Eric Sorenson
As a standout at Desert Vista High School, Jalen Jelks played up front on both sides of the ball. Now the former Oregon Ducks star will make a living playing off the edge after being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
With the 241st pick in the 2019 #NFLDraft, the #DallasCowboys select defensive end, @JalenJelks from @oregonfootball! ?#CowboysDraft pic.twitter.com/npa2c5xYIo
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 27, 2019
The long and athletic 6-foot-5, 256-pounder blossomed into one of the best pass rushers in the Pac-12 during his time in Eugene. A first-team, All-Conference selection last fall as a redshirt senior, Jelks tallied 57 tackles (7.5 for loss) and 3.5 sacks. Many feel his junior campaign was even more impressive (15 TFL’s, five sacks). He finished that season with nine tackles in the Ducks’ Las Vegas Bowl matchup against Boise State.
Although he played nearly every position up front at Oregon, Jelks is considered a better fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.
Lance Zierlein from NFL.com shared his thoughts on the former Thunder star.
“As a junior interior defender, Jelks was often physically outmatched, but he showed the tenacity and talent to still be productive and disruptive. Some teams will struggle with where he fits from a position standpoint, but he could challenge for reps early in his career as a designated pass rusher along the interior in sub-packages.”
