus.

Nielsen might be on the same career path as George Lewis. He waited out Steen and had a clear shot at the job his senior season. He was solid, which is what Kirk Ferentz expects out of this position. He joked at some point during spring about it being a position where nothing happens. Well, there aren't a lot of stats coming out of it, but there's plenty of responsibility.

One observation, Iowa appears to be "all-in" with Nielsen at this spot. Walk-on Ross Petersen was listed as his backup coming out of spring. No knock, but that's going from a scholarship player to a fifth-year walk-on who was a tight end in 2008. Sure it could change, but an observation.