Jalen Graham selected by San Francisco 49ers in 2023 NFL Draft

The fifth and final Purdue representative to get drafted this weekend was linebacker Jalen Graham. Graham was selected with the 255th overall pick in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers.

He joins Charlie Jones, Aidan O'Connell, Payne Durham and Cory Trice in seeing their NFL dreams come true on Saturday. Graham's selection gives Purdue its fifth player in this years draft, which is the most in program history since 2004, when nine Boilermakers were picked.

The 2019 recruit started in parts of four seasons in West Lafayette, becoming one of the best Boilermaker defenders next season. He finished his career with 169 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three interceptions.

Graham played a linebacker/safety hybrid role during his career for Purdue, but is expected to move to linebacker full-time at the next level with his 6'3", 220-pound frame.

The former Boilermaker joins one of the best linebacker corps in the league with the 49ers, headlined by Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Graham will be fighting for a spot on the active roster for San Francisco and could find himself working on special teams to begin his career.