Apparently, Mike Martz's opinion of Philip Nelson reached the state of Ohio.

Nelson, who played for Minnesota, Rutgers and ECU during his five-year college career, will have rookie tryouts with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns over the next two weekends, according to a source. The Bengals are first.

The Minnesota native threw for 4,800 yards and 33 touchdowns with 22 interceptions in 28 games combined over three seasons. He is coming off a career-best 2,621 yards and 16 touchdowns with eight interceptions at ECU in 2016, after two years on the sidelines.

But Nelson's NFL profile really was boosted with his performance at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and by Martz's comments on his talent after coaching the senior all-star game. There was talk he might get drafted Saturday but instead even a priority free agent deal was elusive.

Martz was the Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator for and later coach of the St. Louis Rams during the Kurt Warner-led "Greatest show on turf" days.

"I think Philip Nelson is a starter in the league," Martz said. "I'm convinced of it."

Nelson's college career began with seven games of experience as a true freshman. He lost his starting job as a sophomore and transferred to Rutgers but never played in a game before being dismissed from the team.

Nelson quietly restarted his football career as a scout-team quartertback at ECU in 2015. He returned to New Jersey for draft training and was mentored by former Division III record-setting Rowan quarterback Tony Racioppi at TEST Football Academy.

Former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna reportedly compared Nelson to Cowboys four-time Pro Bowler Tony Romo, who went undrafted.

"I feel like I can truly help a team win. I can add on to a winning culture that a team is trying to build," Nelson said before the draft.

"Regardless of if I'm playing or not, I'm a film junkie. I would love to help a team game plan and be a great teammate. That's the way I've been raised to be as a football player."

The Browns are looking for a starting quarterback but picked Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer in the second round. The Bengals have an entrenched starter (Andy Dalton) but did not pick a quarterback in the draft.

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.