Texas Football: 5 former Longhorns facing NFL Preseason position battles
2nd Year. Malik Jefferson. 2. player. Linebacker. 56. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Position Battle: Weak-Side Linebacker
The Competition: Jordan Evans
A third round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2018 NFL Draft, former Texas football star linebacker Malik Jefferson has yet to really fulfill his potential. His rookie season was filled with mystery and disappointment. Jefferson didn’t get the playing time that many anticipated he would as a former third round draft pick.
There will be a Red River Showdown in its own right in the preseason and in Training Camp with the Bengals. If nothing else, Jefferson doesn’t want to become an afterthought just a few years after he was a potential starter in waiting for the Bengals as an early round NFL Draft pick.
Jefferson will be battling former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Jordan Evans to get the weak-side linebacker spot with the Bengals. In two seasons with the Bengals thus far, Evans racked up 1.5 sacks and 64 solo tackles. He got a lot more playing time than Jefferson last season. Evans played in 29 games in his two year career with the Bengals.
Jefferson and Evans are jockying for playing time at weak-side linebacker for the Bengals along with the former NC State Wolfpack standout linebacker/safety and rookie Germaine Pratt. Evans should be the projected starter right now, but Pratt could also play a role in how the playing time shakes out.