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Green Bay Packers, CB, Josh Jackson, Iowa
STRENGTHS
Possesses an ideal frame for a modern day press cornerback with broad shoulders, long arms and loose hips, which help him change direction and accelerate smoothly, showing enough functional speed to handle deep ball coverage duties. Experience as a receiver shows with his route anticipation and extraordinary ball-skills. Possesses more natural hands than some receiver prospects, using textbook technique to pluck passes outside of his frame and showing rare hand-eye coordination and quickness to adjust to deflected passes. Good size and timing on his leaps to box out receivers on 50-50 balls, showing the aggression and hand strength to rip or punch the ball away.
Patient and composed when the ball is in the air, playing with a "my ball" mentality and competing until the end of the play. Uses his long arms to snake around would-be receivers to bat passes away, showing the body control to not hit the receiver too soon and draw flags. Better physicality and run containment than one might expect given that his time spent at receiver... Still a work in progress in this area but is competitive and issues appear to be coachable... Generally a reliable open-field tackler, occasionally lowering his shoulder to deliver big hits. Uses his length well to lasso ball-carriers. Shows some savvy off the edge when blitzing, timing his rush and showing good agility to avoid would-be blockers. Sells out, leaping into the air, contorting and waving his arms to ruin passing lanes for the quarterback. Some punt return experience. Shows vision, elusiveness and enough speed to break away when he has the ball, turning two of his seven interceptions in 2017 into touchdowns. -- Rob Rang 12/22/2017
WEAKNESSES
Like most long-levered defensive backs, Jackson loses a step in his transition and is vulnerable to smaller, quicker receivers. Can get caught leaning and leave too easy of an inside release. Can get grabby downfield, especially when playing off. Flashes physicality as a tackler but too often gets tied up with blockers, needing to show better awareness and hand technique to rip, release and re-locate ball-carriers. Can get out of control as a tackler, lunging rather than breaking down with some missed tackles on tape. Was not challenged by many true speedsters in the Big Ten and may lack ideal straight-line speed, making Combine workouts an important test for his ultimate draft grade. -- Rob Rang 12/22/2017
COMPARES TO: Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, Steelers. It is appropriate that Jackson won the Tatum-Woodson Award as the Big Ten's top defensive back in 2017 because he shows a similar combination of agility, instincts and ball-skills as the former Purdue and Pittsburgh great. Jackson has a lot of work to do as a tackler to be the well-rounded player Woodson was - earning 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors in 17 NFL seasons - but in leading the country with seven interceptions (and returning two of them for touchdowns), Iowa's cornerback showed the same exciting traits which helped Woodson steal 71 passes over his illustrious career, retiring as the league's all-time interception-return yardage leader (1,483).
IN OUR VIEW: Every year some lanky cornerback draws the distinction of being this classes' Sherman (or Woodson) but Jackson might actually live up to the comparison. Like Sherman at Stanford, Jackson played both wide receiver and cornerback in college, a fact that honed both players' route anticipation and ball-skills. Questions about schematic fit pushed Sherman into the fifth round of the 2012 draft. In part because of the trail Sherman blazed, scouts won't make the same mistake with Jackson.
STRENGTHS
Possesses an ideal frame for a modern day press cornerback with broad shoulders, long arms and loose hips, which help him change direction and accelerate smoothly, showing enough functional speed to handle deep ball coverage duties. Experience as a receiver shows with his route anticipation and extraordinary ball-skills. Possesses more natural hands than some receiver prospects, using textbook technique to pluck passes outside of his frame and showing rare hand-eye coordination and quickness to adjust to deflected passes. Good size and timing on his leaps to box out receivers on 50-50 balls, showing the aggression and hand strength to rip or punch the ball away.
Patient and composed when the ball is in the air, playing with a "my ball" mentality and competing until the end of the play. Uses his long arms to snake around would-be receivers to bat passes away, showing the body control to not hit the receiver too soon and draw flags. Better physicality and run containment than one might expect given that his time spent at receiver... Still a work in progress in this area but is competitive and issues appear to be coachable... Generally a reliable open-field tackler, occasionally lowering his shoulder to deliver big hits. Uses his length well to lasso ball-carriers. Shows some savvy off the edge when blitzing, timing his rush and showing good agility to avoid would-be blockers. Sells out, leaping into the air, contorting and waving his arms to ruin passing lanes for the quarterback. Some punt return experience. Shows vision, elusiveness and enough speed to break away when he has the ball, turning two of his seven interceptions in 2017 into touchdowns. -- Rob Rang 12/22/2017
WEAKNESSES
Like most long-levered defensive backs, Jackson loses a step in his transition and is vulnerable to smaller, quicker receivers. Can get caught leaning and leave too easy of an inside release. Can get grabby downfield, especially when playing off. Flashes physicality as a tackler but too often gets tied up with blockers, needing to show better awareness and hand technique to rip, release and re-locate ball-carriers. Can get out of control as a tackler, lunging rather than breaking down with some missed tackles on tape. Was not challenged by many true speedsters in the Big Ten and may lack ideal straight-line speed, making Combine workouts an important test for his ultimate draft grade. -- Rob Rang 12/22/2017
COMPARES TO: Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, Steelers. It is appropriate that Jackson won the Tatum-Woodson Award as the Big Ten's top defensive back in 2017 because he shows a similar combination of agility, instincts and ball-skills as the former Purdue and Pittsburgh great. Jackson has a lot of work to do as a tackler to be the well-rounded player Woodson was - earning 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro honors in 17 NFL seasons - but in leading the country with seven interceptions (and returning two of them for touchdowns), Iowa's cornerback showed the same exciting traits which helped Woodson steal 71 passes over his illustrious career, retiring as the league's all-time interception-return yardage leader (1,483).
IN OUR VIEW: Every year some lanky cornerback draws the distinction of being this classes' Sherman (or Woodson) but Jackson might actually live up to the comparison. Like Sherman at Stanford, Jackson played both wide receiver and cornerback in college, a fact that honed both players' route anticipation and ball-skills. Questions about schematic fit pushed Sherman into the fifth round of the 2012 draft. In part because of the trail Sherman blazed, scouts won't make the same mistake with Jackson.
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