NFL Records
Jihad Ward is a former linebacker out of Illinois; Globe Institute, selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 44th overall pick (round 2) in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played 136 regular-season games from 2016 to 2025, with the Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans.
Draft Details
Jihad Ward Career Stats
- Primary starter for 4 seasons.
Defense
| Season | Team | G | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sacks | QB Hits | INT | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | OAK | 15 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | OAK | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | IND | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | BAL | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | BAL | 9 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | JAX | 15 | 10 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | NYG | 15 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 2023 | NYG | 14 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | MIN | 14 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | TEN | 17 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | 114 | 92 | 94 | 27 | 24 | 95 | 0 | 12 | 3 |
G = games with at least one recorded statistic; the career games total in the summary above includes every game played.
Source: nflverse · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Draft Class Context
Jihad Ward was the 1st of 15 LBs selected in the 2016 draft. The 44th overall pick has been used 60 times in draft history. Its most productive selection was Matt Forte in 2008, who played 148 games. Illinois had 3 players drafted in 2016, among them Ted Karras and Clayton Fejedelem. Career statistics for him are not currently held in this database; coverage is thinner for earlier draft classes.
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