Tag Archives: New York Jets

CFL, NFL

Hill, Austin

leaf15 ahill sage15 ahill

Cards: Leaf Draft Metal 2015, Sage 2015
Acquired: 2016, Box Breaker

His Sophomore season was a breakout year at Arizona, as Austin Hill had 1,364 yards and 11 touchdowns. Unfortunately he tore his ACL, going down in the second-to-last practice of the spring. After he returned in 2014, his numbers fell to 48 receptions for 630 yards and 4 TDs.  Concern lingered into the draft about his knee, and Austin went undrafted.

Austin has kept the dream alive, and his agent must be commended for how he’s kept Hill in the face of executives and scouts. He has been on the rosters of no less than 5 teams including the Raiders, Jets, Patriots, and the CFL Ottawa Redblacks. He became a fan favorite on NFL’s Hard Knocks with the Los Angeles Rams at his last and most recent stop, with his pure love for the game and his daughter.  He was among the final cuts made by the team, but may make an impression on an NFL team’s practice squad somewhere.

 

NFL

Lageman, Jeff

to90 jlageman pset89 jlageman

Cards: Topps 1990, ProSet 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed 1992
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 6/20    Received:  7/1   (11 days)

Jeff Lageman was a force for Virginia playing both defensive end and linebacker for the Cavaliers.  He was selected by the New York Jets during the loaded 1989 draft in the first round as a defensive end, but at 6’6″, 266 Jeff was considered undersized at the pro level for the position.  Considered one of the early tweeners, Lageman played both defensive end and linebacker for New York.  He played for the Jets through the 1995 season posting a respectable 330 tackles and 34.5 sacks.

He’d sign as a free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their inaugural year. The Jags played him exclusively at defensive end, where Lageman played the final 4 years of his career, retiring after the 1998 season due to injury.

A popular figure around Jacksonville, Jeff was able to leverage his football persona and combine that for his love for the outdoors on the radio. He’s done color commentary for football games and weekly features for the Jaguars.

Jeff signed these 4 cards for me in no time flat. He’s got some spectacular early cards. Even his Topps 1990 card was one of those rare action shots.

G/GS  122/118         TAC  411         SAC  47.0          FUM11
INT 1     YDS 15       AVG  15.0         TD  0          LG  15

NFL

Marshall, Jalin

leaf15dr_jmarshall
Card: Leaf Draft 2016
Acquired: 2016, Box Breaker

A cruel unwitting joke did the people at Leaf play on me.  No sooner than I thought that I might be pulling Ohio State runningback Ezekiel Elliot, I realize it’s just his backup Jalin Marshall.

Marshall did a lot though during his short time playing for the Buckeyes. He fit a variety of roles outside of backing up Elliot. He was a gifted return man, receiver, an oft used 3rd down specialist, and an H-Back. Jalin’s 38 receptions as a Freshman were only second on school history behind NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter (41).  Jalin finished his career at Ohio St. with 74 receptions for 979 yards (13.2 average) and 11 touchdowns.  He also averaged 12.7 yards per return off 52 career punt returns, including a 54-yarder against Indiana.  Marshall did this all with two years of eligibility still remaining, declaring for the draft after his Sophomore season.

Scouts were unsure as to where to put Marshall.  Some boards viewed him as a wide receiver while others saw him as being a runningback. His versatility is a double edged sword, as Jalin had little experience playing runningback, and while he presents decent athleticism, he did not have the best showing at his pro day, displaying average speed. Marshall was considered a late round find by teams, bordering on priority free agent for the 2016 draft. After the draft he signed with the New York Jets.

As injuries plagued the Jets this last season, Jalin was able to get into the lineup and caught his first TD against Miami in week 9. The team utilized him all season, as advertised- as a jack of all trades as he saw action, kick returning, punt returning, and receiving.