Chris
Claybrooks.
Chris
Claybrooks.
Memphis
"Jacksonville drafted a junior college receiver turned Memphis nickel at No. 223, and his quickness earned 46 games and six starts before off-field arrests ended his NFL run."Pre-draft read
Claybrooks was a nickel and outside cornerback in Memphis' defense, a 5-9, 180-pounder who played receiver in junior college before switching to defense for his final two seasons. His primary trait was short-area quickness: he mirrored in the slot with fast feet, stayed in phase on breaking routes and closed on throws in front of him with urgency.
His secondary trait was return ability, with a kickoff return touchdown as a senior. Against the run he was a willing but light tackler who relied on angles. His athletic ceiling came from twitch rather than size, and his signature was the burst of a former offensive player still learning to see the game from the other side.
Zone-heavy scheme with a defined nickel role that lets a quick corner play from depth and rally to throws in front of him.
Year 1: special teams player and kick returner. Ceiling: rotational nickel cornerback in sub packages.
Press-man scheme that asks him to play on the boundary and match bigger receivers at the line without safety help.
His special teams work was his route onto the active roster.
Chris Claybrooks gets drafted
Memphis feature on his selection by Jacksonville.
2019 Football Highlights - Memphis vs SMU
Memphis' 2019 win over SMU from his senior season.
Claybrooks projected as a late-round slot cornerback and returner whose short résumé at the position made him a projection. Evaluators saw a quick, competitive athlete with loose hips and return skill, but a thin frame and only two seasons of Division I defense after junior college stops at Fort Scott and Coahoma.
He played sparingly in 2018 but returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. In 2019 he missed the first five games with a foot injury, then made 42 tackles in nine games, took a kickoff back for a score and intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in the American title game against Cincinnati. The flags were his size, limited ball production, the missed time and inexperience reading route combinations.
Most boards treated him as a priority free agent rather than a draftable cornerback. Jacksonville took him at No. 223 for his special teams value and quickness, betting he could develop into a backup nickel while covering and returning kicks.
- 01
Short-area quickness
Mirrored slot receivers with fast feet and stayed in phase through breaks, giving him a natural fit as a nickel cornerback.
- 02
Return value
Returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2019 and brought 11 kickoffs back for 338 yards, adding a clear special teams path to a roster.
- 03
Closing burst
Drove on throws in front of him with urgency, as his 37-yard interception return touchdown in 2018 showed in limited snaps.
- 04
Big-game plays
Intercepted a pass and forced a fumble against Cincinnati in the 2019 American title game, making plays with the stakes at their highest.
- 05
Offensive background
His junior college experience at receiver helped him understand route concepts and play the ball with natural hands.
- 01
Undersized frame
At 5-9 and about 180 pounds he could be outmuscled at the catch point and walled off by bigger receivers in the run game.
- 02
Thin résumé
Played only two seasons of Division I defense after junior college, leaving evaluators a small and uneven body of work.
- 03
Injury history
Missed the first five games of 2019 with a foot injury, limiting the tape he could put on film in his final season.
- 04
Limited ball production
Finished his Memphis career with two interceptions and three passes defensed, low numbers for a cornerback prospect.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Memphis | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Memphis | 9 | 42 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | — | 21 | 54 | 0.5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Seasons from Sports-Reference, matching Memphis' career bio of 21 games, 54 tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble and a half sack. Memphis credits five pass breakups, Sports-Reference three; the conservative figure is used. Junior college seasons at Fort Scott and Coahoma, played on offense, are not included.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a backup nickel and special teams player for three seasons.
Undersized, quick slot corner who went from overlooked prospect to long-time starter.
Small, quick late-round corner who could not hold a steady roster spot.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Claybrooks made Jacksonville's roster as a rookie in 2020, playing 13 games, seeing snaps on defense and handling kick returns, then appeared in 16 games in 2021 and 17 in 2022, mostly on special teams and as a backup nickel. After two domestic violence arrests in 2023, the NFL placed him on the commissioner's exempt list for the full season, and he later received an eight-game suspension that was deemed served. He resurfaced in the UFL with Arlington in 2025 and Orlando in 2026.
In hindsight the pick returned solid value on the field for a No. 223 selection. His quickness and special teams play carried him to 46 games, six starts, 81 tackles and 22 kickoff returns in three seasons, which is more than most seventh-round cornerbacks deliver. But he never developed into a steady nickel, and his off-field conduct, not his talent, ended his NFL career. He finished as a useful depth player whose career closed early.