The 2020 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Austin Jackson 2020 NFL Draft profile.

Background

Position: Offensive Tackle

Size: 6-foot-5, 322 pounds

Class: Junior

2019 stats: First-Team All-Pac-12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct75RNmIoT0&t=2s

Jackson was a high school All-American who could’ve gone just about anywhere for college. He chose USC where he has been a standout left tackle and is now ready for the NFL.

He played in 14 games as a freshman, mostly as a reserve and on special teams. The Trojans won 10 games including the Rose Bowl that season. In 2018, Jackson started all 12 games at left tackle. The team won just five games and missed out on a bowl game. Heading into his junior season, he donated his bone marrow to his sister, but was still able to start in all of USC’s games. He was a First-Team Pac-12 offensive tackle as USC won eight games.

After developing at USC, Jackson has declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. He won’t be the first offensive tackle selected this year, but he will be selected within the first two days of the draft.

Strengths

Jackson has great athleticism for his position. He can move quickly when he needs to, which includes moving laterally. His ability to get to the second level is also very impressive. Teams can ask him to pull or block on screen plays and feel confident in Jackson’s ability to get to the man he is supposed to block. To go along with his athleticism, he is also flexible, which helps him keep up with pass rushers who are able to bend.

His ability to pass block is solid because of his mobility. He can stay in front of even the fastest of pass rushers and has the strength to hold them off. His feet move so quickly into his kick slide that he is very tough to beat around the edge. Jackson can also push rushers back inside and still stay with them.

His length is impressive and helps him stave off pass rushers. Although he only measured with 34 1/8″ arms at the NFL Combine, his length does show up on tape. Defenders have a tough time shedding his blocks due to how long his arms are. He has been used to block kicks at USC because of his length.

Weaknesses

Jackson needs to add more strength to his frame to be a more powerful blocker. He has a good frame, but he has some room to add to it. If he is able to add more play strength, he should become more of a body mover in the run game. This should also help him deal with power rushers who can overmatch him right now.

He could be better with his hands at the next level as well. Jackson needs to strike defenders with better placement and better timing. If he is able to make his hands more powerful as well, he will be able to be a much more complete tackle.

His balance is below average for a tackle prospect. Pass rushers can take advantage of his lack of balance and beat him. This also comes into play when he loses leverage. Jackson needs to keep his pad level low in order to help with some of these issues.

Projected Draft Range: First Round Pick-Second Round Pick

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