Jalen Curtis Tolbert (born February 27, 1999) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

South Alabama Jaguars The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics te ...

and was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

Early life

Tolbert was born on February 27, 1999, in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, and attended

McGill–Toolen Catholic High School McGill–Toolen Catholic High School, founded as the McGill Institute and sometimes called "McT" for short, is a private co-educational high school operated by the educational system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile in Mobile, Alabam ...

, where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He did not become a starter until his senior year and finished the season with 37 receptions for 696 yards and nine touchdowns. Tolbert was rated a two-star recruit and initially committed to play

at Jacksonville State before choosing to attend the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963 and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alaba ...

College career

Tolbert redshirted his true freshman season at South Alabama after suffering a knee injury in preseason training camp. He entered the starting lineup as a redshirt sophomore and finished the season with 27 receptions for 521 yards and six touchdowns. Tolbert was named first-team All-

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...

as a redshirt junior after catching 64 passes for 1,085 yards, both school records, and eight touchdowns, which tied the school record. Against Arkansas State, he set a school record with 252 receiving yards on ten receptions with three touchdowns. He was again named first-team All-Sun Belt and the conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 after resetting his own school records with 82 receptions for 1,474 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

College statistics

Professional career

Tolbert was drafted by the

in the third round (88th overall) of the

2022 season

As a rookie, he appeared in eight games and had one start. He recorded two receptions for 12 yards on the 2022 season.

2023 season

In Week 9, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tolbert scored his first NFL touchdown on a seven-yard reception. In Tolbert's second season, he appeared in all 17 games; recording 22 receptions, 268 receiving yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns.

2024 season

In Week 5 against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

on Sunday Night Football, Tolbert caught the game-winning touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in a 20–17 victory. In the 2024 season, Tolbert finished with 49 receptions for 610 yards and seven touchdowns.

Professional statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys bio

South Alabama Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolbert, Jalen 1999 births American football wide receivers South Alabama Jaguars football players Living people Players of American football from Mobile, Alabama Dallas Cowboys players