Jalen A. Graham (born January 11, 2001) is an American professional football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. Graham has also been a member of the Washington Commanders.
 Graham with the Purdue Boilermakers in 2022 | |||||
| No. 41 – San Francisco 49ers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | January 11, 2001 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Cass Tech (Detroit) | ||||
| College: | Purdue (2019–2022) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 7 / pick: 255 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
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Early life
editGraham was born on January 11, 2001, 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
edit| Height | 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] | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers
editGraham was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (255th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.[10] As a rookie, he appeared in four games and recorded one tackle.[11] On August 27, 2024, the 49ers waived him as part of final roster cuts before the start of the 2024 season.[12]
Washington Commanders
editOn August 28, 2024, Graham signed with the practice squad of the Washington Commanders.[13]
San Francisco 49ers (second stint)
editOn October 1, 2024, the San Francisco 49ers signed him off the Commanders' practice squad onto their active roster.[14] On November 5, the 49ers released Graham again and signed him to the practice squad two days later.[15][16]
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.
- ^ "Jalen Graham 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "49ers Announce Moves for Initial 53-Man Roster of 2024". 49ers.com. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Manning, Bryan (August 29, 2024). "Commanders sign 16 players to practice squad". USAToday.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "49ers Sign Linebacker Jalen Graham to a One-Year Deal". 49ers.com. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "49ers Waive LB Graham, Release K Carlson". 49ers.com. November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Koslow, Ari. "Jalen Graham signs with 49ers practice squad". Fantasy Pros. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
External links
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