Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 192 pounds
School: Iowa Hawkeyes
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.56 seconds
Bench press: 18 reps (third amongst cornerbacks)
Vertical Jump: 38 inches (fourth amongst cornerbacks)
Broad Jump: 10 feet, 3 inches
Three-cone drill: 6.86 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.03 seconds (fourth amongst cornerbacks)
Joshua Jackson 2018 NFL Draft Profile
The ball-hawking Joshua Jackson we know now was not a highly sought after high school prospect. He was a multi-sport athlete at Lake Dallas High School in Corinth, TX that played both ways on the gridiron. As a junior, Jackson helped lead the football team to the second round of the state playoffs in the fall and then qualified for the state track meet in the triple jump in the spring. Jackson was eventually voted team captain his senior year and earned All-District honors at both wide receiver and defensive back. Despite his versatility, Jackson was rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com and only received one Power Five scholarship offer in Iowa.
Jackson committed to the Hawkeyes and the following fall he was asked to redshirt. The following year, Jackson received significant playing time in all 14 of Iowa’s games but recorded only eight tackles and two pass deflections. 2016 was a similar story for Jackson except he got a chance to start the final two games of the year due to injuries at the position. He finished the year with 10 total tackles, four pass deflections and one tackle for loss and had great performances against Nebraska and Florida as a starter.
In his final season with the Hawkeyes, Jackson blossomed into one of the nation’s top cornerbacks. In his first start of 2017, Jackson picked off top quarterback prospect Josh Allen in a 24-3 win over Wyoming. Jackson later won National Defensive Player of the Week after his three-interception performance in an upset of Ohio State. He finished the season with 48 tackles, 18 pass deflections, eight interceptions, one forced fumble and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Jackson was named a consensus First-Team All-American, won the 2017 Jack Tatum Award and was named the Big Ten Conference Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year.
Strengths
- exceptional ball skills;
- has ideal size to be a press corner;
- very good hands;
- has fluid hips, can turn direction without losing speed;
- reads the quarterback’s eyes well;
- attacks the ball at its highest point;
- excellent in zone coverage;
- played up to the competition, had his biggest games against best teams;
- tackles well in the open field;
- electric with the ball in his hands on returns;
- anticipates routes at an elite level;
- coaches praise his work ethic.
Weaknesses
- played predominantly zone heavy defenses;
- had one year of dominance;
- gets turned around by good releases when attempting to press;
- can get burned by double-moves due to his aggresiveness;
- needs to improve makeup speed.
Player Comparison: Josh Norman
Teams with Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Late first round
Bottom Line
Jackson put up monster numbers during one season at Iowa but that brings up the following question: is he a late bloomer or a one-hit wonder? His film from 2017 is terrific. He anticipates routes well, has amazing ball skills and does not shy away from a challenge. However, from 2015-2016, Jackson was a non-factor. Despite that, teams should be willing to take the chance on him because corners with his size and his ball skills come once every blue moon. With a coaching staff that knows how to best utilize his talents, Jackson has the potential to be as good as the likes of Norman, Richard Sherman or Marcus Peters with his skill set.
