Tag: Austin Jackson

Who and what to watch at the 2020 NFL Combine: Offensive line

The Lions Wire staff has identified which offensive linemen Detroit Lions fans should be watching at the 2020 NFL Combine.

The 2020 NFL Combine on-field workouts begin Thursday, February 27th in Indianapolis but the offensive linemen won’t take the field until Friday, February 28th.

This is the latest in a series of articles leading up to this year’s NFL Combine, where the Lions Wire team has identified players they will be tracking in order to determine potential fits within the organization.

If you missed the previous articles in this series, be sure to check out our quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends previews.

Offensive line traits to evaluate

There are several on-field drills that emphasize a player’s abilities and the main areas Lions’ scouts will likely be focusing for the offensive line are:

  • Balance through the player’s hips
  • Knee bend, bending at the waist is a red flag
  • Kick slide: Is it smooth? Do they cross their feet when shuffling?
  • Mental processing: Do they react/respond to coaching or are they guessing and trying to anticipate? Do they follow directions?

Mekhi Becton, Louisville

Suggested by: Max Gerber and Bryce Rossler

Becton has been one of the biggest “risers” throughout the draft process, working his way up to be considered among the top offensive linemen in this class. He is a massive human being (est. 6-7, 365 pounds) but is surprisingly light on his feet. He has three year’s starting experience and looks comfortable playing at right or left tackle (he’s played both). If he gets a hold of a defender it’s over, but intelligent EDGE rushers will use his overaggressiveness against him.

Austin Jackson, USC

Suggested by: Erik Schlitt

An upside left tackle, who if he returned to college would have been in the top-of-the-first-round conversation. He needs to be more consistent in his technique — especially in the run game — but he has NFL traits and his upside is going to get him drafted, likely early on Day 2. He’s athletic enough to play guard, but for teams willing to give him a season to develop, he could be a longtime starter at left tackle with proper coaching.

Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU

Suggested by: Jeff Risdon

Cushenberry will battle Michigan’s Ceasar Ruiz for the title of top interior offensive line spot in this year’s class. Cushenberry’s game is drenched in power and he will be able to handle his own against NFL nose tackles. LSU scheme asks its center to be able to work on their own, which should help him if a team wants to switch him from his natural position over to guard. His experience playing in the middle should afford him the opportunity to play on both left and right guard.

Matt Hennessy, Temple

Suggested by: Matt Urben

A technique technician from the middle, Hennessy uses his intelligence and hand placement to put himself in the correct position to execute his assignment. He will get knocked for his struggles against power, but his balance and movement skills will help him find success at all three interior offensive line spots, especially in a zone-blocking scheme — which the Lions lean on more often than not.

Ben Bredeson, Michigan

Suggested by: Scott Warheit

A 51 game starter at left guard for the Wolverines, Bredeson was a rare 2-time team captain in Ann Arbor. For a team looking for experience and leadership, he will be near the top of their list. He loves to compete, showing a mean streak and toughness when squaring up against power rushers. He is well-balanced as a blocker but isn’t as athletic as some of the other interior offensive linemen in this class, which will limit his scheme flexibility.

Jonah Jackson, Ohio State

Suggested by: Zack Moran and Sonja Greenfield

Between his time at Maryland and Ohio State, Jackson started five games at center, 11 at right guard, and 13 at left guard, giving him multi-positional appeal. He is significantly more polished as a pass protector, handling one-on-ones and switches easily, but his lack of impact as a run blocker could cause him to start his career as a position flexible reserve.

Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin

Suggested by: Ty Finch and Derek Okrie

Yet another experienced Big Ten interior offensive lineman, Biadasz is highly intelligent and technique sound, which makes him more NFL ready than other linemen who will be drafted around the same time. He plays with good balance overall, but can overextend at times, and will struggle with elite power and speed rushers.

Matt Peart, UConn

Suggested by: Scott Bischoff

A swing tackle who could potentially push inside in a pinch, Peart played right tackle on the Lions coached North squad at the Senior Bowl. Strength is an issue but he has the frame to add muscle, and showed lots of promise as a run blocker this past season. Peart would fit in the Lions scheme in a very similar way to Tyrell Crosby, and like Crosby, he could spot start early in his career and potentially develop into a starter.

4-round mock draft lands Cardinals CeeDee Lamb, OL, pass rusher and CB

See how things play out in this mock draft.

A new mock draft is out by Draft Wire managing editor Luke Easterling and covers four draft picks for the Arizona Cardinals. The first pick is not new. It has been the same projection as his previous mocks, but his picks for the Cardinals in Rounds 2-4 could put together a pretty good draft.

What are the picks for the Cardinals?

Round 1: Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Lamb is a common mock pick for the Cardinals. Easterling has projected him in previous mocks.

This may surprise some, seeing Lamb come off the board before Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some teams have them graded in that order. One such team could absolutely be the Cards, who would love to pair Lamb with his college quarterback, Kyler Murray. This tandem could make the same kind of magic they did in Norman.

The main debate has been whether the Cardinals should take a receiver or an offensive lineman. This pick works here, especially if the Cardinals get a tackle in the second round, which is exactly what happens in this mock.

[protected-iframe id=”74c89baf5df8861f45d142d0fbf6fc3c-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/22400501/download.mp3″ ]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Chargers 2020 NFL Draft Target: USC OT Austin Jackson

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez puts USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson, a potential draft target, under the microscope.

Over the next couple of months, we are going to be taking a look at a handful of draft prospects leading up into the 2020 NFL Draft. With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely.

Today, we are taking a look at USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson.

Honors and Awards

  • All-Pac-12 First Team (2019)
  • John McKay Award (2018)

Highlights

Strengths

  • Looks the part with an ideal frame, length for the position. Room for additional mass.
  • Above-average set-up quickness and movement skills to mirror rushers and control himself in space.
  • Displays natural flexibility and bend to open his hips and redirect.
  • Proper pad level off the snap and looks to extend and punch with his long arms.
  • Recovers well with terrific reactive athleticism to shuffle, sink, and anchor while maintaining his base.
  • Good mental processing to pick up blitzers.
  • Rangy player who can pull and get to the second level with ease.
  • Durable player, finishing his college career 39 games played, starting 25 games.

Weaknesses

  • Footwork and hands are still learning to work in sync together.
  • Inconsistent hand placement, struggling to keep his elbows inside to recoil and handle counter moves. Underdeveloped counter measures.
  • Bad habit of prematurely opening up his kickslide.
  • Needs to develop upper body and core strength to create more movement in the run game.
  • Aggressively overextends, which causes him to lose his balance.

Summary

Jackson, a two-year starter at USC, has all the physical tools that’ll intrigue NFL teams. He needs to develop functional power and improve his mechanics – primarily with his footwork and hand technique to match his length and quickness. While he is not necessarily a top-tier pro prospect compared to some of the others at his position, Jackson has the length, awareness and movement skills to become a solid starter at the next level.

Chargers Fit

Los Angeles loves to find talent in their backyard and Jackson would be the perfect addition to a position that’s easily one of the weakest on the roster. Jackson, the smooth-moving tackle, strictly played on the left side in college, but he could start at right tackle while he develops his fundamentals before he’s ready to move to his natural position by Year 2 or 3.

Projected Round: Late 1st-Early 2nd

Vikings take T Austin Jackson in 1st round of USA TODAY mock draft

It’s no secret that the Vikings have a lot of holes to fill before the 2020 starts.

It’s no secret that the Vikings have a lot of holes to fill before the 2020 starts.

One way to fill those holes is, of course, the NFL Draft.

With the 25th overall pick, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has the Vikings taking USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson in his latest USA TODAY mock draft. Here’s what Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote about the pick:

Minnesota’s meltdown against the 49ers reinforced that the offensive line has to be addressed in some form. The biggest shortcomings are on the interior, but drafting Jackson could still allow for a reshuffling, particularly if Riley Reiff moves to guard.

If the Vikings took an offensive lineman, defensive lineman, defensive back or even wide receiver, it wouldn’t really come as a surprise to many people, which isn’t a great sign for Minnesota.

Jackson, who declared as a junior, made the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2019.

Middlehurst-Schwartz hints that Reiff potentially moving to guard, but there’s probably an equal chance that the Vikings cut ties with Reiff entirely.

2020 NFL mock draft: Bears address offensive line, cornerback in 2nd round

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, the Bears address offensive line with Austin Jackson and cornerback with Jeff Gladney in the 2nd round.

The Chicago Bears have a busy offseason ahead of them, which includes addressing offensive and defensive needs both in free agency and the NFL Draft.

The Bears hold the 43rd and 50th picks in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as they got the Raiders’ second-round pick (No. 43) in the Khalil Mack trade.

In Draft Wire’s newest 2020 NFL mock draft, Luke Easterling has the Bears addressing offensive and defensive needs with their two second-round picks: Offensive line and cornerback.

With the 43rd pick (from the Raiders), Easterling has the Bears selecting USC offensive lineman Austin Jackson. Jackson has started the past two seasons at left tackle for the Trojans. There are some mock drafts that have Jackson going in the first round, and his quickness and agility at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds is impressive.

Then, with the 50th selection, Easterling has Chicago taking TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney. In 2019, Gladney had 31 total tackles, 0.5 sack, one interception and a career-best 14 pass breakups, which was tied for eighth in the country. Gladney is an athletic corner, a good tackler, especially on the perimeter, and puts himself in position to make a play on the ball.

The Bears currently have six draft selections, — two picks in the second round, one in the fifth round, two in the sixth round and one in the seventh round. They’re projected to receive a seventh pick — a fourth-round compensatory pick for safety Adrian Amos, who signed with the Packers in free agency last season.

[lawrence-related id=435357,435362,435359,435328,435307,435317]

New 2020 NFL mock draft has Bears addressing OL, CB in 2nd round

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, they have the Bears going offensive tackle and cornerback with their two selections in Round 2.

There’s just one game left for the Bears in what’s been a disappointing 2019 season, which means an early start to an offseason that will be pivotal for Chicago’s success in 2020.

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of work to do, particularly on the offensive side of the football, and he’ll need to lean heavily on his six draft selections to find some future stars at a cheap price. Two of those picks come in the second round, where Pace needs to make them worth his while.

The Bears currently hold the 49th and 50th picks in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as they got Oakland’s second-round pick (No. 50) in the Khalil Mack trade.

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, they have the Bears addressing two needs on offense and defense: Offensive line and cornerback.

With the 49th overall selection, they have the Bears targeting USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson. Jackson has started the past two seasons at left tackle for the Trojans. There are some mock drafts that have Jackson going in the first round, and his quickness and agility at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds is impressive.

Then with the 50th pick, they have Chicago addressing the secondary with Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Johnson has been praised for his physicality and athletic build that allows him to stack up against bigger, physical receivers. He’s developed into a shutdown cornerback in his junior season with the Utes.

The Bears will once again be thin with draft selections this year, as they currently have just six following trades for Khalil Mack and David Montgomery in the past couple of seasons. Chicago has two picks in the second round, one in the fifth round, two in the sixth round and one in the seventh round.

[lawrence-related id=434113,433972,434088,434070,434068,433999]