Five members of UVA football’s defense sign NFL free agent deals

The 2026 NFL Draft is now complete. And while, surprisingly, not a single Virginia Cavalier had his name called throughout the 257 picks this year in Pittsburgh, we’ll still see plenty of former ’Hoos at NFL training camps this summer.

Five members of last season’s defense signed undrafted free agent deals not long after the conclusion of the draft:

LB James Jackson —> Tennessee Titans

CB Jordan Robinson —> Tampa Bay Buccaneers

EDGE Mitchell Melton —> Indianapolis Colts

S Devin Neal —> Jacksonville Jaguars

DT Jahmeer Carter —> Los Angeles Chargers

Jackson joins the Titans after five years in Charlottesville. Serving as one of the linchpins of the defense and the program, the Virginia native now officially turns the page on his college career after amassing 254 total tackles and providing the locker room with consistent leadership not only in 2025, but as Tony Elliott began his tenure with the ’Hoos. Like Jackson, Jahmeer Carter is another prime example of a culture guy carving out a path at the next level. He’ll head to LA, joining a fellow ACC guy in Akheem Mesidor from Miami and South Carolina’s Nick Barrett as new talent in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball.

Jordan Robinson carved out a huge role in the secondary after transferring over a season ago. His size at 6-foot-four, 210 pounds should give him a fighting chance to stick in the league. He finished his lone season as a ’Hoo with 24 tackles and four pass breakups.

Staying in the secondary, you have to love the stars aligning as Devin Neal heads to Jacksonville. One of the most underrated, but most reliable players throughout last season, Neal was a staple in UVA’s backend and came up big in securing the program’s 11th win and avoiding the embarrassment of almost letting another game slip away with his game-winning pass breakup in the endzone against Missouri in the Gator Bowl. Like a handful of former UVA DB’s before him, would anyone really be surprised to see Neal find a role in the league?

The ’Hoos badly needed to put together a capable pass-rush a season ago, and not many were better in helping that come to fruition than Mitchell Melton. Melton delivered five sacks in his lone season in the orange and blue and is set to join one of the more intriguing situations in the league right now with the Colts looking to bounce back after a great start to ‘25 was wasted away down the stretch. Melton was one of the biggest ‘hits’ in the portal a year ago, among many others, and will always be a hero in Charlottesville for bullying a Virginia Tech quarterback for four straight quarters.

A huge thank you and good luck to each of these guys as they gear up to earn roster spots in the coming months.