Former Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson might be one of the most under-appreciated players of the last decade. Despite making only one Pro Bowl team, Nelson finished the decade (2010-19) ranked 11th among all players in receiving yards, fifth in receiving touchdowns and sixth in yards per target.
Nelson also produced a couple of the most dominant seasons by a receiver during the decade.
According to DYAR, a metric developed by Football Outsiders, Nelson had two of the top seasons by a receiver between 2010 and 2019.
Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders put together a list of the best teams and players from the last decade. Nelson’s 2011 and 2014 seasons both cracked the top 10 at the receiver position. Antonio Brown is the only other receiver to have two top-10 seasons by DYAR during the last decade.
Nelson’s 2014 season ranked 10th, while his 2011 season ranked fifth.
In 2011, Nelson caught 68 passes on only 96 targets (70.8 percent catch rate) for 1,263 yards (18.6 per catch) and 15 touchdowns. He averaged 13.2 yards per target and turned 22 percent of his catches into scores. According to Schatz, Nelson’s catch-to-touchdown ratio was the highest of any receiver with at least 50 catches in a season during the decade. Aaron Rodgers’ passer rating when targeting Nelson was 155.2.
In 2014, Nelson set career-highs with 98 catches and 1,519 receiving yards. He was one of just 15 players to produce a season with 1,500 or more receiving yards in a season during the decade. He averaged over 15 yards per catch and over 10 yards per target on 151 total targets.
Interestingly enough, Rodgers won NFL MVP during both the 2011 and 2014 seasons.
Nelson made the Pro Bowl during the 2014 season but wasn’t awarded in any way for his dominant 2011 season.
Overall, the Packers’ 2011 offense was ranked as the seventh-best of the decade, while Rodgers’ 2011 season was ranked as the third-best by a quarterback.
A second-round pick of the Packers in 2008, Nelson officially retired from the NFL as a member of the franchise in August of last year.
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