LEONARDVILLE, Kan. -- Jordy Nelson is not the prankster type. In fact, the life story of one draft weekend's fastest rising talents makes the Hardy Boys look like meth dealers.
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| Against Texas last season, Jordy Nelson returns a punt 89 yards for a TD. (Getty Images) |
Two strangers were munching burgers at Nelson's Landing, Leonardville's best -– OK, only sports bar -- the other day.
"One guy took a bite and said, 'Whoa, that's real meat,'" said Jordy's mom, Kim, said behind the bar of the family's "other" business on Wednesday.
The Nelsons snicker at this. No frozen patties for them. Fresh Angus is all they, and the rest of this small town 20 miles northwest of Kansas State, know. That, and the fact that Nelson's Landing has become the official hangout for those wanting a glimpse of this region's rural superstar.
Little kids and fawning adults walk into the establishment and ask regularly, "Is Jordy working today?"
They want his autograph and to hang with one of Riley County's greats. Kim Nelson remembers a 4-year-old with his grandparents wearing Jordy's No. 27 jersey. They came from the birthday party where guests were required to wear Kansas State purple. The cake was adorned with a picture of Jordy.
No, she said, Jordy was not in, except that a few minutes later – surprise! -- he was shaking hands and posing for pictures. Another satisfied Leonardvillian.
"It's more weird when we're out in public and go watch a high school game somewhere," said Jordy, whose wife teaches kindergarten at Riley County Elementary. "They still recognize me, which blows my mind. What makes you think I'd be here in the first place ... for you to pick me out of a crowd?"
Mr. Gee Whiz's world is about to get a lot more complicated, but not before a devilish smile crosses his face. Nelson has this idea to punk his new boss when the draft rolls around this weekend.
"He wanted to be working cattle on Saturday," dad Alan said, "so when they called, ... the GM would say, 'What is that noise in the background?'"
The answer, of course, will be that 200 head of cattle can make a heck of a racket. Jordy was out in the field helping his father inoculate them on Wednesday, one of the last days as down-home country kid before taking his act to the NFL.
"The stuff we did today was fun, with the cattle," he said. "You get to do something different every day. You're not going into an office sitting in the same cubicle."
Not an ounce of Ocho Cinco in him.
The stock of the player his teammates nicknamed "The Hick from the Sticks" has risen to the point that most agree Nelson is a solid second-round choice. Scouts can't get enough of the kid who can run a 4.5, produce precise routes, snags everything and has as his calling card a spectacular 68-yard touchdown catch over the head of Kansas All-American (and top draft prospect) Aqib Talib last season.
"Obviously," Jordy said, "I'm going to say he's the best corner I've faced."
And obviously, someone in the NFL likely will underrate Nelson just like Kansas State did. As a recruited walk-on defensive back, he redshirted in K-State's 2003 Big 12 championship season and didn't see action in 2004. Brother Mike chuckles when he remembers seeing Jordy in practice one day as a scout team defensive end.
Former coach Bill Snyder called Nelson in before the 2005 season asking him to switch to receiver. Made sense. Nelson had been a shotgun quarterback at Riley County High School. He had been a state high school champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
That 2005 season was Snyder's last, but that one little personnel decision was one of the best the venerable coach ever made. Nelson went on to catch 87 passes over the next two seasons before breaking out in 2007 with 122 catches, 1,606 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The kid who was getting interest from Emporia State and Washburn out of high school became one of the most dangerous offensive players in the country. Against Texas, he caught 12 balls for 116 yards and returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown.
You almost get the feeling that Nelson can't wait until the NFL thing is over so he can get back to this comfortable, familiar scene. A slaughterhouse five miles away in Riley is able to turn livestock into lunch in a few hours. The bar proudly gives away calendars celebrating the 125th anniversary of Leonardville in 2007, each month featuring a historical photo of the city's past. Who can forget the 1910 Leonardville Blues baseball team, nine guys and a dog wearing his master's sweater?
The family has bought out half a city block next to Nelson's Landing hoping to restore a couple of 100-year-old buildings into businesses. At lunch time, customers gaze up at the bar's television screens as much for the Weather Channel as ESPN. The Nelsons aren't the only ones working the land around here.
"The farthest I've moved is 20 minutes away," Jordy said. "We haven't seen too much of the U.S., let alone the world. It will be good to get away for a while. When it's all done we'll probably be back here."
Then it will start all over. The small-town love, the cattle –- for both lunch and profit.
"The only thing that could get cooler is the Super Bowl, obviously," said The Hick from the Sticks.