Donovan Jackson, G Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Jackson was a five-star recruit from Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas in the class of 2021

Ohio State sent three offensive linemen to the NFL this past spring. Guard Donovan Jackson is next in line, but he will have to wait to hear his name in the 2024 NFL Draft until day three.

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Donovan Jackson, G Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior left guard from Bellaire, Texas

Background: Jackson was a five-star recruit from Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas in the class of 2021. He was the No. 19 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 13 for Rivals, and No. 14 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 70th in the nation (four-star) with an 86 grade out of 100. Jackson played his high school freshman season at Houston Christian before transferring to Episcopal. He was the offensive line MVP at The Opening in July of 2019. As a junior, Jackson helped Episcopal win the Southwest Preparatory Conference 4A Title. He was invited to the Army All-American Bowl. In the spring of 2019, Jackson won Southwest Preparatory Conference State Championships in shot put and discus. He has verified measurements and testing from high school. When Jackson was 6'3.5" and weighed 295 lbs., he ran a 5.27-second 40-yard dash and a 4.63-second short shuttle and jumped 32.2 inches in the vertical. His wingspan measured 82.5 inches. For comparison, that’s only an eighth of an inch smaller than Quenton Nelson’s wingspan.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2022 First Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Second Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 Academic All-Big Ten

Pros: Wingspan and arm length, strong hands with impressive grip strength, mixes in vertical and jump pass sets, posted consistent wins in pass pro vs. Mason Graham (2022), wants to bury defenders in the run game, fires off the line with a good pad level, creates displacement on vertical run plays, leg drive is tough for defenders to anchor against, success clearing out Mazi Smith (2022), mobility to operate in a gap scheme, comfortable climbing to the second level for blocks, lands blocks at the second level

Cons: Play strength doesn’t live up to his frame, hip stiffness, lower body stiffness messes with his balance, bends at the waist and leans on defenders in pass pro, doesn’t maximize arm length, hangs hands out leaving them vulnerable to swipes, must replace hands faster, limited counters for violent hands, struggles to keep defenders framed, needs to drop anchor sooner, shoulders are constantly threatened because of lateral limitations, upper and lower body need to pair together better in pass pro, feet get stuck in the mud, stops feet on contact, struggles to mirror defenders once the disengage and enter the second part of their rush, fails to mirror sudden or explosive defenders, struggled vs. rip moves against Notre Dame (2022), burn the Notre Dame (2022) pass pro tape, vision and awareness are inconsistent, Georgia ran stunts and twists through his gap early and often (2022), few to no positive reps vs. Jalen Carter and Nazir Stackhouse (2022), moments of balance issues against better athletes, ended up on the ground too often against Georgia (2022), ducks head into blocks, lunges into blocks in the run game, pad level rises significantly when asked to pull

Overview: Jackson boats excellent arm length and an impressive wingspan for a guard. He has strong hands with an impressive grip to trap defenders. In pass protection, Jackson mixes in vertical and jump sets to prevent defenders from getting in rhythm. He dominated Michigan’s Mason Graham in pass protection in 2022. Jackson is better at blocking for the run than he is for the pass. He wants to finish defenders to the ground in the run game. The junior fires off the line with a good pad level and generates displacement on vertical plays. His leg drive is tough for defenders to anchor against, as Michigan’s Mazi Smith found out in 2022. Jackson plays with the ideal mix of size and mobility to operate in a gap scheme. He is comfortable climbing to the second level and landing blocks on smaller defenders.

Unfortunately, Jackson’s play strength doesn’t match his size. He’s pushed back by smaller defenders and doesn’t drop his anchor soon enough. The former five-star recruit battles hip and lower body stiffness that mess with his balance and limit his flexibility. He bends at the waist and leans on defenders in pass protection instead of using his arm length to keep his chest clean. Jackson hangs his hands out, which leaves them vulnerable to swipes. He doesn’t replace his hands quickly and lacks counters for defenders with violent hand combinations. The All-Big Ten selection struggles to keep defenders framed. He fails to mirror defenders once they disengage and enter the second phase of their rush plan. Jackson’s shoulders are constantly threatened because of his lateral limitations. His upper and lower body don’t work well together because of his sluggish footwork. Jackson’s feet stop at contact or get stuck in the mud over the course of the play. He lacks the agility and explosiveness to mirror sudden or athletic defenders. Jackson’s tape against NFL-caliber competition is not inspiring. Multiple Notre Dame pass rushers beat him several times in 2022. The Bulldogs took advantage of his inconsistent vision and awareness, running stunts and twists through his gap early and often during their playoff match. Jalen Carter and Nazir Stackhouse had a field day against the then-sophomore guard. Jackson ended up on the ground too often against Georgia (2022). He ducks his head into blocks and lunges in the run game, which makes it easy for defenders to swim by him.

Overall, Jackson has impressive physical tools, but his struggles against NFL-caliber college players suggest he isn’t ready to play a significant role at the next level. Jackson has the size and arm length to be a force, but his footwork and lateral agility make it difficult to stick with athletic linemen. He could eliminate some of these issues by playing with better angles and keeping defenders trapped within his frame.

Role & Scheme Fit: Left guard in a gap or power run scheme

Round Projection: Fifth Round

Size: 6'4", 320 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-26-23