McKinnley Jackson, IDL Texas A&M: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Jackson was a four-star recruit from George County High School in Lucedale, Miss. in the class of 2020
With other highly viewed interior defensive linemen struggling, Texas A&M’s McKinnley Jackson is poised to compete for one of the top spots at his position in the 2024 NFL Draft. Jackson projects as a second round selection.
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McKinnley Jackson, IDL Texas A&M: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior defensive tackle from Lucedale, Miss.
Background: Jackson was a four-star recruit from George County High School in Lucedale, Miss. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 62 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 72 for Rivals, and No. 83 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 98th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Jackson committed to LSU before flipping to Texas A&M. According to MaxPreps, he amassed 76 tackles, including 37 for loss, ten sacks, and a forced fumble as a high school senior. Jackson totaled 91 tackles, including 32 for loss, 11.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 2018 and 81 tackles with 36 for loss, ten sacks, three fumble recoveries, and seven forced fumbles in 2017. He amassed 60 tackles, including 30 for loss, 2.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles as a freshman. Jackson was Mississippi’s Mr. Football 6A and earned the MVP of the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game. He was also an Army All-American.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games in 2021, missed four games in 2022 with an elbow injury
Awards: 2020 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2022 Team Captain
Pros: Appears to have NFL-caliber arm length, thick and powerful upper body, good agility and turn radius for a larger player, explodes off the line, quickly engages his hands, powerful hands, spins off blocks toward the football, relentless pursuit of the quarterback, swipes and clubs to move linemen out of his way, push-pull move, spin move, swim move, softens lineman’s shoulder before ripping through, latches and tosses linemen out of his way to create free lanes into the backfield, engages and suddenly retracts his hands to slip past linemen, splits blockers to slip through gaps, fires through gaps to impact run plays in the backfield, nice hustle in pursuit, good closing burst, stacks and sheds with a long-arm, flows down the LOS to the ball, put center Seth McLaughlin on skates (2022)
Cons: High variance rep-to-rep, pad level rises quickly, out-leveraged and driven out of his gap, overpowered by JC Latham (2022), put on the ground by Javion Cohen on back-to-back plays (2022), displacement generated by leg drive is inconsistent, anchor at the point of attack is inconsistent, double teams bounce him out of his gap, gives too much ground on down blocks, bull rush squashed by double teams, lacks a deep bag of go-to pass rush moves, upfield push leads to him abandoning his gap, hand usage needs to be more varied, caught in the ribs on swim moves, momentum slowed on stunts
Overview: Jackson lines up along the defensive interior as a 0, 1, 2i, 2, and occasionally 3-tech for the Aggies. He appears to have NFL-caliber arm length and a thick and powerful upper body. Jackson has good agility and a tight turn radius for a larger player. He explodes off the line and quickly engages his powerful hands. The senior relentlessly pursues the quarterback with a combination of push-pull, spin, and swim moves. He is strong enough to force offensive linemen out of his way with a combination of swipes and clubs. Jackson takes a moment to soften the lineman’s outside shoulder before ripping past for backfield penetration. He uses a latch and toss to create free rushing lanes. The Mississippi native engages and suddenly retracts his hands to slip past linemen. He gets skinny to slip through gaps with finesse or fires through with his combination of explosiveness and power. Jackson hustles in pursuit and has good closing burst. He stacks and sheds blocks with a long-arm move but needs to improve his timing and body positioning to make more plays in the run game. Jackson used his power to put Alabama center Seth McLaughlin on skates in 2022 but looked overpowered when matched up with JC Latham. He also ended up on the ground on back-to-back reps against Javion Cohen. This high variance from play-to-play is common in Jackson’s game. The former four-star recruit’s pad level rises quickly, and he is out-leveraged and driven out of his gap. His leg drive only generates inconsistent displacement. Jackson is inconsistent anchoring at the point of attack, and double teams dig him out of his gap. He surrenders too much ground on down blocks. While Jackson can call on various pass rush moves, none of them are very polished, and his complete bag of moves and counters is light. His bull rush dies too soon, and he gets hammered in the ribs on swim moves. Jackson’s desire to push upfield often leads to him abandoning his gap and opening rushing lanes. His hand usage needs to improve to help shed blocks, rush the passer, and keep his frame clean.
Overall, Jackson is an athletic, powerful defensive lineman who offers upside against the run and pass, but he’s still a raw player who lacks consistency. For every splash play Jackson makes, he suffers a down rep. Jackson needs to develop his hand usage, be more conscious of his gap, and become better at stalemating double teams.
Role & Scheme Fit: Lines up from 1 to 3-tech in a scheme with three down linemen
Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third
Size: 6'2", 325 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 09-19-23