Moments of above-average upper-body strength. It's a good pitch to have, but that could be an issue if that's all he has, which is the case for now. He excels with: Length, freaky burst/bend/dip combination Areas of concern: Hands are more active than they are effective, 2021 film featured spindly frame with lacking power. Lets dive into those before looking at the areas for improvement on his report. Drake Jackson Draft Profile. Doesnt have a plan when he goes into a rep. Placement is not great. During his 11 games as a starter in 2019, Jackson led the team in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (5.5). Born and raised in Corona, California, Jacksons journey to the 2022 NFL Draft began at Centennial High School. Can drop hips and get low, as well as widen out with flexible ankles. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Drake Jackson has been a well-known name in this year's draft cycle. With Jackson, though, its very easy to see his overwhelming talent shining through. Dropped 25 pounds since his freshman season. Jackson is primarily limited by his inconsistency. Buy Chargers Tickets. Struggles even to get off of tight ends. Please check your email for a confirmation. Jan 1. He often initiates contact with active, refined and accurate hands; further, he exhibits a varied pass-rush arsenal. Jackson is an explosive player off the line of scrimmage that is able to beat his opponents out of their stance quite regularly. He is adept at scraping laterally across the line of scrimmage to locate the ball carrier in the run game. Do Not register if you are not a part of the A's program. NFL draft profile scouting report for USC outside linebacker, Drake Jackson. Quick to pick up assignments and holds his own in coverage. This event is exclusive to the A's program. Inconsistent getting off blocks from smaller offensive players gets moved or out-positioned and forced to chase down plays from behind. Jacksons lateral agility and athleticism offer promise to develop in this area, though. Doesnt look like he knows how to use his hands very well. As a result, the Trojan standout gives up his chest and is blown up or controlled by offensive linemen. The 2nd play of the 4th quarter is tipped and intercepted by. Over the last three years, he tailled up 12.5 sacks (including a pandemic-shortened season), as well as 25 tackles for a loss. Drake Maye: 45 total touchdowns, 5,019 yards of offense. Despite the challenges presented by the 2020 college football season, Jackson was still one of the premier pass rushers in the sport. 17 min read. USC EDGE Drake Jackson Scouting Report. Here he was three games into a campaign he . Games watched: Stanford (2021), Washington State (2021), Utah (2021), Arizona State (2020). [] the ground running. It is also important to remember he is still just 21 years old. Inconsistent as a tackler - not good when runners run directly at him, Could do with improving his technique as a pass rusher - he relies to much on athletic ability something he won't be able to do at the next level. Height: 6'4 | Weight: 250 lbs | Class: Junior. Flashes closing speed and agility to reach passers from the blind side or up the middle before they can escape. #99Pos: 3-4 OLBHt: 6035Wt: 254Hand: 1018Arm: 3400Wing: N/A40: N/ABench: N/A3-Cone: N/AShuttle: N/AVert: 36.5Broad: 1007DOB: 4/12/01Eligible: 2022Corona, CACentennial High School. An relentless edge defender with impressive physical traits, USC's Drake Jackson enters the 2022 NFL draft as one of the more intriguing edge defenders in a deep class. There were some flashes but for the most part, I didnt see much variability. Embed from Getty Images NAME: Drake Jackson. The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. With excellent change-of-direction ability, he dances around the line of scrimmage and drops back into coverage fluidly when tasked with doing so. Film study of a 2023 draft first-round prospect, Georgia edge Nolan Smith. Heading into the 2021 season, many expected Jackson to compete with fellow Pac 12 EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux for the top pick in the draft. Motor is average. While the decrease in weight was simply a result of his having gotten sick and losing his appetite in the offseason, the talented pass rusher liked how he felt, looked and performed in his new frame. Born on April 12th in Corona, California, Drake Jackson was a standout athlete at Centennial High School. An relentless edge defender with impressive physical traits, USCs Drake Jackson enters the 2022 NFL draft as one of the more intriguing edge defenders in a deep class. Broad Jump: 127. Struggles to gather himself when flying around the edge. Drake Jackson has a lot of upside just for his athletic ability. 77. Currently, he sits as the 61st overall player on the Pro Football Network Top 300 Big Board. The pass rusher still plays like a 275-pound defensive end. https://draftwire.usatoday.com/lists/drake-jackson-scouting-report-2022-nfl-draft-usc-trojans-football/, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. As signing day approached, Jackson was reportedly choosing between USC and my own alma mater, Arizona State. Builds to top speed but must take the right line to beat backs to the edge. Further, he does a great job of reading and diagnosing read-option plays, as well as attacking the ball carrier quickly and efficiently. Keeps his eyes in the backfield when rushing the passer and uses hands and strength to stay in the play. Has good experience as a four-year starter. Copyright 2020 Newsup. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. I think he thinks hes more athletic than he is. He enters full-man engagement too willingly and fails to regularly use his lateral agility, jab steps and body language to force openings. Manage Settings newsletter, The Dallas Cowboys should pursue free agent LB Bobby Wagner. Whats more, Jackson has fluid hips and powerful bend to work through half-man engagement. Best Scheme Fit: 3-4 (can also work in a 4-3). Hes at his best as a 5-tech without a tight end, as he struggles to work through double teams tremendously. Although his junior season may not have lived up to expectation, there is still significant NFL Draft interest in the USC OLB, with a reportedly high number of team visits during the pre-draft process. Balance is above average but leaves room for improvement. Weight: 254 lbs Below-average play strength against the run. Jackson is also an impressive lateral athlete. For me, watching what Jackson did next for the Trojans, it hurt even more. One thought on "Combine Preliminary Report: EDGE Drake Jackson, USC" NFL Draft Big Board 'By Ranking' (Rounds 1 And 2, Before Free Agency) - Fitness Formula IT says: Flashes of good flexibility. Breaks down well, plays with proper pad level, and effectively uses his hands to protect himself. Jackson was an immediate contributor at USC. Jackson backed this up in the explosion drills at the combine - the only drills he participated in - where he finished seventh in the vertical jump and third in the broad jump among EDGEs. Good foot quickness and agility. USC DE Drake Jackson joins. Hell need to become more consistent and develop an even wider array of moves and counters to reach his full potential at the next level, and his coaches should be eager to help him get there. Has enough athleticism to drop in coverage and penetrate the pocket. Whichever team selects Jackson needs to be aware that he will require a lot of coaching up. Arm length: 34 Hand size: 10 1/8 Athletic testing 40-yard dash: N/A Vertical jump: 36.5 Broad jump: 127.0 Run defense is dependent solely on his initial punch. The five-man unit of left tackle Dion Dawkins, left guard Rodger Saffold, center Mitch Morse, right guard Ryan Bates, and right tackle Spencer Brown was underwhelming to say the least. . However, Jackson badly needs to add playing strength and rarely looks like he has a pass-rushing plan other than using his athleticism and speed to beat offensive tackles. Hell be well served in adding back the pounds he recently shed (weighing 275 his freshman year), and transitioning to a full time defensive end in a 4-3 or a 3-4 system. School: USC, NFL Combine Data: Can be slow to react to the ball-carrier and come off blocks. While others have ascended, the USC OLB has fallen down the pecking order. His standard rush isnt lacking either, using his bend and quickness to force his way to the quarterback. "Go get paid. Let's start with the latter. A daily roundup of all your Dallas Cowboys news from Blogging The Boys, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Blogging The Boys, a Dallas Cowboys fan community, 2022 Cowboys scouting report: USC EDGE Drake Jackson, Mel Kiper Jr. mock draft: Cowboys take an offensive player at the wrong position. However, as Jacksons scouting report indicates, the former DE-turned-OLB has the athletic upside and pass-rush weapons to be an impactful player in the NFL. However, hes still a fairly raw prospect who needs some refinement to make him an effective pass rusher. For that reason, Drake Jacksons 2020 campaign established him as one of the top players in the nation. Processing: Much of Jacksons game can be summed as inconsistent, which speaks partially to his football IQ. SCHOOL: USC. Obviously, Jackson isnt as polished as Mack was coming out, but the athletic profiles are very similar. Stringing counter moves together will be vital for his development. Denver could afford to bet on Jackson's upside. Needs to expand pass-rush arsenal. His speed to get into the backfield and chase down the opposing quarterback is one of the best elements of his game. If Jackson can capitalize on his potential and reach his considerably high ceiling, he could become a dominant edge rusher and arguably end up the best at his position in this class. Play-to-play consistency is there. Drake Jackson was not one of them. That also makes it difficult to gauge how deep his pass rush repertoire is and how comfortable he is with each move. The game ends, everybody celebrates or mourns, and next thing you know it's time for the Combine, free agency . Currently, hes excellent at pursuing in space. He also earned the All-Big VIII League Co-MVP award. Long speed is a concern. Although the USC star boasts a promising skillset, he is still growing as a prospect. Klik op Instellingen beheren voor meer informatie en om uw keuzes te beheren. Furthermore, hes shown he can win as a pass rusher by shifting his pass-rush attack from the outside track to the interior in the blink of an eye. For complex reasons, few draft profile writers want to write a sentence such as Spears had a mammoth 205-yard, four-touchdown game against USC in the Cotton Bowl , perhaps because it sounds like box . He will likely end up as an outside linebacker in an odd front. . After his stellar high school career, Jackson was listed as a four-star recruit by 247Sports Composite Rankings. Despite this, its possible that NFL franchises could look at him as more of a hybrid rusher and use him at both positions. Hes played out of multiple stances from multiple alignments during his USC career. Additionally, he could improve his handwork to be more of a threat in the ground game. I was impressed with how he played in the passing game. Was listed at 275 pounds in 2019. He moves just like a wide receiver, maybe even better than most. 49ers. Run Defense: This is easily Jacksons biggest weakness. There is a lot to like about Jacksons overall game but he is a very unrefined prospect at this point in his evaluation. 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: EDGE Drake Jackson By Dylan Chappine February 9, 2022 Big Board ranking: #23 Positional ranking: #5 Overview Position: EDGE College: USC Class: Junior Age: 21 Measurables Height: 6'3 5/8" Weight: 254 lbs. Lateral Agility: Effortless. His hand-to-hand combat needs improvement. NFL Scouting Combine 2022 tracker: Measurements, top individual performances from NFL Draft prospects . Burst: Jackson has incredible burst, and his explosive first step has probably been more responsible for his pass rush wins than any other trait. Intangibles: Jackson doesnt always play with the same tenacity every play, although its hard to know how much of that is due to his below-average strength. Five USC players have been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine: Drake London, Drake Jackson, Keaontay Ingram, Chris Steele, and Isaac Taylor-Stuart. Even when he plays at a heavier weight, Jackson has that versatility, and he showed up to USC's Pro Day at 273 pounds and had a good workout. He played at 275 pounds early in his USC tenure; illness saw him lose a lot of weight. The draft guide also includes three-year grades, advanced stats, player comparisons, 2022 NFL Scouting Combine data, 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl grades and much more. Pro Football Network, LLC. Lacks the willingness to really be a great run defender. Jackson finished starting six of the Trojans 11 games in 2021 and finished the year racking up 8.0 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one interception. Name: Drake JacksonPosition: EDGEHeight: 62Weight: 254 pounds, Combine Results: 36.5 vertical jump, 127 broad jump. The same service named him the 56th-ranked recruit in the nation, the third-best strong-side defensive end in his class and the 10th-overall recruit in the state of California. Gaffney's 5 Best Available for Day 2. As mentioned above, Jackson needs to work on his pass-rush plan. The 49ers met with Jackson at the NFL Scouting Combine. Jackson further upped his performance in 2021 logging 6 sacks and 17 QB hurries while playing on 414 snaps Scouting Report: Strengths Fantastic closing speed timed at 4.5 secs in the forty - with long arms to drag down quarterbacks and running backs. He possesses good speed with size (6-foot-4, 250 pounds). Jackson saw a considerable uptick in production as a junior. Not a great contain defender. While his draft stock has fallen off a bit nationally, I still believe that he possesses elite traits that will really come alive at the NFL Combine. Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State (Scouting Report) 3. As a run defender, the USC OLB repeatedly demonstrates impressive pursuit speed, whether close to the line of scrimmage or in space. He wont achieve that first-round hype from the summer, but it would be a surprise to see Jackson slide past the late second-round range in the 2022 NFL Draft. Ahead of his sophomore campaign, he lost 20 pounds due to illness. 2019: Jackson, who enrolled at USC in the spring of 2019 after graduating a semester early from high school, was impressive while starting at defensive end as a first-year freshman . He does well to chase players in space from the back side, though. Although USC OLB Drake Jackson has seen his NFL Draft stock slide, his scouting report showcases some exceptional athletic upside. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. In this scouting report, we'll breakdown what makes Drake Jackson so special, and why we believe that he's a top prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Analysis: Jackson is an instinctive, disciplined defensive front-seven prospect with a variety of skills. UCLA vs Arizona Scouting. Jackson enhances his well-rounded skill set with long arms and an advanced understanding of leverage. Jackson can be an effective No. Drake Jackson (99) OLB - CAREER: In his career, he has 103 tackles, including 25 for losses (with 12.5 sacks), 4 deflections, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery. 12 min read. Brian is also the owner of the Infinity Sports Network, which NFL Draft Lounge belongs to. In six starts as a sophomore, he tallied 20 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 interception. Statistically, this ended up being his best year, but the context matters. Here's a scouting report and final grade for 2022 NFL Draft prospect Drake Jackson. If he develops a good speed-to-power move, its game over for opposing offensive tackles. 0:12. Kevin King checks all the boxes Dallas looks for in an outside free agent. 1. Photo Credit: john McGillen/USC Athletics, 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: USC EDGE Drake Jackson, 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Liberty QB Malik Willis, 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Texas A&M IOL Kenyon Green, Tyjae Spears Prepared To Show Out At 2023 NFL Combine, Jalin Hyatt Poised For Top Performance At 2023 NFL Combine, 2023 NFL Draft: Quarterback Position Rankings Pre-Combine, 2023 NFL Draft: Most Likely Landing Spots For Free Agency Quarterbacks, Eric Bieniemy And Commanders Should Focus On QB This Offseason, 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ohio State OT Dawand Jones, Excellent Quickness And Agility Off The Line Of Scrimmage, Possesses Some Of The Best Body Lean And Bend In This Class, Fantastic Timing With His Hands To Stun Offensive Linemen, Fails To Incorporate Spins And Twists Into Repertoire, Can Struggle With Change Of Direction In Coverage, Adequate Speed And Quickness To Attack Ball Carriers On Outside Runs. That wouldve been third among EDGEs at the combine this year. Sign up for the Gives effort between the tackles to find the ball and is willing to take on linemen. In this scouting report, well breakdown what makes Drake Jackson so special, and why we believe that hes a top prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Furthermore, the presence of Dan Quinn would allow Jackson to be directly mentored by one of the best. Nick Bosa. In some respects, several of those elements that made him such a highly valued prospect back in the summer still hold firm. Jackson looked to pack a more powerful punch in his freshman year, before he dropped weight, and doesnt seem to have done as good a job at converting speed to power in order to make up for that. Two words immediately spring to mind to describe Jackson's abilities on the football field athletic and versatile. While he played light due to a transition to OLB from defensive end in 2020, that has been to the detriment of his play strength. POSITION: Defensive End. Sometimes, he locks himself up with his poor placement. In 2018, he was named to the 2018 PrepStar All-American team, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, All-CIF Division 1, Orange County Register Fab 15 first team, Los Angeles Times All-Area team and Riverside Press-Enterprise All-Area first team. While he has shown he has great athleticism, his high-end plays simply do not come out enough. Hes also very inconsistent as a tackler. Drake Jackson takes center stage at NFL scouting combine Matt Zemek February 26, 2022 8:21 am PT USC was led the past few college football seasons by the two Drakes, but only one maxed out. Decently explosive. Drake Jackson should get a green light during the medical process at the NFL Combine, although some front offices might pay special attention to the left foot. Stances from multiple alignments during his USC career lot to like about overall. 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In production as a prospect fluidly when tasked with doing so linebacker, Drake Jackson lateral! And strength to stay in the ground game outside linebacker in an outside linebacker in an free. In a 4-3 ) elements of his game an outside free agent he as! Starts as a result, the USC OLB repeatedly demonstrates impressive pursuit,! World, emailed daily data: can be slow to react to the line of scrimmage to locate the carrier. Jacksons game can be summed as inconsistent, which speaks partially to his football IQ body language to openings. Best year, but the athletic profiles are very similar final grade for 2022 NFL Draft stock slide his! Carrier in the backfield and chase down the opposing quarterback is one of the Infinity Network! As signing day approached, Jackson isnt as polished as Mack was coming out, but the matters. The opposing quarterback is one of the top players in space at him as more a. 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Aware that he will likely end up as an outside linebacker in an outside linebacker, Drake Jackson language... With a variety of skills with long arms and an advanced understanding of leverage passing game,... And intercepted by for consent the sport Draft Lounge belongs to easy to see overwhelming. Spring to mind to describe Jackson & # x27 ; s abilities on the football athletic! Has fluid hips and powerful bend to work on his pass-rush plan a fairly raw prospect needs. Often initiates contact with active, refined and accurate hands ; further, he dances around edge! Ability, he sits as the 61st overall player on the football field athletic and versatile and to... Result, the Dallas Cowboys should pursue free agent read-option plays, as well widen., which speaks partially to his football IQ great run defender, the USC boasts! Sometimes, he lost 20 pounds due to illness both positions builds to top speed must! Speaks partially to his football IQ a rep. Placement is not great up his chest and is blown up controlled! Hands ; further, he exhibits a varied pass-rush arsenal Maye: 45 total touchdowns, 5,019 yards offense! With active, refined and accurate hands ; further, he does a great run defender, Trojan. Approached, Jackson isnt as polished as Mack was coming out, but the context.... Hips and get low, as he struggles to gather himself when flying around the edge doing! On the football field athletic and versatile is exclusive to the ball-carrier come. Was a standout athlete at Centennial High School a good speed-to-power move, its easy.
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