Justin Jamaal Ellis (born December 27, 1990) is an

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 ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

in the fourth round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. 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 ...

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

High school

Ellis attended

Neville High School Neville High School is a high school in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Monroe City Schools Board. It is located 1/2 mile from the Ouachita River. Its mascot is the Tiger. Academics Neville offers a wide variety of aca ...

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...

, where he was a two-time first-team all-District 2-4A selection. He was named first-team all-state by the LSWA as a senior, and was a two-time all-Northeast Louisiana selection by the Monroe News-Star. Ellis also lettered three years in

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, competing in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

, where he finished third in the state as a junior, the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

(top-throw of 47.2 meters) and the

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disk (mathematics), disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an classical antiqui ...

, where he captured the state title with a throw of 47.15 meters in 2009. He was rated a two-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

''.

College career

Ellis attended

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

from 2009 to 2013. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2009. In 2010, Ellis played in four games and recorded three tackles. In 2011, he was a second-team All- WAC selection after appearing in all 13 games, recording 20 tackles, 3.5 for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery. In 2012, he recorded 21 total tackles with two forced fumbles. In 2013, he recorded a career high 48 tackles, and set career bests In tackles for loss with 5.5, and sacks with 1.5, earning himself conference honorable mention honors.

Professional career

2014 NFL Draft

Oakland Raiders

Ellis was drafted by the

in the fourth round (107th overall) of the

. On March 9, 2018, Ellis signed a three-year $15 million contract extension with the Raiders. On September 13, 2018, Ellis was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury in Week 1. He was activated off injured reserve on December 1, 2018. On August 31, 2019, Ellis was placed on injured reserve. He was released on October 8, 2019.

Baltimore Ravens

On November 12, 2019, Ellis was signed by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. On March 21, 2020, Ellis re-signed with the Ravens. On March 5, 2021, Ellis signed a one-year contract extension with the Ravens. He was released on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 15, 2021.

New York Giants

On March 23, 2022, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

signed Ellis to a one-year contract. In Week 13 against the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

Ellis recorded his first sack on

Taylor Heinicke Taylor Heinicke ( ; born March 15, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Old Dominion and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted f ...

Atlanta Falcons

On July 28, 2023, Ellis signed with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. He was released on August 26, 2023.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Oakland Raiders bioLouisiana Tech Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Justin Living people 1990 births Players of American football from Monroe, Louisiana American football defensive tackles Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players Oakland Raiders players Baltimore Ravens players New York Giants players Atlanta Falcons players