Jaylon Ferguson

Jaylon Ferguson
refer to caption
Ferguson at 2018 C-USA Kickoff
No. 45
Position:Outside linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1995-12-14)December 14, 1995
Zachary, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:June 21, 2022(2022-06-21) (aged 26)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:West Feliciana
(Bains, Louisiana)
College:Louisiana Tech (2014–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 3 / pick: 85
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • C-USA Defensive Player of the Year (2018)
  • 2× First-team All-C-USA (2017, 2018)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:67
Sacks:4.5
Pass deflections:2
Fumble Recoveries:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jaylon O'Neal Ferguson (December 14, 1995 – June 21, 2022) was an American football outside linebacker. He played college football at Louisiana Tech before being drafted 85th overall by the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL) in the 2019 NFL draft. He played three seasons with the Ravens.

Early years

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Ferguson attended West Feliciana High School in St. Francisville, Louisiana, where he played football and basketball for four years.[1]

College career

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Ferguson redshirted his first year at Louisiana Tech in 2014. In 2015, he played in 12 games with five starts and recorded 35 tackles and six sacks. As a sophomore in 2016, he set the school record for sacks in a season with 14.5.[2][3] As a junior in 2017, Ferguson had 38 tackles and seven sacks.[4] He returned to Louisiana Tech for his senior year in 2018.[5] During the season he broke the school record for career sacks and broke his own school record for sacks in a single-season with 17.5.[6] Ferguson became the Football Bowl Subdivision career sack leader during the 2018 Hawaii Bowl, and was also named winning-team MVP of that game.[7]

In February 2019, the National Football League (NFL) rescinded their invitation to Ferguson to attend the NFL Scouting Combine after discovering his misdemeanor simple battery conviction from 2015.[1]

College statistics

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Jaylon Ferguson Defense
Season Team GP Cmb TfL Sck Int PD FF
2015 Louisiana Tech 12 35 15.0 6.0 0 1 2
2016 Louisiana Tech 14 49 14.0 14.5 0 2 3
2017 Louisiana Tech 11 38 12.5 7.0 0 0 0
2018 Louisiana Tech 13 65 26.0 17.5 0 3 2
Totals 50 187 67.5 45.0 0 6 7

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
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 4+3⁄4 in
(1.95 m) 		271 lb
(123 kg) 		34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.82 s 1.69 s 2.78 s 5.12 s 8.08 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[8][9]

Ferguson was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round (85th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.[10] On July 19, 2019, Ferguson was placed on the reserve/NFI list with a hamstring injury.[11] He was removed two days later.[12] On September 22, 2019, Ferguson made his NFL debut, recording 18 snaps against the Kansas City Chiefs.[13] He recorded his first-career tackle two weeks later against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[14] He made his first NFL start on November 3 against the New England Patriots.[15] On November 17, Ferguson recorded his first-career sack against the Houston Texans, bringing down Deshaun Watson in the second quarter.[16] Three weeks later, he recorded his second sack against the Buffalo Bills, sacking Josh Allen.[17]

In Week 4 of the 2020 season against the Washington Football Team, Ferguson recorded his first sack of the season on Dwayne Haskins during the 31–17 win.[18] Ferguson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Ravens on November 28, 2020,[19] and activated two days later.[20] In the 2020 season, Ferguson started in one game and appeared in 14 total, finishing the season with 2.0 sacks and 30 tackles.[21] In 2021, Ferguson appeared in 10 games, recording six tackles but no sacks.[21]

Personal life and death

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Ferguson had a son and two daughters with his fiancée.[22]

Ferguson died in Baltimore on June 21, 2022, at the age of 26.[23] Police indicated that while the death was "questionable", there were initially no signs of foul play or trauma.[24] The next day, the Ravens released a statement stating: "We are profoundly saddened by the tragic passing of Jaylon Ferguson. He was a kind, respectful young man with a big smile and infectious personality. We express our heartfelt condolences to Jaylon's family and friends as we mourn a life lost much too soon."[23] His death was later declared to be caused by the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine, and it was ruled that the death was accidental.[25]

Ferguson's brother, Jazz Ferguson, formally played for the DC Defenders of the XFL.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "After West Feliciana's Jaylon Ferguson uninvited to NFL combine, agent releases statement". The Advocate. February 14, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Weathers, William (December 17, 2016). "The sacks kept stacking up for Louisiana Tech's Jaylon Ferguson". The Advocate. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  3. ^ USA Today Network (August 21, 2017). "La. Tech's Jaylon Ferguson aims high". Shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Weathers, William (December 19, 2017). "Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech look to sack SMU in Frisco Bowl". The Advocate. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Diaz, Cory (August 9, 2018). "Louisiana Tech's Jaylon Ferguson returns for the 'right reasons'". Shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Diaz, Cory (November 1, 2018). "Origin of #SackDaddy: How LA Tech's Ferguson got the nickname that's catching on". Thenewsstar.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "Smith Leads Louisiana Tech Past Hawaii 31-14 in Hawaii Bowl". thehawaiibowl.com. December 23, 2018. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "Jaylon Ferguson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech, DE, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Brown, Clifton (April 26, 2019). "Ravens Draft Edge Rusher Jaylon Ferguson". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Brandt, Caroline (July 19, 2019). "Ravens Roundup: Ravens place Brown, Ferguson on reserve/NFI list". NBC Sports Washington. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  12. ^ Schiller, Joe (July 22, 2019). "Michael Pierce, Daylon Mack and Jaylon Ferguson Pass Physicals Ahead of Training Camp". 105.7 The Fan. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  13. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs - September 22nd, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 6th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens - November 3rd, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  16. ^ RotoWire Staff (November 18, 2019). "Ravens' Jaylon Ferguson: Notches first career sack". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Brown, Clifton (December 9, 2019). "Ravens Pass Rush Is a Problem – For Opponents". Baltimoreravens.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  18. ^ "Ravens vs. Washington score: Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews rebound to defeat Washington with ease". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  19. ^ Brown, Clifton (November 28, 2020). "Six Ravens Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  20. ^ Brown, Clifton; Mink, Ryan (November 30, 2020). "Four More Ravens Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List, Four Return". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Jaylon Ferguson Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "The two sides of Baltimore Ravens rookie Jaylon Ferguson". pennlive. November 29, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Hensley, Jamison (June 22, 2022). "Baltimore Ravens LB Jaylon Ferguson dies at age 26". ESPN. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Prudente, Tim (June 22, 2022). "Baltimore Police investigating 'questionable' death of Ravens linebacker Jaylon Ferguson". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Costello, Darcy (July 1, 2022). "Ravens player Jaylon Ferguson died of fentanyl and cocaine, medical examiner office says". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  26. ^ "Jazz Ferguson - Demon Football". Northwestern State University Athletics. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
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