Former Texas football LB Malik Jefferson joins Sam Ehlinger with the Colts
The 2021 NFL Draft just wrapped up, and the Texas football program had a solid five players selected in the actual seven rounds of the festivities last week. Texas Exes played a big role in how the draft board shaped up on day two and three last week. The five players among Texas Exes that were selected in the 2021 draft were the most of any program in this state.
There is also an ongoing storyline to watch of how other former Longhorns in the NFL shape out rosters for the remainder of the offseason. One prominent former Longhorn that had trouble finding traction with any one team in the NFL since getting drafted a few years back did get another shot after he was signed this week.
On the later afternoon of May 5, it was announced that former Texas All-American linebacker Malik Jefferson was signed by the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the start of Mini Camp. The Colts are now the home to multiple former Longhorns post-draft, including wide receiver Tarik Black and quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
We have signed LB Malik Jefferson.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 5, 2021
Malik Jefferson forms a trio of former Texas football players with the Colts
Head coach Frank Reich, general manager Chris Ballard, and the Colts drafted Ehlinger in the sixth round. And they picked up Black as a solid value undrafted free agent signing last weekend. Jefferson is now the third Texas Ex to join the Colts in the span of less than one week.
This will now be the sixth team in the NFL that has signed Jefferson and given him a chance to make a final roster. A few of those teams gave him multiple chances at different points of his career too.
It all started out for Jefferson as a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2018 draft. But less than 18 months later, the Bengals would waive Jefferson after signing him to a four-year rookie deal that offseason prior. He has bounced around between different teams like the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs, since the Bengals released him during the 2019 offseason.
In his three seasons playing in the NFL (with three different teams in terms of actual game action), Jefferson registered 16 combined tackles, no sacks, no tackles for loss, and no quarterback hits. His opportunity to make an impact in-game was rather limited, but he’s surely got a number of chances in the last three years.
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The Colts will look to bolster their roster with newfound depth in an era now led by former North Dakota State Bison and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. And if at least two in this trio of Texas Exes that were signed in the past week in Indy can make the final roster, then former Longhorns will play a role in this team’s fate in the AFC South.