Malik Terrell Jefferson (born November 15, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker.
[1] He has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL).
A native of Mesquite, Texas, Jefferson attended Poteet High School where he played football and baseball and competed in track and field.
[2] In his junior year, Jefferson mostly played linebacker and was part of a defense that held nine opponents to 20 points or fewer.
Poteet finished the season with a 12–2 record, including a 6–1 district mark and an appearance in the 4A Division 2 quarterfinals, where they lost 43–14 to Terence Williams' Ennis.
[4] After participating in Nike's 2014 The Opening in Eugene, Oregon,[5] Jefferson started his senior season as preseason Defensive Player of the Year by Dave Campbell's Texas Football.
Poteet went undefeated 7–0 through its district schedule and finished the season 10–2, but was upset 27–24 in the 5A Division 2 area playoffs by The Colony.
[6] Jefferson was named first-team All-American by Parade and USA Today, and also won the High School Butkus Award for the nation's top linebacker.
[11] On December 19, 2014, he committed to play football at University of Texas at Austin, and was labelled as Charlie Strong's “signature recruit.”[12] He was an early enrollee arriving on campus in January 2015.
[15] On December 31, 2017, Jefferson released a statement through The Players' Tribune announcing his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2018 NFL draft.
On March 28, 2018, he participated at Texas' pro day and performed the vertical jump (37"), short shuttle, and three-cone drill.
At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Jefferson was projected to be a second-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.