College Football Week 1: NFL Draft big board – Quarterbacks rule
Malik Jefferson
OLB, Texas
In a year of disappointment for the Texas Longhorns, Malik Jefferson quickly established himself as a bright spot. As a sophomore, Jefferson came in with plenty of intensity at the outside linebacker position and was disruptive.
During the 2016 season, he had nine starts in 11 games. He finished the year with 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. He made his presence felt in their upset win over Baylor and his energy helped spark the team defensively to a victory.
Heading into his junior season, the outside linebacker has everyone believing in the hype. At 6’3″
and 240 pounds, Jefferson is going to be expected to raise those sack totals in what should be another breakout season.
While his stats haven’t jumped off the page necessarily, it’s his talent and potential that has placed him near the top of his position on big boards. He has the ability to move around as well, which is a big reason for his jump.
He’s one of those players with a major passion for the game and distractions don’t get in his way. With Tom Herman leading the Longhorns now and a new defensive coordinator in Todd Orlando, Jefferson will be looked upon as a leader of the defense. He has the unique benefit of being able to use a program turnaround to his advantage.