Every year, a few names creep up in the NFL Draft landscape. Oftentimes, these players become some of the most sought-after prospects in the draft. Arkansas edge rusher Landon Jackson is one of those players in the 2024 cycle.
Landon Jackson Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’7″
- Weight: 281
- Position: EDGE
- School: Arkansas
- Current Year: Junior
We talk about the “first guy off of the bus” all the time. But when you’re the height of some NBA power forwards weighing as much as some interior rushers while carrying minimal body fat, the shoe fits. An NIL deal inked with WWE’s “Next in Line” program is further proof that Jackson is larger than life.
The Arkansas pass rusher is from Texarkana, where he attended Pleasant Grove High School. Throughout his high school career, he racked up 45 sacks and, as a junior, was named Texas Sports Writers Association 4A Defensive Player of the Year.
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Jackson was a consensus four-star recruit with crazy measurables. His listed size at the time was 6’6″, 240 pounds. He was a top-100 recruit for ESPN, while 247Sports ranked him 109th in the nation. After committing to LSU and playing there for a season, the pass rusher landed at Arkansas after the transfer portal.
In 13 games as a sophomore, he had 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. However, the lanky rusher has exploded in 2023, and he’s earned the attention of the NFL Draft’s godfather, Mel Kiper, who ranked him as the class’s second-best EDGE in October.
But is he a first-round player?
Landon Jackson Scouting Report
Strengths
- Outrageous length
- Impressive ankle flexion for size
- Powerful hands
- Impressive rushing repertoire
- Outside-in flexibility with natural power
- Long legs cover a ton of ground from the backside
- Surprising change of direction for limb length
- Fluid mover
- Nice size-adjusted explosiveness
Weaknesses
- Tight stance
- Inconsistent get-off
- The pad level swells too often versus the run
- Stance and pad level wash him out when playing inside of the tackle
- Must be more cognitive of run schemes
- Must work on secondary rush moves
- Struggles to disengage when blockers get into his chest
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Jackson certainly looks the part, and his production in 2023 stands to reason that he is an ascending player. In three years, the young man has gained close to 40 pounds. While anybody with experience understands that no natural athlete is gaining 40 pounds of lean muscle tissue, Jackson has found a way to pack weight on his frame responsibly.
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And while gaining that weight, Jackson has remained explosive, especially relative to his frame. While his monstrous Alabama game needs an asterisk because Alabama’s young left tackle has struggled mightily in 2023, even his less-productive outings have been littered with impressive reps.
If Jackson can continue to rack up production throughout the rest of the SEC schedule, there is no telling what his ceiling could be in a draft class lacking a legitimate alpha on the edge.
Additionally, the rise of TITE fronts at the NFL level makes Jackson an even greater asset. His size, length, and strength would make him a 4i option, as long as his stance and pad level can be fixed relatively quickly.
But his athleticism and current deployment make him an option as a coverage player as well. He possesses the fluidity and athleticism to play in the flat and peel on backs in blitzing situations. He isn’t a perfect prospect, but he’s growing into his frame as we speak, and his technical prowess continues to grow with his unique frame.