A well-traveled defensive tackle who climbed from Division II Grand Valley State through LSU to Wisconsin, Jay'viar Suggs signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent.
Jay'viar Suggs took one of the more unconventional paths to the NFL, starting his college career at Division II Grand Valley State before transferring to LSU and finally Wisconsin for a single, productive season in the Big Ten. New Orleans signed the Flint, Michigan native as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft, valuing the interior pass-rush production he flashed at every stop.
Path to the league
Suggs starred at Division II Grand Valley State from 2019 to 2023, redshirting his first year before racking up 42 tackles, 14.5 for loss, eight sacks and nine passes defended over his career there, highlighted by a five-sack 2023 season that earned him second-team all-conference honors. He transferred to LSU for the 2024 season before landing at Wisconsin in 2025 for his final year of eligibility, then went undrafted in 2026 and signed with the Saints.
Career highlights
Suggs' jump from Division II to the SEC and then the Big Ten in consecutive seasons is a testament to the pass-rush ability he showed at Grand Valley State, where his sack production first drew notice from bigger programs. At 6-foot-3 and roughly 300 pounds, he ran a 5.05-second 40-yard dash and posted a 34-inch vertical at his pro day, athletic testing that stood out for an interior lineman.
2025 season recap
In his lone season at Wisconsin in 2025, Suggs played in all 12 games with 11 starts, logging 334 defensive snaps and recording 10 tackles, including a sack. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft afterward and signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in April 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jay'viar Suggs
- ESPN: Jay'viar Suggs player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wisconsin
- Hometown
- Flint, MI, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
