STRENGTHS - Neloms is a long athlete who plays a tough brand of football. Neloms played at cornerback in 2012, after switching to safety for the 2011 season. He started his career at Kentucky by playing cornerback in 2009 and 2010. He has good straight line speed and the ability to close on the ball that is thrown in front of him. He is a physical player who is better vs. the run than in pass coverage. Neloms has decent foot quickness, but is not in an ideal position playing cornerback in college. He is an incredibly versatile, seasoned secondary member.
WEAKNESSES - Neloms does not have elite speed or a quick initial burst to close and make many plays on the ball. It would be fair to say he is a liability in coverage. He isn't a great athlete with great measurables and he isn't going to wow with his physical coverage skills. There are durability concerns as he missed 2 games as a junior and multiple games with a high ankle sprain as a senior.
SUMMARY - Neloms is a well-seasoned member of the secondary for the Wildcats. He played at corner in his first 2 seasons, switched to safety as a junior and moved back to corner as a senior. He has an undersized build with some growth potential to further develop for the position at the NFL level. He is a solid overall athlete with good speed and range in his play. He is very quick to get his depth, and then break forward once the quarterback delivers the ball. He takes consistent angles to the ball in the air. He does a decent job of maintaining good coverage position downfield, but he doesn't look confident at times, perhaps due to the position switching. He projects the ability to be a solid coverage player against a tight end because of his height. In run support, he is fast to close and physical on contact. He is a very good open field tackler on the move. He plays bigger than his listed size in attacking the run. He is very aggressive and quick to react to bubble screens on the perimeter as well. Overall, he deserves late fifth round draft consideration by a team with the need of a potential starter at free safety after some development. He is a tough, versatile and physical prospect with solid cover skills for the position.