Nick Westbrook Aims to Make Most of NFL Shot
4/29/2020 8:49:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Dad is under the quarterback microscope.
Is he ready?
Nick Westbrook will put that to the test.
The former Indiana receiver is now a signed free agent with the Tennessee Titans. In these pandemic-challenged times, he needs all the preparation help he can get. And with social distancing in high gear, finding a quality quarterback to throw him passes is a challenge. Finding anybody who can throw to him is a problem.
Enter his father, Jeff Nickel. What he lacks in quarterback talent, he makes up for in availability.
"I'll have him be as accurate as he can," Westbrook says.
How accurate is that? The two will work that out on available Florida fields, where Westbrook now lives. And if Nickel reminds no one of, say, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady (now in Florida after signing with Tampa Bay), well, that's okay.
Bad throws -- and the ability to make tough catches from them -- have their benefits.
"If anything," Westbrook says with a laugh, "it helps me with a bad ball here or there."
Westbrook didn't get drafted, but he didn't have to wait long after the draft ended last Saturday to sign with Tennessee, a team that reached the AFC title game last season with a run-heavy offense behind tailback Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
It wasn't a surprise.
"I had been in contact with the Titans," Westbrook says, "and knew they were interested in me.
"I kept waiting. I didn't get drafted. I had hoped I would, but I was expecting a call from them. I really liked the offer.
"It felt like all the stars aligned. It's a great location. (Former IU receiver) Luke Timian lives there now. He's one of my best friends. Everything worked out. I'm ready to get to work."
Westbrook followed the seven-round draft, but didn't get into serious television viewing until the sixth round.
"We were watching Netflix and just hanging out."
The 6-3, 220-pound Westbrook ranks among Indiana's most productive receivers. His 144 career catches rank sixth in program history. He's also in the Top 10 in receiving yards (2,226), receiving touchdowns (16) and 100-yard receiving games (6). He also set an IU record with 52 games played.
His best season came as a sophomore, when he totaled 54 catches for 995 yards. He caught 42 passes in each of his final two seasons.
In last year's 44-41 double-overtime win at rival Purdue, he caught five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Plus, Westbrook earned academic All-Big Ten honors four times, and received IU's Spirit of Indiana Director's Award for representing the Spirit of Indiana: 24 Sports, 1 Team.
Westbrook will join a Tennessee team that features a youthful group of receivers led by A.J. Brown and Corey Davis. The Titans didn't draft a receiver (they took an offensive and defensive lineman, a cornerback, a running back, a quarterback and a defensive back), but did sign two other free-agent receivers.
"That was one of the reasons I wanted to go there," Westbrook says. "They have a great program. They want to build on that momentum. Hopefully, I'll add another piece to it.
"I feel there's opportunity. I'll get a chance to learn from the guys already there."
As far as the other receiver free agents, Westbrook says, "Hopefully we can all get together and figure our way onto the team."
Special teams is another option. Westbrook did that at Indiana. He was sidelined for a season after blowing out his knee on the season-opening kickoff against Ohio State in 2017, but has no qualms about doing it in the NFL.
"I just want to have an impact on the team. That's the biggest thing for me."
Joining a playoff team is a bonus.
"I've always been a fan of teams and players who do it the right way," Westbrook says. "The Titans have always been a team I appreciated. I loved watching them. I'm ready to get started."
If you believe former Indiana teammate Simon Stepaniak, a sixth-round pick with the Green Bay Packers, Westbrook is a no-brainer to make Tennessee's roster.
"He's going to kill it," Stepaniak says. "Having a team that gives him an opportunity, that's all he needs. He's a great person and good player. They got a steal. He'll give everything he's got. He'll leave everything on the field."
IU head coach Tom Allen is equally optimistic, tweeting that, "He has displayed tremendous Grit as a Hoosier, and served as a catalyst for the Breakthrough we experienced in 2019."
Westbrook had a brief conversation with Tennessee receivers coach Rob Moore Saturday night. Longer ones are coming.
"He was like, you'll be talking with me at least every other day. We'll help you get up to speed as fast as we can, and we'll do it the right way by going with the NFL rules. As soon as we can get (the playbook) to you legally, we'll get it to you."
Westbrook can't wait.
"I want to get my head into the playbook, so I can be as prepared as possible."
Westbrook says he's good as far as workout equipment. He has a barbell and 300 pounds of weights. He also has two dumbbells with adjustable weights.
"I can do most of the stuff that I need to. I also have a baseball field right outside my house I can go to. I'll be out there every day."
Westbrook didn't have a favorite NFL team growing up, in part because his family moved a lot. He was born in Minnesota, but spent much of his childhood in Florida, where he became a school-record-setting all-state receiver at Lake Mary High School near Orlando.
He did like the Minnesota Vikings, who had receiver Randy Moss and quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
"It was cool to watch them."
At IU, Westbrook played in big games in big stadiums against elite teams, experiences that will help him moving forward.
"I'll take everything I've learned from Coach Allen and all my coaches through the years and apply that," he says.
"This is has been a life-long dream, 15 years in the making. I don't care about being drafted or undrafted. I just want my shot and make the most of it."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Dad is under the quarterback microscope.
Is he ready?
Nick Westbrook will put that to the test.
The former Indiana receiver is now a signed free agent with the Tennessee Titans. In these pandemic-challenged times, he needs all the preparation help he can get. And with social distancing in high gear, finding a quality quarterback to throw him passes is a challenge. Finding anybody who can throw to him is a problem.
Enter his father, Jeff Nickel. What he lacks in quarterback talent, he makes up for in availability.
"I'll have him be as accurate as he can," Westbrook says.
How accurate is that? The two will work that out on available Florida fields, where Westbrook now lives. And if Nickel reminds no one of, say, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady (now in Florida after signing with Tampa Bay), well, that's okay.
Bad throws -- and the ability to make tough catches from them -- have their benefits.
"If anything," Westbrook says with a laugh, "it helps me with a bad ball here or there."
Westbrook didn't get drafted, but he didn't have to wait long after the draft ended last Saturday to sign with Tennessee, a team that reached the AFC title game last season with a run-heavy offense behind tailback Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
It wasn't a surprise.
"I had been in contact with the Titans," Westbrook says, "and knew they were interested in me.
"I kept waiting. I didn't get drafted. I had hoped I would, but I was expecting a call from them. I really liked the offer.
"It felt like all the stars aligned. It's a great location. (Former IU receiver) Luke Timian lives there now. He's one of my best friends. Everything worked out. I'm ready to get to work."
Westbrook followed the seven-round draft, but didn't get into serious television viewing until the sixth round.
"We were watching Netflix and just hanging out."
The 6-3, 220-pound Westbrook ranks among Indiana's most productive receivers. His 144 career catches rank sixth in program history. He's also in the Top 10 in receiving yards (2,226), receiving touchdowns (16) and 100-yard receiving games (6). He also set an IU record with 52 games played.
His best season came as a sophomore, when he totaled 54 catches for 995 yards. He caught 42 passes in each of his final two seasons.
In last year's 44-41 double-overtime win at rival Purdue, he caught five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Plus, Westbrook earned academic All-Big Ten honors four times, and received IU's Spirit of Indiana Director's Award for representing the Spirit of Indiana: 24 Sports, 1 Team.
Westbrook will join a Tennessee team that features a youthful group of receivers led by A.J. Brown and Corey Davis. The Titans didn't draft a receiver (they took an offensive and defensive lineman, a cornerback, a running back, a quarterback and a defensive back), but did sign two other free-agent receivers.
"That was one of the reasons I wanted to go there," Westbrook says. "They have a great program. They want to build on that momentum. Hopefully, I'll add another piece to it.
"I feel there's opportunity. I'll get a chance to learn from the guys already there."
As far as the other receiver free agents, Westbrook says, "Hopefully we can all get together and figure our way onto the team."
Special teams is another option. Westbrook did that at Indiana. He was sidelined for a season after blowing out his knee on the season-opening kickoff against Ohio State in 2017, but has no qualms about doing it in the NFL.
"I just want to have an impact on the team. That's the biggest thing for me."
Joining a playoff team is a bonus.
"I've always been a fan of teams and players who do it the right way," Westbrook says. "The Titans have always been a team I appreciated. I loved watching them. I'm ready to get started."
If you believe former Indiana teammate Simon Stepaniak, a sixth-round pick with the Green Bay Packers, Westbrook is a no-brainer to make Tennessee's roster.
"He's going to kill it," Stepaniak says. "Having a team that gives him an opportunity, that's all he needs. He's a great person and good player. They got a steal. He'll give everything he's got. He'll leave everything on the field."
IU head coach Tom Allen is equally optimistic, tweeting that, "He has displayed tremendous Grit as a Hoosier, and served as a catalyst for the Breakthrough we experienced in 2019."
Westbrook had a brief conversation with Tennessee receivers coach Rob Moore Saturday night. Longer ones are coming.
"He was like, you'll be talking with me at least every other day. We'll help you get up to speed as fast as we can, and we'll do it the right way by going with the NFL rules. As soon as we can get (the playbook) to you legally, we'll get it to you."
Westbrook can't wait.
"I want to get my head into the playbook, so I can be as prepared as possible."
Westbrook says he's good as far as workout equipment. He has a barbell and 300 pounds of weights. He also has two dumbbells with adjustable weights.
"I can do most of the stuff that I need to. I also have a baseball field right outside my house I can go to. I'll be out there every day."
Westbrook didn't have a favorite NFL team growing up, in part because his family moved a lot. He was born in Minnesota, but spent much of his childhood in Florida, where he became a school-record-setting all-state receiver at Lake Mary High School near Orlando.
He did like the Minnesota Vikings, who had receiver Randy Moss and quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
"It was cool to watch them."
At IU, Westbrook played in big games in big stadiums against elite teams, experiences that will help him moving forward.
"I'll take everything I've learned from Coach Allen and all my coaches through the years and apply that," he says.
"This is has been a life-long dream, 15 years in the making. I don't care about being drafted or undrafted. I just want my shot and make the most of it."
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