In-Depth Review: Brian Nelson II

Many fans across the nation wonder if any of the transfer players their program acquires are any good. It's a natural question, as many fans only pay attention to one team all season long.

Leading up to the Wolfpack season, more of these "In-depth" reviews will come out to break down the talent NC State brought in this offseason, and if they can help the team. 

First up is redshirt sophomore cornerback Brian Nelson II. He transferred to the Pack in June of 2025, and coming in at 6-foot, 197 pounds, he has a good height and weight to play on the outside for the Wolfpack this upcoming season. 

Scouting Report 

The first thing that jumps out when watching Nelson is his ability in zone coverage. He has good feet while using a bail technique and understands when to attack a route or pass it off into another zone. His ability to trail receivers on vertical routes is exceptional, and he understands how to squeeze them closer to the sideline to give himself less room to worry about. He also knows how to fill holes and use his size to dip underneath blocks to get in for TFLs. 

Nelson still leaves a lot on the field to be desired, and for a redshirt sophomore, that's okay; there is a ton of room for development. With his size, you'd wish he'd use his hands more and get into more hand fights with receivers. Many of his reps in the press don't see him hand-fighting at all, which is a big reason he succeeds more within zone coverage. 

When he is in man, he bites a lot of receiver head fakes, breaks and doesn't have the agility or natural change of direction to make up for it. It often leaves him trailing inside, breaking routes while on an island. He also tends to be flat footed in certain occasions leading him to be slow on covering ground when the receiver gets out of his break.

He knows how to fill holes in the run games, but doesn't have the knack for tackling. He can tackle, but he will often stand and watch, waiting until he has to fully come in and make a stop, rather than coming in with a head of steam. Along with this, he struggles a lot in the run game in terms of shedding blocks, not having the ability to fend off the offensive player trying to drive him back. 

His top speed is also a question; he gets beat vertically, but the quarterback doesn't notice, and begs the question of how he'll fare in power four play.

Still, his IQ of routes, strong technique and ability in zone coverage are the main reasons he succeeded at North Texas. It would be intriguing to see Nelson in a more free safety role where he can see the field and use his instincts to make plays, but at the moment, he remains at the corner position. 

Examples