2. Malik Jefferson, linebacker
Malik Jefferson, for all intents and purposes, may be a younger Brandon Marshall. Once upon a time, he was also on the Eagles’ radar. Last season, he was placed on injured reserve on December 18th because of a foot injury, but in Jim Schwartz’s defensive scheme, he could blossom.
He’s a former third-round selection. He’s only 22 years old, and with coaching and some playmakers around him. not to mention some veteran leadership like Malcolm Jenkins and Fletcher Cox, Jefferson could flash the skills that make people wonder why the Cincinnati Bengals gave up on him. He’s definitely worth a call.
He has only ten tackles on his NFL resume, but there’s no reason to believe a Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year nod in 2017 (where they play no defense), a First-team All-Big 12 nod (also in 2017), and Second-team All-American honors in that same year can’t translate to the pro game. This guy can ball.