Productive Central Florida pass rusher took pre-draft visit to Packers

Per NFL rules, the Green Bay Packers are allowed to host up to 30 draft-eligible players (excluding “local” prospects, such as those in the UW system or nearby regional schools such as Northern Illinois) for in-person visits. The Journal Sentinel is tracking the visits and supplying profiles based on information from sources and published reports.

To see other players who visited the Packers, visit the draft tracker.

GREEN BAY – Coming out of high school, Nyjalik Kelly was a top-100 prospect with offers from numerous Division 1 powerhouse schools.

After choosing Miami, the defensive end posted four sacks as a freshman reserve.

He was poised for a bigger sophomore year, but he suffered an injury in the second game of the season and wound up playing in just five games. After the season, he decided to transfer to Central Florida, where his play took off.

Coming off two seasons in which he totaled 17 tackles for loss (8½ sacks), five forced fumbles and an interception, Kelly is drawing attention.

Central Florida defensive end Nyjalik Kelly speaks during the NFL scouting combine.

The Green Bay Packers hosted him on a top-30 visit April 13-14, according to a source.

Kelly has the physical build of an NFL pass rusher.

He has 35-inch arms and 10⅜-inch hands. He has a vertical jump of 37 inches, and he’s 6-foot-5 and 263 pounds.

What’s missing for him to be a first- or second-day pick is speed. He clocked a disappointing 4.88-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and improved it only slight (4.84) at his pro day.

As a result, he’s going to be a late third-day pick or free agent.

Rather than focus on his times, Kelly said, he’s hoping scouts are watching film. He said if they were, they’d see that he’s someone who can fill numerous roles and play right away.

“I’m most proud of that I can play a lot of positions,” Kelly said. “I’m versatile. You’ve seen me drop back in coverage, guard people down the field, come off the edge, cause disruption to the quarterback, get tackles for loss, stop the run, just be able to showcase that.

“I can be a plug-and-play-type player. I can play outside linebacker, defensive end and sometimes moving to the 4i (3-4 end). Basically, be put anywhere on the line and make plays.”

Kelly applied for a redshirt year at UCF but, according to coach Scott Frost, was denied because he had 10 too many plays during his injured season at Miami.

The Packers have a similar player in end Brenton Cox Jr. He’s close to the same height and weight and ran a slightly faster 40-yard dash. Cox was more of a complete pass rusher but he went undrafted because of off-the-field issues.

Kelly was one of three passengers in the car then-Miami Hurricane Rueben Bain was driving in 2024 that resulted in a fatality, but he was not injured.

Nyjalik Kelly’s NFL scouting combine/pro day results

• 40-yard dash: 4.88 seconds
• Vertical jump: 37 inches
• Broad jump: 9-foot-11
• Short shuttle: 4.76 seconds
• Three-cone drill: 7.62 seconds
• Bench press: DNP
• Arms are 35 inches
• Hands are 10⅜ inches

This article originally appeared on Packers News: Central Florida pass rusher Nyjalik Kelly had pre-draft visit to Packers