Jalen Jelks
American football player (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jalen Jelks (born August 3, 1996) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks.
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
| No. 74 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 3, 1996 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 256 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Desert Vista (Phoenix) |
| College | Oregon |
| NFL draft | 2019: 7th round, 241st overall pick |
| Career history | |
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Jelks attended Desert Vista High School. He played football in only 3 years. As a senior, he was a two-way starter at defensive line and left tackle. He registered 72 tackles (12 for loss), 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and one blocked field goal, while receiving All-state honors.
He finished his high school career with 113 tackles (17 for loss), 15 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. A 3-star recruit, Jelks committed to play football at Oregon over offers from Arizona State, California, Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, among others.[1]
College career
Jelks accepted a football scholarship from the University of Oregon. After redshirting for a year, he appeared in 11 games as a backup defensive end, collecting 9 tackles (6 in the final three games) and 3 sacks as a freshman. As a sophomore in a reserve role, he contributed with 31 tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks and 2 pass breakups in 8 games.
As a junior, he started all 13 games, recording 59 tackles 6.5 sacks (led the team), 15 tackles for loss (led the team) and 7 pass breakups. He had 9 tackles in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl. He was put on the watchlist for the Chuck Bednarik Award during the season.[2] He was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference second-team, Pro Football Focus first-team All-Pac-12 and the Phil Steele second-team All-Pac-12 Conference.[3]
Despite speculation that he could declare for the 2018 NFL draft, Jelks announced that he would return to Oregon.[4] As a senior in 12 starts, he registered 57 tackles (7.5 for loss) and 3.5 sacks.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+3⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 256 lb (116 kg) | 34+5⁄8 in (0.88 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.92 s | 4.59 s | 7.22 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) | 19 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Dallas Cowboys
Jelks was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (241st overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.[5] He was placed on the injured reserve list on August 30.[6] On August 16, 2020, he was released to make room for the signing of free agent defensive end Everson Griffen.[7]
Carolina Panthers
On August 17, 2020, Jelks was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers.[8] He was waived on September 5.[9]
Cleveland Browns
Jelks was signed to the practice squad of the Cleveland Browns on September 22, 2020.[10] He was released on October 26.[11]
Washington Football Team
On November 15, 2020, Jelks signed to the practice squad of the Washington Football Team.[12] He was waived/injured on December 12, 2020.[13] He signed a reserve/futures contract on January 10, 2021.[14] Jelks was waived by Washington with an injury designation on July 26, 2021, and reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers.[15] He wasn't re-signed after the season.