Nelson's special story just keeps getting better

Cheryl Nelson knew she shouldn't have been shocked about Saturday's good news.

She was well aware the odds were against her son Tom. After all, NFL rosters aren't heavily populated with undrafted free agents or players from schools such as Illinois State.

But she also knows as well as anyone those things never stopped Tom Nelson.

"I thought it was a longshot to say the least," Cheryl Nelson said. "But that child has been surprising us for years so I should have known."

The longshot hit it big with the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Hersey star and Daily Herald All-Area player in 2004 made the cut for Sunday's home opener with the Denver Broncos.

Nelson won't know until game day if he will be on the 45-man active roster. But his versatility as a safety, cornerback and special teamer doesn't hurt his chances.

Perseverance and motivation won't hurt the 5-foot-11, 203-pound Nelson, either. He's been down this difficult road before.

"I felt like I was going from Hersey to ISU," Nelson said Wednesday. "I didn't get recruited out of high school. It's the story of my life."

That's just part of what makes it such a special story.

"I can remember coming out of his junior year to his senior year and telling people he was a lot like (Tom) Zbikowski," Hersey head coach Mark Gunther said of the former Buffalo Grove and Notre Dame star now in his second season with the Baltimore Ravens. "It was hard to spit that out without people looking at you like you're crazy. But nothing he does surprises me."

In his first full year as a quarterback Nelson led Hersey to the Class 7A playoffs in 2004. But Nelson was lightly recruited until Illinois State came through with a late scholarship offer.

All Nelson did was earn Missouri Valley Conference freshman of the year honors and follow it up with three all-conference seasons.

He also saw a glimpse of his future when former teammate and wide receiver Laurent Robinson was taken in the third round of the 2007 draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

"Going against him every day in practice," Nelson said of Robinson, who is now with the St. Louis Rams, "showed me it is a possibility."

Nelson thought there was a chance of getting chosen in the late rounds of the draft and had talked to 28 of the 32 NFL teams. Nelson and his agent also started making a list of their top possibilities.

He said it basically came down to the Bengals and Cleveland Browns because of their secondary needs.

"I always just wanted an opportunity and that's what I got," Nelson said of the Bengals' interest.

Through the Bengals rookie minicamp and OTAs he started to believe more and more in his chances.

"I knew right away I could compete athletically," Nelson said. "It was a matter of getting an opportunity and taking advantage of it."

Nelson did when he showed he could play cornerback when another player broke his foot. And he did in the second preseason game against New England with a sack and a forced fumble.

The odds were starting to tilt in his favor.

"Every day in practice you're evaluated and to show it in a game is that much better," Nelson said. "Not only are you showing it to the Bengals, you're showing it to the rest of the NFL.

"To make the team you have to show everyone else, the owners, the general manager and so forth, because they don't owe you anything because you're not a draft pick.

"Every day I had to be perfect. That's what I strive for anyway, but especially in that situation, if you're in there and you do something good it doesn't go without being seen."

And Nelson wanted to be seen for more than just a featured part of the HBO series "Hard Knocks." He wanted to be seen on Sundays on TV.

The call from head coach Marvin Lewis finally came Saturday.

"He said, 'I'm sure it's been a nervous couple of days for you but I wanted to say congratulations and we're going to keep you on the 53-man roster,'" Nelson said. "It was a relief. I wasn't really nervous about it but I was kind of anxious."

Nerves and anxiety will likely be among what he feels Sunday. He wasn't sure Wednesday what his possibilities of playing were but Nelson is one of five safeties, which he said was how many the Bengals dressed for games last year.

And the hardworking road he traveled to get there will definitely add to his emotions.

"For me it's been cool because I feel like I've done everything I can to get to this point," Nelson said. "Obviously I'm blessed to be at this point."

One Cheryl Nelson called "surreal."

Only now it's real for Tom Nelson.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com