Donte Jackson

in our view

Play speed is critical for the position and Jackson checks this box with a bold, red sharpie. He is dripping with natural athleticism to click-and-close in a blink, displaying the lower body muscles to spring in any direction. While undersized with undisciplined play style, Jackson has sudden-twitch athleticism to help mask flaws.

strengths

Special speed. Instant accelerator to control spacing with receivers. Stays on the balls of his feet and rarely off balance. Collects his lower body with ease to drive on routes. Velvet feet in his pedal to mirror any type of receiver. Elastic body control to make fluid adjustments on the football. Always ball searching. Innate judgement to adjust and crowd the catch point. Collected 24 passes defended in 24 starts in college. Deadly speed as a blitzer. Tough tackler, striking low with burst to take ballcarriers off their feet. Emotional competitor and never gets bored, working to win the psychological battel with wideouts. Versatile starting experience and was trusted all over the secondary at LSU, logging starts at left and right cornerback, nickelback and free safety – also saw snaps at receiver. Experience as a return man, averaging 21.9 yards on kickoff returns (15/328/0) and 20.5 yards on punt returns (8/164/0). Ran track at LSU, including a personal-best 10.22 in the 100-meter dash at the SEC Relays. – Dane Brugler 2/20/2018

compares to

Ronald Darby, Philadelphia Eagles – While Darby was a tad bigger, he has above average speed and lower body movement skills like Jackson and both are more athletic freelancers than instinctive cover defenders.

weaknesses

Thin-boned frame with minimal body mass. Lack of height and arm length creates challenges against bigger wideouts. Below average play strength and out-muscled at the top of routes. Undeveloped route anticipation with too much guesswork with his movements. Opens his hips too easily and gets turned around by basic stems. Caught leaning from basic head/body fakes and grabs to recover. Not enough of a playmaker when the ball is in the air. Not an eager run defender with inconsistent results. Overaggressive pursuit angles, allowing the ballcarrier to make a move in the open-field. Questionable discipline with loose cannon tendencies – flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after his middle finger gesture to the opposing crowd at Tennessee (Nov. 2017). Lack of body armor leads to injury concerns in the NFL. – Dane Brugler 2/20/2018

Explosive athlete that brings track speed and tremendous ball skills to the cornerback position

Rated as a five-star prospect by 247Sports and Scout and listed as a four-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN

Ranked as high as the No. 10 overall prospect nationally by 247Sports and the No. 5 cornerback nationally by Scout

Recorded 59 tackles and five tackles for a loss as a senior

Accounted for 1,637 yards and 20 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball in 2014

Standout on his high school track and field team as well

Won the Louisiana Class 4A State Outdoor Championship in the 100-meter dash by posting a time of 10.42 in May 2014

Captured the 200-meter state in 2014 as well

Repeated as 100-meter (10.30 seconds) and 200-meter (21.26 seconds) champion at the 2015 Louisiana Class 4A Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA State Outdoor Track & Field Meet

Member of the Rivals 250, ESPN 300, 247Sports Top 247 and Scout 300

Selected for the US Army All-American Game

Attended Nike's The Opening, a camp for the country's top prospects

Member of the Advocate's 2015 Super Dozen

Coached by Brett Bonnafons.

Parents are Yashica Jackson and Aaron Morrison

Born Nov. 8, 1995

Majoring in sport administration.

2017

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
3.5	1.0	48.0	0.0	9.0	1.0	32.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

2016

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
0.0	1.0	1.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
0.0	0.0	39.0	0.0	8.0	0.0	32.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	20.0	40.0	2.0

kickReturns
LONG	YDS	NO	TD	AVG
40.0	164.0	7.0	0.0	23.4

2015

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
14.0	0.0	14.0	1.0	14.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

kickReturns
LONG	YDS	NO	TD	AVG
27.0	164.0	8.0	0.0	20.5

puntReturns
AVG	NO	TD	LONG	YDS
1.5	4.0	0.0	6.0	6.0