Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson is the unanimous choice for NFC North comeback player of the year as voted on by the four reporters covering the division for ESPN.com.
Rob Demovsky, Green Bay Packers reporter: What player wouldn't take 97 catches, 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns? Now give that to someone who missed an entire season the year before because of a torn ACL and then didn't play a single down in the preseason and was thrown into the mix in Week 1 after not playing in a game for 13 months. Nelson should be one of the leading candidates, if not the winner, for the NFL's comeback player of the year after what he did, especially at age 31.
Ben Goessling, Minnesota Vikings reporter: This one isn't even close, in my mind. Nelson returned from a torn ACL to lead the league in receiving touchdowns and finished one catch off his career high. If it weren't for his ability to help Aaron Rodgers resuscitate the Packers' downfield passing game, it's hard to imagine Rodgers' "run the table" prediction coming to fruition. Nelson could win this award on a league-wide level, and he's certainly the overwhelming choice in the NFC North.
Jeff Dickerson, Chicago Bears reporter: Nelson is the obvious pick here. Rodgers, as great as he is, cannot do it alone. Green Bay probably does not make good on Rodgers' prediction to win out without Nelson, who had monster games against division rivals Chicago and Minnesota late in the year.
Michael Rothstein, Detroit Lions reporter: It became evident pretty quickly last season how much Rodgers missed his go-to wide receiver. So when Nelson returned from his right ACL injury this season, it was going to be interesting to see how he responded at age 31. The way he did makes him a no-brainer for comeback player of the year. He had more touchdowns than any other receiver in the league. He picked up almost exactly where he left off, having his fourth 1,000-yard season in his past five seasons.