College Football 2012 Top 150 Players: No. 136 Riley Nelson, BYU QB

We are doubling up on quarterbacks to end the week and going from Zach Maynard at Cal to the ranks of the independents for our weekender. Up to Provo, Utah, here's a quick look at BYU Cougars quarterback Riley Nelson.

No. 136: Riley Nelson, No. 13, BYU, Quarterback

The stats from last season don't exactly tell the best story with respect to BYU's Riley Nelson. Nelson only threw for 265 yards more than Jake Heaps, the Cougars' opening-day starter. However, he was the biggest revelation for the Cougars once he got the starting role.

Strengths

Leadership. The stats don't tell the story of Nelson over Heaps nearly as well as the wins and play of the team.

Riley Nelson has an ability to inspire, encourage and lead this BYU football team. He was a change-of-pace guy initially who then solidified himself as the starter after leading the Cougars to a come-from-behind win over his old school, Utah State.

From that point on, BYU went 7-1, and it was largely on the strength of Nelson.

I would be doing the kid a disservice if I let his strengths only focus on the intangibles. Nelson has legitimate football skills as well.

In addition to that leadership and enthusiasm for the game, Nelson is a capable quarterback who can make the throws that Bronco Mendenhall's team needs, and he brings a little extra to the table. Nelson can run and moves well in extending plays to throw, but he also can get upfield and pick up tough yards.

Weaknesses

Toughness is a plus for a quarterback. Unfortunately for Nelson, that toughness can get him into trouble every now and then.

He takes some big hits, and those have sidelined him at times. He was forced to sit out of the Idaho game and missed the entire New Mexico State game due to a rib and cartilage injury. He gets hit hard, and that's not a good thing when you're the major cog in the offense.

Nelson has got to do a better job of picking his spots when he's in the open field and when he's in the backfield. He needs to throw the ball away instead of trying to juke around and ending up smashed by a defensive lineman. Get out of bounds or slide, instead of trying to take on linebackers and safeties who are trying to take his head off.

2012 Predictions

This season. there is no Jake Heaps to spell Nelson when he's been popped or needs a break, so expect his style of play to change a little bit.

He'll still have some of that devil-may-care attitude and fire that fuels him, but expect him to get out of bounds, slide and throw the ball away more than he did a season ago.

That doesn't mean he won't be stretching for that first down against a linebacker or trying to dive over a safety for a touchdown, though. As far as statistics go, if the offense can get healthy after spring, expect Nelson's production to increase significantly.

Pushing the 3,000-yard passing mark, getting 25 touchdown passes and leading the Cougs to another bowl win all are things to expect out of Riley Nelson.