Jeffrey David "Jeff" Maehl (born March 16, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver. He was signed by the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2011. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.
In addition to his run with the Texans, Maehl played for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
.
High school career
Maehl played for the Paradise High School Bobcats in Paradise California, where he was given the opportunity to display his skills on the field. He wore the #15 jersey in green and gold. He played in the 2007
Lions Club
The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, ...
District 4C-1 All-Star Game along with former rival at
Pleasant Valley High School quarterback
Jordan Rodgers.
College career
He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
with the
University of Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conferenc ...
. As a senior in 2010, Maehl caught 77 passes for 1,076 yards while helping Oregon to the
2011 BCS National Championship Game
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. The finale of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series was p ...
. In that game, quarterback
Darron Thomas
Darron Varnell Thomas (born May 23, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the University of Oregon football team that reached the 2011 BCS National Championship Game and won the 2012 Rose Bowl.
E ...
and Maehl combined to set the record for the longest pass play from scrimmage in a championship game: 81 yards. Prior to the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
, Maehl was predicted to be a late-round draft pick by draft analyst
Mel Kiper Jr.
Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks.
Career
Kiper said th ...
NFL Combine
At the
NFL Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...
, Jeff Maehl had a strong performance. He measured in at 6'1" and 190 lbs and had a slower than average 40-time of 4.62 seconds. However, in the measures of quickness - 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle, and 3-cone drill - Maehl finished 2nd, 1st, and 1st respectively. Maehl's 6.42 second 3-cone drill was not only the fastest in this year's draft, but the fastest it has been run in six years. He still holds the current record as of the end of 2021 Combine.
Professional career
2011 NFL Draft
Maehl went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, but he was selected with the final pick of the
2011 UFL Draft by the
Virginia Destroyers
The Virginia Destroyers were a professional American football team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They began play in the United Football League (2009–2012), United Football League (UFL) in the 2011 UFL season, 2011 season. They played their ...
. Maehl was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent on July 25, 2011. Despite being waived by Houston on September 3, 2011, Maehl was signed to the Texans practice squad on September 4, 2011. On December 13, 2011, Maehl was signed to the active roster following the release of fellow wide receiver
Derrick Mason
Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the ...
. Maehl was cut on September 1, 2012, while the Texans were trimming their roster to 53 men, signed by Texans to the practice squad on September 4, 2011, signed from practice squad to active roster by Texans on December 13, 2011, and signed by the Texans to Reserve/Future contracts on January 24, 2013.
Maehl was traded to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
for
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
Nate Menkin on August 12, 2013, where he was reunited with his former college coach
Chip Kelly
Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl game a ...
.
In week four of the 2013 season Maehl came in during a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter, catching a touchdown.
Personal life
Maehl lives in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...
, with his wife Britnee and their two cats. Maehl has a full
sleeve tattoo
A sleeve tattoo or tattoo sleeve is a large tattoo or collection of smaller tattoos that covers most or all of a person's arm. There is a difference between an arm covered in tattoos and a sleeve tattoo: a sleeve tattoo has a unified theme, wherea ...
on one arm and a half-sleeve on his other. Maehl has many other tattoos, with some matching his wife's. He has one on his right arm that says "Paradise California", his hometown the town is now burned to the ground, and features a row of pine trees, and more scripture and design. There is a tattoo on his left arm in honor of drowned former teammate Todd Doxey, who died in 2008.
[Oregon's Jeff Maehl Plays With Fallen Teammate Todd Doxey on His Mind](_blank)
AOL News, January 9, 2011 Doxey was a close friend and roommate of Maehl.
[
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References
External links
Oregon Ducks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maehl, Jeff
1989 births
Living people
People from Paradise, California
Players of American football from California
American football wide receivers
Oregon Ducks football players
Houston Texans players
Philadelphia Eagles players