A converted safety who grew into a 6-foot-5 linebacker at Louisiana and became the program's first-ever linebacker drafted to the NFL.
Jaden Dugger arrived at Louisiana as a converted safety and left as the school's first linebacker ever selected in the NFL Draft, going to the 49ers in the fifth round in 2026. His rare frame for the position, 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan, and a breakout senior season made him one of the more intriguing developmental prospects on San Francisco's defense.
Path to the league
Dugger began his college career at Georgetown as a safety prospect before transferring to Louisiana, where his size pushed him inside to linebacker. San Francisco selected him with the 154th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, a pick the team acquired in a trade with Baltimore, and he signed his rookie contract on May 8, 2026.
Career highlights
Across his four-year college career at Georgetown and Louisiana, Dugger totaled 222 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. He became the first linebacker in Louisiana program history to be selected in the NFL Draft.
2025 season recap
Dugger led Louisiana's defense in his final college season with 125 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and four sacks, earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors. That production made him one of the standout risers of the 2026 draft class at his position.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jaden Dugger
- ESPN: Jaden Dugger
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Louisiana
- Hometown
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
