Nelson came to Carlton from South Australia and made his debut for Carlton in the game where they famously wore M&M guernseys in a promotional deal. He was strongly built and played mostly as a tagger and at half back. Injuries interrupted his early career but he became a regular in the side in 1999 and played in their losing Grand Final that year against the Kangaroos.
After 40 games, Nelson was traded to Adelaide for David Gallagher at the conclusion of the 2001 season. Nelson managed 12 games for Adelaide in 2002 and has since played with Sturt. He was a member of Sturt's 2002 premiership team, was Club Champion in 2003 and was equal second in the 2007 Magarey Medal.
He is the son of famous Sturt player Philip 'Sandy' Nelson.