Elijah Monroe Molden (born January 30, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
 Molden in 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 22 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | January 30, 1999 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 191 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | West Linn (West Linn, Oregon) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Washington (2017–2020) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 3 / pick: 100 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Early life
editMolden attended West Linn High School in West Linn, Oregon. He played cornerback and running back in high school. In 2014, his sophomore year, West Linn went 8-3 and advanced to the state's 6A quarterfinals. He rushed for 784 yards on 110 carries, with nine rushing touchdowns and had 38 receptions for 542 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.[1]
As a junior in 2015, Molden helped lead West Linn to a 12-2 mark and a berth in the 6A state title game. He rushed for 1,071 yards on 106 carries, with seventeen rushing touchdowns and had 476 receiving yards on 28 receptions with six receiving touchdowns. Molden earned first-team All-Three Rivers League on both offense and defense. In his senior season, Molden helped lead the West Linn to a 14-0 record, including a 62-7 victory in the 6A state championship game. He rushed for 784 yards on 59 carries, with ten rushing touchdowns. He averaged 11.3 yards per rushing attempt. Receiving, Molden caught 19 passes for 249 and six receiving touchdowns. On defense, he recorded three interceptions.
After his senior season, Molden was a nationally ranked recruit. ESPN listed him as the # 2 ranked prospect in Oregon, # 213 overall and 19th ranked cornerback in the country. Scout.com ranked Molden the No. 151 overall recruit and No. 17 cornerback in the country. 247Sports.com listed him at No. 2 in Oregon and No. 23 in the nation at cornerback.[2]
College career
editAlthough Molden’s father was a standout at the University of Oregon, Elijah wanted to create his own legacy. He was heavily recruited by several universities, including Oregon, Notre Dame, USC, Stanford and Utah; but he eventually chose to play at the University of Washington under head coach Chris Petersen.[3] He played in all 13 games during his true freshman season. In his sophomore season, Molden played in all 14 games and had two starts, including the Pac-12 title game. He won the school’s award for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
Molden started all 13 games again in his junior season. He was named the MVP of the Las Vegas Bowl, after totaling nine tackles, a half tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception in the win over Boise State.[4] He was recognized for his outstanding season, including, the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 team, Pro Football Focus All-America second-team, first-team All-Pac-12, Pro Football Focus and Associated Press All-Pac-12 first-team, Phil Steele's All-Pac-12 first-team and All-America honorable mention, and the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.[5][6]
His senior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Molden started every game of the four-game season. Again, he was recognized at the conclusion of the season for his performance both on and off the field. He was named a second-team All-American by Pro Football Focus, which also named him Pac-12 Player of the Year. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 for the second season in a row and he was one of 12 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He was a semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Finally, he won the 113th annual Guy Flaherty Most Inspirational Award, and also the UW's Defensive MVP, at the team's postseason awards banquet.[7]
On December 21, 2020, Molden announced that he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter his name in the 2021 NFL draft.[8]
College statistics
edit| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | Sck | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | |||
| 2017 | Washington | 13 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Washington | 14 | 29 | 20 | 9 | 0.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | Washington | 13 | 79 | 49 | 30 | 0.0 | 17 | 4 | 45 | 11.3 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2020 | Washington | 4 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 44 | 153 | 100 | 53 | 0.0 | 25 | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| Source: GoHuskies.com | ||||||||||||||
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m) |
192 lb (87 kg) |
29+1⁄2 in (0.75 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.58 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
13 reps | |||||
| All values from Pro Day[9][10][11] | ||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans
editOn April 30, 2021, the Tennessee Titans selected Molden with the 100th overall pick in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.[12] He signed his four-year rookie contract with Tennessee on July 22.[13]
On September 9, 2022, Molden was placed on injured reserve.[14] He was activated from injured reserve on November 12, 2022.[15] He was placed back on injured reserve on December 7.[16]
In 2023, Molden played in 15 games with eight starts, recording 73 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception.[17]
Los Angeles Chargers
editOn August 28, 2024, Molden was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2026 seventh-round pick.[18]
Personal life
editMolden is the son of Alex and Christin Molden. He is the second oldest of eight children. His father is a member of the University of Oregon Hall of Fame and an eight-year NFL cornerback.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ "Elijah Molden - Football". Washington Huskies. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Elijah Molden, Tennessee Titans, Cornerback". 247Sports. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Jude, Adam (January 25, 2017). "Cornerback Elijah Molden, a jewel of UW's recruiting class, trades family's Oregon Ducks green for Huskies purple". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Vance, Miles (December 28, 2019). "West Linn's Elijah Molden named Las Vegas Bowl MVP". Pamplin Media. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Raley, Dan (April 22, 2020). "Worth the Wait? No, Elijah Molden Should Have Played Sooner for UW". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Raley, Dan (December 20, 2019). "UW's Molden: He's the Leader of the Defense Now". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Edholm, Eric (April 5, 2021). "2021 NFL draft: Washington DB Elijah Molden thrives with elite instincts, competitiveness". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Raley, Dan (December 21, 2020). "Molden Bows Out in a Classy Manner, as the UW Leader to the End". SI.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Elijah Molden Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Elijah Molden, Washington, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Raley, Dan (March 30, 2021). "Molden Handles Pro Day Like a Pro, Has His NFL Career Plotted". SI.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (May 1, 2021). "Titans Select Washington CB Elijah Molden in the Third Round of the NFL Draft". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Links, Zachary (July 22, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/22/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 9, 2022). "Roster Moves: Titans Place DB Elijah Molden, LB Chance Campbell on Injured Reserve". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Davenport, Turron (November 12, 2022). "Titans getting back first-round rookie WR Treylon Burks from IR". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 7, 2022). "Titans Add DB John Reid, Place DB Elijah Molden on Injured Reserve". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Elijah Molden 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Acquire Defensive Back Elijah Molden". Chargers.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Nemec, Andrew (December 7, 2016). "West Linn 4-star CB Elijah Molden: 'I'm solid to Washington'". Oregon Live. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Jennings, Chantel (November 15, 2016). "Elijah Molden's Washington commitment new rock bottom for Oregon". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
External links
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