Cory Nelms (born February 27, 1988) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who played for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

. He was also a member of the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Early life

Nelms participated in football and track and field at

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Neptune ...

Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 (+0.5%) from t ...

College career

Nelms played for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

from 2007 to 2010. He was also a member of the Hurricanes' track and field team. Nelms won the 2009 ACC Indoor Championship in the 60m hurdles and the 2010 ACC Outdoor Championship in the 110m hurdles.

Professional career

Nelms was rated the 41st best

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

in the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

by NFLDraftScout.com. He signed with the

on July 27, 2011 after going undrafted. He was released by the 49ers on September 3 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 4, 2011. He was signed to a futures contract by the 49ers on January 24, 2012. Nelms was released by the 49ers on August 27, 2012. On November 19, 2012, Nelms was signed to the practice squad of the

. He was promoted to the active roster on December 28, 2012. He appeared in one game for the Raiders on December 30, 2012 against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. He was released by the Raiders on August 25, 2013.

Post-playing career

Nelms later became an assistant track coach at the University of Miami. In 2025, he joined the

Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team was a charter member of the Big 12 before leaving to jo ...

team as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelms, Cory Living people 1988 births American football cornerbacks Miami Hurricanes football players San Francisco 49ers players Oakland Raiders players Neptune High School alumni Sportspeople from Neptune Township, New Jersey Players of American football from Monmouth County, New Jersey 21st-century African-American sportsmen Miami Hurricanes men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from New Jersey College track and field coaches in the United States American track and field coaches American strength and conditioning coaches Colorado Buffaloes football coaches Coaches of American football from New Jersey