Cole Nelson

Cole Nelson (born March 12, 1997) is a Canadian professional gridiron football offensive lineman and defensive lineman who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Cole Nelson

Nelson with the Elks in 2023
Born:	(1997-03-12) March 12, 1997 (age 27) Ponoka, Alberta, Canada
Career information
Status	Free Agent
CFL status	National
Position(s)	Offensive lineman Defensive lineman
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight	312 lb (142 kg)
University	Alberta
High school	Lacombe Composite
CFL draft	2021, round: 1, pick: 5
Drafted by	Edmonton Elks
Career history
As player
2021–2023	Edmonton Elks
Career stats
Playing stats at CFL.ca

University career

Nelson played U Sports football for the Alberta Golden Bears from 2016 to 2020 as a defensive lineman.^[1] He played in 17 games where he had 21 total tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.^[2]

Professional career

Nelson was drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by the Edmonton Elks in the 2021 CFL Draft and signed with the team on June 23, 2021.^[3] He began the year on the injured list, but made his professional debut in week 3, on August 19, 2021, against the BC Lions.^[4] He played in nine games in 2021 where he had three defensive tackles.^[5]

In 2022, Nelson spent the majority of the season on the practice roster and converted to the offensive line.^[6] He dressed in one regular season game as a backup defensive lineman.^[5][6][7] At the end of the season, he signed a one-year contract extension on November 2, 2022.^[2] In 2023, Nelson played in 10 regular season games, including eight starts at defensive tackle, where he had 10 defensive tackles.^[8][9] On January 5, 2024, it was announced that he had signed a two-year extension with the Elks.^[10] However, he was released prior to training camp on May 12, 2024.^[11]