Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Meet the Jets' UDFA: Deslin Alexandre, DE, Pittsburgh (98)
The New York Jets apparently smell what Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers are cooking.
After selecting two Pitt prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, Gang Green signed defensive end Deslin Alexandre, the 2022 Blue-Gold Award recipient, to an undrafted free-agent contract. The 6-foot-3 Alexandre joins former college teammates left tackle Carter Warren and running back Izzy Abanikanda in Green & White.
NFL Draft Bible assessed Alexandre as "an intriguing athlete with a promising skill-set, Alexandre is a Day Three candidate who boasts NFL-caliber length, movement skills and strength."
Alexandre, a combine snub, participated in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena following a decorated career at Pitt. He was an exemplary student-athlete for five seasons as a collegian. The three-time All-Academic Atlantic Coast Conference selection pulled in a number of prestigious honors for his work in the classroom and within the community, including being named the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year.
The former basketballer, who did not start playing football until his junior year in high school, was the male winner of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup and also landed a spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Alexandre saw the field in 13 games as a redshirt freshman, playing mostly on special teams in 2018. He became a full-time starter at defensive end prior to the 2021 season and was a fixture on the Front 7 moving forward.
The Floridian-born Alexandre totaled 58 career appearances for Pitt. He logged 5+ tackles-for-loss in four consecutive seasons and finished his career with 29.5 TFL, 16.5 sacks and eight pass deflections.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report Excerpt: "Despite being one of the older prospects in the draft, Alexandre is somewhat of a late bloomer and is really just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. It took some time to identify a home position, as he has seen his weight fluctuate between 235-to-285 pounds throughout his collegiate career—at last check, he measured in at a rocked up 267 pounds. He flashes a quick first step with solid change of direction both in space and through engagement, along with heavy hands that consistently force offensive linemen onto their heels. He must learn to drop his pad level before he can reliably contribute against NFL competition."
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