Ja'Markis Weston

Last updated
Ja'Markis Weston
No. 54  New York Jets
Position Linebacker
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2000-08-10) August 10, 2000 (age 25)
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school Clewiston
(Clewiston, Florida)
College Florida (2019–2024)
NFL draft 2025: undrafted
Career history
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Ja'Markis Weston (born August 10, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators and was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2025.

Contents

Early life

Weston is from Clewiston, Florida. [1] His mother was an athlete who held the Clewiston shot put record and, according to Weston, could bench press 350 pounds (160 kg). [2] [3] Weston attended Clewiston High School where he played football, making the varsity team as a freshman. [2] He was not highly recruited, receiving a three-star rating and being ranked the 69th-best wide receiver in his recruiting class by 247Sports. [2] However, he received significant interest from the Florida Gators, impressing the coaches with his strength (bench-pressing 330 pounds (150 kg) and squatting 500 pounds (230 kg) by 2019) and speed (running a 10.6-second 100 metres at Clewiston). [2] Weston committed to play college football for the Gators. [4]

College career

Weston appeared in three games as a true freshman in 2019 and redshirted. [5] He appeared in eight games, recording a tackle in 2020, then played in nine games in 2021 and caught a touchdown pass. [5] Weston played in 12 games in 2022 on special teams. [5]

Though Weston began his Florida career as a wide receiver, he was unable to win a starting role and switched positions several times. [3] He changed to safety at one point, later moved to linebacker and then to defensive end. [3] He recorded four tackles in the 2023 season while appearing in five games. [1] He played mostly on special teams as a senior in 2024, tallying nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. [5] While at Florida, Weston was able to bench press 525 pounds (238 kg) and squat 605 pounds (274 kg), while weighing 235 pounds (107 kg) and running a 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. [3] Because of Weston's athletic abilities and his repeated position changes, David Whitley of The Gainesville Sun said that, "If Dr. Frankenstein could construct a football player, Weston would emerge from the lab." [3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+58 in
(1.90 m)
234 lb
(106 kg)
32+34 in
(0.83 m)
8+14 in
(0.21 m)
4.65 s1.67 s2.69 s4.39 s7.28 s29.0 in
(0.74 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
20 reps
All values from Pro Day [6] [7]

After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, Weston signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. [4] He was placed on injured reserve on August 26, 2025, and activated on October 18. [8] [9] He made his NFL debut in the team's Week 7 game against the Carolina Panthers, recording one tackle. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ja'Markis Weston". Florida Gators.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sammon, Will (June 21, 2019). "Why Florida remained a huge Ja'Markis Weston fan even after a coaching change". The Athletic .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Whitley, David (August 26, 2024). "What has made Ja'Markis Weston a special kind of guy for Florida football?". The Gainesville Sun .
  4. 1 2 Marion, Richard (April 30, 2025). "Clewiston's Ja' Markis Weston signs with the New York Jets". Lake Okeechobee News .
  5. 1 2 3 4 Dubbin, Adam (April 27, 2025). "New York Jets sign Florida football EDGE Ja'Markis Weston as UDFA after 2025 NFL draft". USA Today .
  6. "Ja'Markis Weston College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  7. "Ja'Markis Weston RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  8. "Jets' Ja'Markis Weston: Starting season on IR". CBS Sports. RotoWire. August 27, 2025.
  9. "Jets' Ja'Markis Weston: Activated from IR". CBS Sports. RotoWire. October 18, 2025.
  10. "Ja'Markis Weston Career Game Log". Pro Football Reference .