Jalen A. Graham (born January 11, 2001) is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue.
![]() Graham in 2022 | |||
No. 50 – San Francisco 49ers | |||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | January 11, 2001||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: | Detroit Country Day Cass Tech (Detroit, Michigan) | ||
College: | Purdue (2019–2022) | ||
NFL draft: | 2023 / Round: 7 / Pick: 255 | ||
Career history | |||
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Roster status: | Active | ||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early years
editGraham was born on January 11, 2001, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan.[1] He attended Detroit Country Day School for his freshman and sophomore years, before transferring to Cass Tech High School.[2] He played quarterback and defensive back, being named first-team all-state at the latter position as a senior.[2][3] A three-star recruit, Graham committed to play college football for the Purdue Boilermakers as a defensive back.[3][4][5]
College career
editGraham saw immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2019, playing in 11 games and starting eight while recording 37 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss.[3] He appeared in five games in 2020, posting 16 tackles, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.[3] Graham started 13 games in 2021, tallying 64 tackles, two interceptions, seven pass breakups and a sack.[3][6] He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference for his performance.[3]
As a senior, Graham appeared in only nine games due to injury but still managed to post 52 tackles, second-best on the team, five tackles-for-loss, one sack and one interception.[3][7] Despite having remaining eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he opted to declare for the NFL draft, finishing his stint at Purdue with 169 tackles, 12.5 tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles and 13 pass breakups in 38 games.[7]
Professional career
editHeight | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
220 lb (100 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) |
4.64 s | 1.68 s | 2.72 s | 4.46 s | 7.31 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
18 reps | |
Sources:[8][9] |
Graham was selected in the seventh round (255th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers.[10]
References
edit- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Jalen Graham, Linebacker, Purdue Boilermakers". Sports Illustrated. January 3, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Nelsen, Chris (September 8, 2018). "Will Detroit Cass Tech's Jalen Graham play safety or quarterback in college?". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Yarris, Brett (April 9, 2023). "Jalen Graham, OLB, Purdue | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ Wiltfong, Steve (October 20, 2018). "Cass Tech DB announces for Purdue". 247Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ Dienhart, Tom (April 4, 2019). "He's 6-3, 215 pounds of glistening potential. His name is Jalen Graham". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ Baumgardner, Nick (May 11, 2022). "2023 NFL Draft: The most intriguing prospects from every Big Ten football program". The Athletic. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Fezler, D. J. (December 28, 2022). "Purdue Linebacker Jalen Graham Announces Decision to Declare for the 2023 NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "Jalen Graham Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Jalen Graham College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ Maiocco, Matt (April 29, 2023). "49ers pick Purdue linebacker Jalen Graham No. 255 overall". NBCSports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2023.