Nick Nelson's decision to leave Wisconsin a year early for the NFL panned out on Saturday, as the former UW cornerback was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the 10th pick (No. 110 overall) in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Nelson started 14 games for the Badgers at cornerback after transferring to Madison from Hawaii, where he started 21 games for the Rainbow Warriors between 2014 and 2015. He sat out the 2016 season after his transfer, and had no difficulty sliding in to Wisconsin's starting lineup for one season before turning pro.

Nelson accumulated 21 pass deflections during his one season on the field for the Badgers, along with 35 total tackles. He also fielded punts for the Badgers and scored one punt return touchdown.

The first Wisconsin DB taken in the NFL draft since Dezmen Southward in 2014 (third round, Atlanta Falcons), Nelson was part of a unit for the Badgers in 2017 that ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense, No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 1 in pass efficiency.