Reggie Nelson Reggie Lee Nelson ( born September 21 , 1983 ) is an American professional football player who is a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Nelson played college football for the University of Florida , where he was a member of a national championship team and earned All - American honors . A first - round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft , he has played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL . Early years . Nelson was born in Melbourne , Florida in 1983 . He attended Palm Bay High School in Melbourne , and was a standout high school football player for the Palm Bay Pirates . He was teammates with Joe Cohen and Xavier Carter . Nelson was a two - time first - team All - State honoree , and helped lead Palm Bay to win Florida Class 4A state championship as a safety and return specialist in 2002 . As a senior , Nelson averaged forty - five yards per punt return and 26 . 8 yards per kickoff return , totaling a state record 1 , 531 return yards . In 2007 , four years after he graduated from high school , the Florida High School Athletic Association ( FHSAA ) named Nelson to its " All - Century Team , " recognizing him as one of the thirty - three greatest Florida high school football players of the last 100 years . He was taught football by Roy Robbins . College career . After graduating from Palm Bay High School in 2003 , Nelson and Pirates teammate Joe Cohen chose to attend the University of Florida over rival Florida State University . He attended Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville , Kansas first , red - shirting his freshman year , and then earned his associate ' s degree and transferred to Florida as a sophomore . Nelson accepted an athletic scholarship to play for coach Urban Meyer ' s Florida Gators football team in 2005 and 2006 . Nelson was an immediate sophomore starter for coach the Gators at free safety in 2005 . Nelson started against Georgia , Vanderbilt , South Carolina , and Florida State . Nelson registered forty - six tackles , second - team with four sacks , and forced a fumble . Against Georgia , Nelson recorded a career - high seven tackles . He also totaled seven tackles against Vanderbilt and Florida State . In his junior year , which would end up being his last as a Gator , Nelson was selected as a member of the team ' s Leadership Committee , which was only one small highlight of his 2006 campaign . The Gators ended up going to the BCS National Championship Game and defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes , while Nelson recorded fifty - one tackles , five pass breakups and six interceptions . Two of his interceptions were against the Tennessee Volunteers , and he returned another for a seventy - yard touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide . Nelson was a first - team All - SEC selection and a consensus first - team All - American , and he was chosen by his Gators teammates as the team ' s most valuable player . In 2006 , he was part a defense that helped the Gators win their first SEC title in six years and their first national championship in ten years . While also gaining him the moniker " The Eraser " for his strong defensive play throughout the season as well as the " battle for the SEC " game against LSU At a Gators home basketball game the night following the national championship game , Nelson received a standing ovation from the crowd while they chanted his name and then " One more year ! " Professional career . Jacksonville Jaguars . Nelson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round ( twenty - first pick overall ) of the 2007 NFL Draft . After the departure of free safety Deon Grant as a free agent and the release of strong safety Donovin Darius , Nelson led the Jaguars with seven tackles in their season opener against the Tennessee Titans in his first NFL game . He also sacked Tennessee quarterback Vince Young , causing a forced fumble . He ended the year with sixty - three tackles , one sack , one forced fumble and five interceptions . Cincinnati Bengals . On September 4 , 2010 he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals . In return , the Jaguars received cornerback David Jones . During the season , Nelson led the Bengals with four interceptions . He was third on the team in tackles ( 102 ) and tied for second on the team in forced fumbles ( two ) , including one that fellow Gator alumnus Carlos Dunlap returned for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts . Nelson returned his first interception of the 2011 season 75 yards for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks — the fifth - longest interception return in Bengals history . Following the 2011 season , Nelson became a free agent . The Bengals re - signed him on March 18 . 2012 . Personal . Nelson ' s sister , Lynisha , is a basketball player for Florida Tech and his brother , Michael Nelson , is a teacher in the Miami - Dade public school system . Nelson ' s mother , Mary Lakes , who had breast cancer for several years , died on December 21 , 2006 , weeks before the 2007 BCS National Championship Game . As a result , Nelson was excused from participating in the daily media briefings leading up to the game .