Browns LB Justin Jefferson: Everything you need to know from childhood to NFL draft
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Justin Jefferson has been to four Pro Bowls and named First Team All-Pro two times, and was NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. Now, Justin Jefferson is on the roster of the Cleveland Browns.
Yeah, unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings receiver isn’t the player coming to Lake Erie, so that ain’t happening. This Justin Jefferson is a linebacker from the University of Alabama, and was selected in the fifth round of this year’s NFL draft. Cleveland had just taken Jefferson’s teammate, center Parker Brailsford, three spots earlier.
What Browns GM Andrew Berry did was bring in a good player for the linebacker room.
Cleveland’s LB group has suffered quite a bit since last season. Both Devin Bush and Mohamoud Diabate were free agents and signed with other clubs. Jerome Baker is the only remaining free agent seeking employment.
LB Quincy Williams was signed from the New York Jets, but that is all that Berry has provided for the linebacker room. So, going into this year’s NFL draft, there were certain positions of need that had to be addressed: offensive tackle, receiver, safety, tight end, and linebacker. In the fifth round at pick #149, the Browns drafted the other Justin Jefferson from Alabama. This pick was the one Cleveland got in the Joe Flacco trade with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Who is Jefferson? What does he offer? Is this a possible starting candidate, or strictly for depth?
Beginnings
Jefferson was raised in Bartlett, Tennessee, located just a few minutes Northeast of Memphis. He attended Bartlett High School. He played outside linebacker and recorded 117 tackles during his senior season and 142 during his two years as the starter. He also added six sacks and two interceptions.
He was raised by a single mom, Teresa Jefferson, a police officer. His father, Corey, died when Justin was two years old. Teresa wanted to make sure her son was around male role models and signed him up for football at age 5 outside Memphis, which is full of blight and crime. She not only attended every game, but she also showed up for every practice. Her plan: Keep him in church and keep him on the football field.
High School accolades:
- First Team 6A All-State
- Four-star recruit
- Daily Memphian First Team 6A All-Region Team
Despite a good senior season, Jefferson only received a few scholarship offers, and none were from D-1 schools. He decided to enroll at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi, a football program with four National Championships under its belt. His goal was to develop as a player. He played for two seasons, and at that conclusion, he was ranked the #1 linebacker prospect in JUCO.
And suddenly, the dogs came out. He now had plenty of college suitors: Florida State, Auburn, South Carolina, USC, Virginia Tech, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Florida. He narrowed his choices down to Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Oregon, and Texas A&M, and subsequently chose Bama.
Jefferson almost missed his last year at Alabama. He thought he had one more year of eligibility remaining, but was told his two years at the JUCO level plus two more seasons at Alabama had used up his college eligibility. But a lawsuit against the NCAA filed by Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia challenged this fact.
While that case was pending, the NCAA decided to provide waivers to athletes who had competed at non-NCAA schools for one more year of eligibility for the 2025 season. Jefferson just so happened to be one of those players. He wanted to remain at Alabama and play one more year before heading to the NFL. Once again, to hone his game before moving on to the next level.
He played in 41 games with career numbers of 149 tackles, five sacks, five batted passes, three forced fumbles, one interception, and 13 tackles for loss.
His Pro Day results:
Height: 6’-1”
Weight: 223 pounds
Hand: 10”
Arm: 31 3/4”
Wingspan: 77 1/4”
40-yard dash: 4.57
10-yard shuttle: 1.60
3-cone: 6.81
225-pound bench press: DNP
Vertical jump: 38.5”
Broad jump: 10’4”
College games: 29
College snaps: 1,041
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Follow on social media:
Twitter: @JustinJ1
Instagram: @1jjuggernaut
What should Browns fans expect from Jefferson?
Scouts love Jefferson’s quickness and instincts. He can also change direction quickly and defend sideline-to-sideline. He is a high character guy and is very humble, coming from a single-parent home who went the community college route. Jefferson is a headhunter and a striker. He never takes off plays, and if he were two inches taller, would have been a bonafide second round pick.
WHY HE COULD SUCCEED:
This is a pick to pair with Williams and Schwesinger on the field at the same time. Jefferson joins a talented LB room that currently consists of Bookie Watson, Winston Reid, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Edefuan Ulofoshio, along with Williams and Schwesinger. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, still recovering from a neck injury, is pursuing his Master’s degree at Harvard.
Jefferson has rare closing speed for a linebacker. He can chase down ballcarriers in a pursuit mode with legitimate wheels. He is smooth in zone coverage and matches up well with bigger tight ends as far as body girth. Exceptional tackler who knows how to wrap up and shows real pop. Lateral agility and a change-for-direction burst. Reads and reacts to run schemes quickly. Class act and full of high character.
WHY HE COULD FAIL:
His height is an issue with most tight ends, although he is physical. Has problems shedding blocks from much bigger offensive linemen. He has been known to lose his gap responsibility on power runs.
Jefferson needs to spend time on refining his pursuit angles. His zone spacing can be inconsistent, and he is not a great blitzer. He will overrun rushing plays on occasion.
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