Michael Jefferson (American football)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | December 21, 1999 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Murphy (AL) |
| College: | Alabama State (2018–2020) Louisiana (2021–2022) |
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Undrafted: | 2023 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Michael Jefferson (born December 21, 1999) is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at Alabama State and Louisiana.
Early life
[edit]Jefferson was born in Mobile, Alabama, on December 21, 1999.[1][2] He attended Murphy High School and posted 35 receptions for 628 yards and ten touchdowns as a senior, and overall recorded 52 catches for 968 yards and 14 scores at the school.[1] He did not receive a star rating from the major recruiting services, but committed to play college football for the FCS Alabama State Hornets, among the only teams to give him an offer.[1][3]
College career
[edit]As a true freshman at Alabama State in 2018, Jefferson posted 12 receptions for 115 yards and four touchdowns, leading the team in the latter category.[4] The following year, he posted 49 receptions for 767 yards and 12 touchdowns; his touchdown total tied a team record.[5][6] In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Jefferson tallied a team-leading 24 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns.[5] After the year, he transferred to Louisiana.[5]
In his first year at Louisiana, Jefferson recorded a team-leading 481 receiving yards despite only placing sixth on the team with 18 catches, scoring four touchdowns on the season and being named honorable mention all-conference.[1][6] In the 2022 season, he posted 51 catches for 810 yards and seven scores.[7]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1.92 m) |
199 lb (90 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.56 s | 1.52 s | 2.60 s | 4.43 s | 6.94 s | 37.0 in (0.94 m) |
11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) |
16 reps | |
| Sources:[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Jefferson had been projected as a potential middle-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft.[7] On April 11, 2023, he was severely injured in a car crash that killed another driver and needed multiple surgeries.[10][11] He was released from the hospital on April 19 and is slated to miss the entire season as a result of the crash.[12]
On September 14, 2023, the San Francisco 49ers hosted Jefferson for a workout.[13] The next day, Jefferson was hosted for a visit with the Seattle Seahawks.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "NFL Draft Profile: Michael Jefferson, Wide Receiver, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns". Sports Illustrated. December 2, 2022.
- ^ "Michael Jefferson". ESPN.
- ^ Foote, Kevin (November 24, 2021). "Alabama State transfer WR Michael Jefferson emerging as Cajuns' deep-ball threat". The Advocate.
- ^ Darrington, Kamarri (November 23, 2018). "Moving on up: ASU's Michael Jefferson closes freshman season strong". Montgomery Advertiser.
- ^ a b c Buckley, Tim (June 2, 2021). "Why Billy Napier added Alabama State transfer Michael Jefferson to Cajuns receivers corps". The Daily Advertiser.
- ^ a b Cummings, Ian (February 28, 2023). "Michael Jefferson, WR, Louisiana | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
- ^ a b Gardner, Steve (April 12, 2023). "Louisiana-Lafayette WR Michael Jefferson injured in fatal head-on car crash". USA Today.
- ^ "Michael Jefferson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Michael Jefferson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Dye, Natasha (April 12, 2023). "NFL Draft Prospect Michael Jefferson Severely Injured in Fatal Alabama Car Accident". People.
- ^ Thompson, Scott (April 11, 2023). "NFL Draft prospect Michael Jefferson undergoes multiple surgeries after involvement in fatal car crash". Fox News.
- ^ Young, Ryan (April 19, 2023). "NFL Draft: WR prospect Michael Jefferson to miss 2023 season after fatal crash, multiple surgeries". Yahoo!.
- ^ "San Francisco 49ers Show Interest In Wide Receiver". yardbarker.com. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "Free agent WR Michael Jefferson visited Seahawks and 49ers". seahawkswire.usatoday.com. September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
Further reading
[edit]- Toran, Andre (November 19, 2019). "Count it all joy, Part I: ASU WR Michael Jefferson II battles through father's bout with cancer". Montgomery Advertiser.