Malcolm Jenkins

Malcolm Jenkins (born December 20, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-American honors, and winning the Jim Thorpe Award as a senior.

Jenkins was the first cornerback to be drafted by the Saints in the first round since Oregon's Alex Molden went eleventh overall in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jenkins was listed as No. 61 cornerback prospect in the nation in 2005.

During his freshman season at Ohio State, Jenkins spent most of his time in the nickelback position.

He finished the season with 37 tackles in 10 games.

In 2006, he started all 13 games at corner and was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten.

He finished 2006 with 55 tackles and four interceptions.

As a junior in 2007 Jenkins recorded 47 tackles and four interceptions and was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly and a first-team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year.

As a senior in 2008 he won the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive back, after recording 57 tackles and three interceptions.

Jenkins is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

He was vice president, stepmaster, and chaplain of the Ohio State chapter; he has two prominent fraternity tattoos, one on his upper left arm and a second one on his chest.

He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2014 to 2019.

Jenkins grew up in Piscataway, New Jersey and played high school football at Piscataway Township High School, where he helped lead his team to three consecutive state championships.

He played both wide receiver and defensive back for the Chiefs football team.

He also excelled at track, winning the state title in the 400 metres as a junior.

Jenkins and Vontae Davis were considered the top two defensive backs available in the 2009 NFL Draft, and Jenkins drew comparisons to Terence Newman.

After Jenkins ran a comparably slow 40-yard dash, some scouts considered him better suited for the safety position.

The New Orleans Saints selected Jenkins in the first round (14th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

On August 9, 2009, the New Orleans Saints signed Jenkins on a five-year, $19 million contract that includes $10.59 million guaranteed.

Their agreement ended Jenkins' 11-day training camp holdout.

Jenkins entered training camp late and was slated as a backup, but competed for a job as a starting cornerback against Jabari Greer.

Head coach Sean Payton named Jenkins the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer.

He made his professional regular season debut in the New Orleans Saints' season-opener against the Detroit Lions and made one solo tackle in their 45–27 victory.

He made first career tackle on running back Aaron Brown and stopped him from scoring on an 87-yard kick return in the third quarter.

He was inactive for the Saints' Week 4 victory against the New York Jets after spraining his ankle the previous week.

Jenkins was sidelined for Week 6 after further aggravating his ankle injury.

On November 22, 2009, Jenkins earned his first career start and recorded seven combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted his first career pass during a 38–7 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.

Jenkins intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Josh Freeman that was originally intended for wide receiver Antonio Bryant and returned it for a 14-yard gain in the second quarter.

He earned his first start after Jabari Greer sustained a groin injury in Week 9 and Tracy Porter sprained his MCL in Week 10.

Jenkins remained the starter for the next six games after Greer was sidelined for the next seven games (Weeks 10–16) and Porter was sidelined for the next four games (11–14) In Week 13, he collected a season-high nine solo tackles and broke up a pass in a 33–30 win at the Washington Redskins.

On December 27, 2009, Jenkins made a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) in the Saints' 20–17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16.

Jenkins finished his rookie season in 2009 with 55 combined tackles (49 solo), four pass deflections, and an interception in 14 games and six starts.

The New Orleans Saints finished first in the NFC South with a 13–3 record, clinching a first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

On January 16, 2010, Jenkins appeared in his first career playoff game as the Saints' defeated the Arizona Cardinals 45–14 in the NFC Divisional Round.

The Saints reached the Super Bowl after winning the NFC Championship Game in a 31–28 win against the Minnesota Vikings.

On February 7, 2010, Jenkins appeared in Super Bowl XLIV and recorded five solo tackles and a pass deflection in the Saints' 31–17 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

On May 8, 2010, head coach Sean Payton stated his intentions to move Jenkins to safety while addressing the media at the Saints' rookie minicamp press conference.

He was moved after the Saints' drafted Patrick Robinson in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

With the addition of Robinson, Jenkins would've entered camp as the fifth cornerback on the roster behind Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, Randall Gay, and Patrick Robinson.