Jalen McLeod

Last updated

Jalen McLeod
JalenMcLeod.png
McLeod at the 2025 Senior Bowl
No. 53 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Position Linebacker
Roster status Injury icon 2.svg Injured reserve
Personal information
Born (2002-06-05) June 5, 2002 (age 23)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight241 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school Friendship Collegiate Academy
(Washington, D.C.)
College
NFL draft 2025: 6th round, 194th overall pick
Career history
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jalen McLeod (born June 5, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers and Auburn Tigers. He was selected by the Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Contents

Early life

McLeod attended Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C., where he was an honorable mention all-metro selection after making 60 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior; he helped the team to the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association championship in both 2018 and 2019. [1] An outside linebacker, he was ranked a three-star prospect, the 1,640th-best player nationally and the 68th-best recruit at his position by 247Sports. [2] He received relatively little attention as a recruit – having no offers from Power Five teams – and committed to play college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers, one of only two NCAA Division I FBS programs to give an offer. [3]

College career

McLeod appeared in five games, one as a starter, as a true freshman in 2020, posting nine tackles and two sacks. [4] He then played in all 14 games in 2021 and recorded 26 tackles, a sack, and three tackles-for-loss (TFLs). [4] As a junior in 2022, he posted 41 tackles, six sacks, 7.5 TFLs and two forced fumbles, with both of his forced fumbles coming in an upset win over Texas A&M. [5] He was selected third-team All-Sun Belt Conference (SBC) for his 2022 performance. [6]

McLeod opted to transfer following the 2022 season, concluding his stint with the Mountaineers having made 76 tackles, 12.5 TFLs and three forced fumbles in 30 games played. [7] He ended up transferring to the Auburn Tigers for the 2023 season. [8] With the Tigers that year, he totaled 50 tackles, 10.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks. [9] As a senior in 2024, he recorded 57 tackles and a team-leading 14 TFLs and eight sacks. [10] He was invited to the 2025 Senior Bowl. [10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in
(1.87 m)		241 lb
(109 kg)		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)
All values from NFL Combine [11] [12]

Mcleod was selected 194th overall in the sixth round in the 2025 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "Jalen McLeod". Auburn Tigers.
  2. ↑ Silva, Richard (May 2, 2023). "Appalachian State transfer pass rusher Jalen McLeod commits to Auburn football". The Montgomery Advertiser .
  3. ↑ Cohen, Matt (August 14, 2023). "Jalen McLeod was very particular in the portal. Auburn provided exactly what he wanted". AL.com .
  4. 1 2 "Jalen McLeod". Appalachian State Mountaineers.
  5. ↑ Cohen, Matt (November 9, 2023). "How Auburn's Jalen McLeod rose from undersized to a vital pass rusher". AL.com .
  6. ↑ Silva, Richard (November 14, 2023). "Auburn football's Jalen McLeod is finally healthy, and that's bad news for opposing QBs". The Montgomery Advertiser . Archived from the original on December 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ Lee, Ainslie (July 24, 2023). "Year one on The Plains: Meet Auburn's transfer Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod". AL.com .
  8. ↑ Lee, Justin (August 15, 2023). "Auburn's head-turning Appalachian State transfer Jalen McLeod has already made his impact on the SEC". Opelika-Auburn News .
  9. ↑ Biggs, Terrance (July 13, 2024). "Auburn Tigers Undersized Edge Plays Oversized Role". Sports Illustrated .
  10. 1 2 Stephenson, Creg (December 2, 2024). "Auburn's Jalen McLeod headed to 2025 Senior Bowl". AL.com .
  11. ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Jalen McLeod Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Jalen McLeod College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  13. ↑ Oesher, John (April 26, 2025). "Jalen McLeod is the Jaguars No. 194 Overall in the 2025 NFL Draft". Jaguars.com. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
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