Jefferson announced on December 31, 2017, that he would be participating in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Jefferson announced his intention to enter the 2018 NFL Draft on December 31, 2017, via The Player’s Tribune statement. Instead of heeding the advice of the College Advisory Board and going back to school, Jefferson enlisted in the 2018 NFL Draft.
He went to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and participated in most of the activities, but he choose to sit out the three-cone drill and the short shuttle.
The majority of NFL draft analysts and scouts agreed that Jefferson would be selected in the second round of the draft. He was rated the eighth-best linebacker by Scouts Inc. and Sports Illustrated and the second-best inside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScouts.com.
When Was Malik Jefferson Drafted?
During the 2018 National Football League Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Jefferson in the third round (78th overall), and was the eleventh linebacker to be selected in the draft.
Jefferson was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals on June 21, 2018, to a four-year contract worth a total of $3.59 million. The deal also includes a signing bonus of $923,728.
Jefferson only appeared in ten games until suffering a foot injury on December 18, 2018, which led to him being placed on injured reserve.