Jalen Jelks (born August 3, 1996) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Oregon.

Jalen Jelks
Personal information
Born: (1996-08-03) August 3, 1996 (age 28)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Desert Vista (Phoenix)
College:Oregon
Position:Defensive end
NFL draft:2019 / round: 7 / pick: 241
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

edit

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

edit

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

edit
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5+38 in
(1.97 m)
256 lb
(116 kg)
34+58 in
(0.88 m)
9+58 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

edit

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

edit

On August 17, 2020, Jelks was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers.[8] He was waived on September 5.[9]

Cleveland Browns

edit

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

edit

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.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Jalen Jelks, Desert Vista , Defensive Tackle". 247Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Skopil, Erik (October 6, 2017). "Jalen Jelks added to Bednarik Watch List". 247Sports.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Wade, Kevin (April 23, 2018). "Oregon's Jalen Jelks earning 1st round projection for 2019 Draft". 247Sports.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Greif, Andrew (December 13, 2017). "In boost to Oregon defense, Jalen Jelks will return for senior season". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  5. ^ Halprin, Dave (April 27, 2019). "The Dallas Cowboys select DE Jalen Jelks with the 241st pick in the 2019 NFL Draft". SB Nation. Vox Media. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Helman, David (August 31, 2019). "Several Young Draft Picks Among Cowboys' Cuts". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Drummond, K.D. (August 16, 2020). "Report: Cowboys release second-year DE to make roster room for Everson Griffen". Cowboys Wire. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Simmons, Myles (August 17, 2020). "Panthers acquire defensive end Jalen Jelks". Panthers.com. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  9. ^ Simmons, Myles (September 5, 2020). "Panthers reduce roster to 53 players". Panthers.com. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "Browns sign K Matthew McCrane, DE Jalen Jelks to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 22, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  11. ^ "Browns sign T Alex Taylor to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Washington Places QB Kyle Allen On Injured Reserve". WashingtonFootball.com. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Washington Makes Multiple Roster Moves". WashingtonFootball.com. December 12, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  14. ^ "Washington Signs 13 Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". WashingtonFootball.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Washington Makes Multiple Roster Moves". WashingtonFootball.com. July 27, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
edit