Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 178 pounds
School: LSU Tigers
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.32 seconds (first among cornerbacks)
Bench Press: 7 reps
Broad Jump: 10 feet, 4 inches
Donte Jackson 2018 NFL Draft Profile
One of the fastest players in the 2018 draft class hails from Matairie, LA and goes by the name of Donte Jackson. It was during high school when Jackson put himself on the map with his elite speed. As a two-sport athlete for Riverdale High School, Jackson dominated in both football and track and field. During his junior year, Jackson won the state championship in both the 100m and 200m dashes. He followed that up his senior year by repeating as state champion in both events and improved both his times.
Jackson was known on campus for making plays on the gridiron as well. During his senior year, Jackson was a two-way starter and recorded 59 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1,637 offensive yards, and 20 total touchdowns. He became one of the nation’s top high school prospects in 2015 and was rated the 10th overall by 24/7 sports. Jackson participated in the US Army All-American game and eventually committed to the LSU Tigers.
Jackson went on to play both football and track and field while attending LSU. As a freshman, Jackson played mostly special teams but managed to record 26 tackles, two pass deflections, one interception and one fumble recovery. He served as the team’s secondary kick returner and had averages of 20.5 yards per return. The following year, Jackson moved into a starting position in LSU’s secondary and finished second on the team with eight pass deflections. He also totaled up 39 tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble while averaging 23.5 yards per kickoff return.
In his final season with the Tigers, Jackson finished tied for the team lead in pass deflections (10) to go along with 45 tackles, one interception, and one sack. 2017 was also a phenomenal year for Jackson’s track career as well. He placed eighth in both the 60 and 100-meter dashes at the SEC championship and was apart of the championship winning 4×100-meter relay team that had a time of 38.71 seconds.
Strengths
- really solid in man coverage;
- phenomenal make-up speed;
- has very loose and fluid hips;
- explodes out of his breaks at a high level;
- closes on the ball very quickly – baits quarterbacks;
- takes good pursuit angles when tackling ball carriers;
- capable kickoff returner;
- capable blitzer – not afraid to make plays in the backfield;
Weaknesses
- sits a little high in his backpedal;
- very unfamiliar with zone coverage;
- dropped a few would-be interceptions over his career;
- ankle tackler – has the potential to miss tackles often;
- considered very small for the position;
NFL Comparison: Nickell Robey-Coleman
Teams with Need at Position: Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins
Projection: Early to mid second round
Bottom Line
Jackson played in a particularly man-to-man dominant defense while at LSU and is one of the more capable cover corners of this draft. He played a lot of different positions for the Tigers but due to his lack of size, he is best suited as a nickel/slot cornerback. Quick and shifty slot receivers are being used more often in today’s NFL and corners like Jackson may be the best type to combat those receivers. His speed and experience as a kickoff returner only add value to him in this draft as well.
