Jacob Sykes

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Jacob Sykes
Profile
Position Defensive end
Personal information
Born (1999-08-09) August 9, 1999 (age 26)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight282 lb (128 kg)
Career information
High school Rockhurst (Kansas City)
College Harvard (2018–2021)
UCLA (2022)
NFL draft 2023: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Jacob Sykes (born August 9, 1999) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football for the Harvard Crimson and UCLA Bruins, and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

Contents

Early life

Sykes was born on August 9, 1999. [1] The son of two engineers, he grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and was known for his "off-the-charts intellect," according to the Los Angeles Times . [2] [3] He attended Academie Lafayette French immersion school (K-8) and is fluent in French. He took college courses while in sixth grade and in seventh grade assisted in teaching courses at Langston University. [3] He also competed in state math and history competitions when young, earning a placement in the former while winning the latter. [3] As a freshman in high school, Sykes scored a 34 on the ACT test, and he graduated with a GPA of 4.23. [3]

Sykes was also a talented athlete from a young age, lettering in four sports at Rockhurst High School while being the first freshman to start a football game there. [3] He was twice a team captain in track and field and was the captain of the football team as a senior. [4] A National Honor Society (NHS) member, Sykes was a first-team all-state football player and was named their most valuable player for the 2017–18 school year. [4] He was also named The Kansas City Star's Boys Scholar-Athlete of the Year. [3] 247Sports ranked him as a three-star recruit to play college football and placed him as the 14th-best player in the state. [5]

College career

Sykes committed to play college football for the Harvard Crimson and appeared in eight games as a true freshman. [6] During his sophomore season, he totaled 36 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a blocked field goal while appearing in all 10 games. [4] [6] After the Ivy League canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sykes returned in 2021 and became a first-team all-conference selection with 29 tackles and a team-leading seven sacks. [6] He entered the NCAA transfer portal in 2022, after having graduated from Harvard with a degree in applied mathematics. [7] Sykes ultimately transferred to play with the UCLA Bruins, and appeared in 13 games, six as a starter, in the 2022 season, earning third-team All-Pac-12 honors from Pro Football Focus (PFF) after posting 29 tackles and a sack. [6]

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+3⁄4 in
(1.90 m)		282 lb
(128 kg)		32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m)		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		4.94 s1.72 s2.86 s4.48 s7.45 s32.0 in
(0.81 m)		9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		27 reps
All values from Pro Day [8]

Seattle Seahawks

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Sykes was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. [9] He was waived on August 29, 2023, as part of final roster cuts. [10]

San Antonio Brahmas

On February 6, 2024, Sykes signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). [11] He re-signed with the team on August 26. [12]

Philadelphia Eagles

On July 22, 2025, Sykes signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. [13] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts, re-signed to the practice squad on September 10 and released from the Eagles the following day. [14] [15] [16]

References

  1. ↑ "Jacob Sykes". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ Bolch, Ben (November 12, 2022). "UCLA's Sykes makes it look easy as pi". Los Angeles Times . p. B12, B8. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mellinger, Sam (May 27, 2018). "Rockhurst's Sykes, a lineman, can beat you in a pi competition". The Kansas City Star . p. B5, B8. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. 1 2 3 "Jacob Sykes". Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ Royer, Benjamin (January 25, 2022). "UCLA Football Scores Harvard Defensive Lineman Jacob Sykes Through Transfer Portal". Sports Illustrated .
  6. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Corbin K. (June 7, 2023). "Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: DE Jacob Sykes". Sports Illustrated .
  7. ↑ Sanzone, Ron (October 27, 2022). "UCLA's Jacob Sykes doesn't quit". Pasadena Weekly . Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Jacob Sykes College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. ↑ Goodwin, Max (May 13, 2023). "Ruskin and Rockhurst grads sign as NFL free agents". The Martin City Telegraph . Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ Boyle, John (August 29, 2023). "Seahawks Make Roster Moves, Establish Initial 2023 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com.
  11. ↑ Larsen, James (February 7, 2024). "San Antonio Brahmas Add Three Players In UFL Free Agency". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  12. ↑ @UFL_PR (August 26, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2024– via Twitter.
  13. ↑ Dougherty, Tom (July 22, 2025). "Eagles sign Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Jacob Sykes to add defensive line depth as training camp begins - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Eagles announce their initial 53-man roster". philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Eagles sign DT Jacob Sykes to practice squad, release CB Eli Ricks". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Eagles sign DT Gabe Hall to the practice squad". www.philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
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