Tag: Shedrick Jackson

Raiders sign grand nephew of legendary franchise player

Shedrick Jackson followed the footsteps of his great uncle Bo Jackson to Auburn and now he does the same by joining the Raiders.

Once a Raider, always a Raider really means something. So much so that it often extends to family of Raiders greats. Today, you can add another name to that list — Shedrick Jackson. Who the team added to the practice squad Wednesday.

Jackson is not just a former Auburn star receiver who played five games with the Bengals last season, he is the grand nephew of arguably the most legendary Raiders player of all time — Bo Jackson.

Jackson’s career in a Raiders uniform lasted just four seasons, but in that time he was one of the most famous and electric athletes in the world, spawning the Nike “Bo Knows” ad campaign for his two-sport prowess. And, of course, being absolutely unstoppable in Tecmo Bowl.

Shedrick followed Bo’s footsteps to Auburn, where he caught 66 passes for 864 yards and a touchdown. Now he follows in his footsteps to the Silver & Black.

He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent and appeared in five games as a rookie, mostly on special teams. He was brought back this season but was released in mid-September.

Welcome to the Silver & Black, Shedrick.

Former Auburn wide receivers coach to join Atlanta Falcons staff

Hilliard served as wide receivers coach for Auburn during the final season of the Bryan Harsin era.

A former Auburn assistant is heading back to the NFL to serve on a professional staff.

[autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag], who coached wide receivers and later served as interim offensive coordinator at Auburn during the 2022 season, has been hired by the Atlanta Falcons to coach wide receivers as part of new head coach Raheem Morris’ staff.

During his one season at Auburn, Tiger receivers reeled in 159 passes for 2,072 yards and nine touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus data, Auburn receivers dropped 17 passes in 2022 and earned an additional 1,077 yards after first contact.

[autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag] was the team’s leading receiver with 493 yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches. [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] were next in line with a combined 531 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Hilliard returns to the NFL after spending 11 seasons as a wide receivers coach for a variety of teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, and Buffalo Bills. Before joining the coaching ranks, he played 12 seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Bengals UDFA keeps making his case as preseason continues

An UDFA name to know for the Bengals.

When it comes to Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers, Shedrick Jackson simply isn’t the first to come to mind.

Beyond the big three, most of the attention this preseason has gone to rookies Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones.

But Jackson, a college free agent out of Auburn, has been steadily making his case. During Week 2 of the preseason against the Falcons, he caught all four of his targets for 42 yards, ending up just two shy of Iosivas’ yardage despite the sixth-rounder getting six more targets.

That wasn’t the first time Jackson has made noise, either. Back on August 4, he even took home Play of the Day honors from Hernz Laguerre Jr. of Bengals.com:

Despite the defense highlighting most of Friday’s action, rookie wide receiver Shedrick Jackson managed to claw his way to making the play of the day. As mentioned previously, he fought through a contested ball thrown by Browning — which easily could have been broken up — to wrestle down the reception. Jackson attributes his performance to the company around him:

Depending on if and how Jackson picks up special teams responsibilities, he could be in the mix for a possible seventh wideout spot. And if not, he’s undoubtedly made his case for the practice squad, which could mean a call up to the active roster at any point in time.

It’s a nice spot for both player and team to be as the summer of unexpected showings continues for the Bengals.

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Bo Nix achieved ‘ultimate goal’ while at Auburn

Although he is no longer with the program, Bo Nix says that he was able to accomplish many of his goals on the Plains.

For two seasons, the pairing of [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] and head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] was a great match.

Nix passed for 4,957 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 701 additional yards and 14 touchdowns in two seasons under Malzahn. After a slight drop in production due to a coaching change and an ankle injury, Nix felt that he needed a change.

“Everything led to Oregon,” Nix said in an interview with Pro Football Focus. “Coaching staff, players, situation. Everything was just Oregon all the way. I kept asking myself, ‘Why not Oregon?’ and I could not find the answer. Oregon was by far the best situation for me, and it’s worked out unbelievably well, far better than what I could’ve imagined. I wanted to go somewhere and give myself a chance, and a chance I definitely got.”

The change ultimately worked out for Nix, as he got to experience his most successful season at the college level by passing for 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also had his best season on the ground by rushing for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Ducks won 10 games in 2022, including three games over top-25 opponents.

Although he has moved on from Auburn, he has not forgotten how special his time was on the Plains. He tells Pro Football Focus that he accomplished several goals during his three years at Auburn.

“My whole life, I wanted to play football at Auburn,” Nix said. “I got to accomplish my dream and do a lot of really fun things around some great people. I met my wife at Auburn and got my diploma from there.”

However, he achieved his top goal on the football field in 2019.

“One of my ultimate goals was to play football at Auburn and beat Alabama. I did that,”  Nix said. “That’s what I’ll remember. We had some fun seasons and some not-so-fun ones. That’s what made me into who I am today.”

Nix passed for 173 yards and rushed for 44 more in Auburn’s 48-45 win over the Crimson Tide in 2019. Running back [autotag]Shaun Shivers[/autotag] infamously trucked Alabama’s Xavier McKinney on his way to an 11-yard touchdown rush in the 4th quarter. Nix’s two-point conversion pass to [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] would be the deciding factor in Auburn’s win.

Heading into his fifth season of eligibility, Nix is the No. 3 quarterback in the country behind USC‘s Caleb Williams and North Carolina‘s Drake Maye. Is he focused? Absolutely. Will he have fun? you bet.

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Bengals WR room gets even faster with Auburn’s Shedrick Jackson

Another WR for the Bengals thanks to a signing in undrafted free agency.

The Cincinnati Bengals spent much of the 2023 NFL draft adding stunning athletes at key positions such as wide receiver.

Then the personnel department did it some more in undrafted free agency.

The Bengals agreed to sign Auburn wideout Shedrick Jackson, per AL.com, a 6’2″ wideout with some of the best athletic testing numbers in the draft, including a 4.31-second time in the 40-yard dash.

The Draft Network’s Damian Parson listed some of his positives:

Shedrick Jackson checks the boxes as a height and weight receiver prospect. He is well-portioned with a rocked-up frame. He uses his frame to his advantage versus smaller cornerbacks. His toughness shows as he works for yards after the catch. He has good play strength and contact balance after the catch.

The numbers:

There’s about to be an all-out fight on the back end of the depth chart after the Bengals added Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas in the draft to a depth chart that also has Stanley Morgran, Trent Taylor, Trenton Irwin and Kawmie Lassiter behind the big three.

Our whole undrafted free agency tracker is here.

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FS1 host says one NFL team would be ‘perfect’ for Cam Newton

This team could benefit from having the former Heisman Trophy winner in several packages says Nick Wright of FS1.

Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag] worked out for NFL scouts last month during Auburn’s pro day with partial hopes of showing franchises that he is still in prime shape to lead a professional offense.

“Tell me how these randoms keep getting jobs?” Newton said in a video before Auburn’s pro day referencing several NFL quarterbacks, insinuating that he should also be playing in the NFL.

Newton’s workout was impressive. He made several deep throws and led Auburn wide receiver [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] to say “I think he’s still got it.” One FS1 analyst believes that Newton still has it, too.

In a recent episode of First Things First on FS1, host Nick Wright says that he still feels that Newton could still be a vital part of an NFL offense. While he does not agree that Newton is a professional starter, Wright says that Newton still deserves to play for a championship.

Where does Wright suggest that Newton can compete and win a title? None other than the Super Bowl LVII winner, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wright says that Newton would be a reliable backup to quarterback Patrick Mahomes and that he could be used in several packages.

“Cam, come to Kansas City. It makes perfect sense,” Wright said in a recent episode of First Things First. “He’s not going to cost a lot of money. Their backup has retired in Chad Henne, and Newton is a solid backup. They could also build a package for him in certain situations.”

The Chiefs have yet to sign a backup quarterback for Mahomes and may wait to do so either during the NFL draft later this month, or may elect to do so before the summer. According to a recent mock draft from ESPN, the Chiefs are not projected to take a quarterback in this year’s draft. So keep an eye on Newton to the Chiefs talks.

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Best photos from Auburn’s Pro Day

The Tigers held their annual pro day and it was well attended.

Auburn held its 2023 Pro Day Tuesday and it was a star-studded event.

Not only were [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag], [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag], [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag], [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Bragg[/autotag], [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Marquis Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Caylin Newton[/autotag], [autotag]Morris Joseph[/autotag] in attendance but so was [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

The former Heisman winner and national champion was a late addition and threw for his brother. Cam Newton hasn’t been on an NFL team since 2021 after a brief stint with the New England Patriots.

The event gave Auburn’s draft hopefuls a chance to show what they can do in front of NFL scouts and potentially move up draft boards. Here are the top photos from Auburn’s pro day.

Shedrick Jackson officially declares for the NFL draft

The news was expected but is now official.

Veteran Auburn wide receiver [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] officially declared for the NFL draft Friday afternoon.

The fifth-year senior announced the news on social media with a heartfelt message.

“First, I want to thank God for providing me with the opportunity to play for the best university in the country. It has truly been a blessing. I thank my mother Laquesha Sanders and the rest of my family for giving me love and support throughout the process that pushed me to become the best version of myself every single day.
I thank the Auburn family for your support and dedication to the university and myself. I truly believe that there is no place like Auburn and playing in Jordan Hare Stadium was an experience that I was grateful for from start to finish. I thank all the coaches that I crossed paths with and who helped me grow into the man I am today. Through the ups and downs, I was able to learn a lot about myself, the game of football, and life. With that being said, I would like to announce that I am declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. War Eagle.”

The Hoover, Alabama native played in 53 games from 2018-22. He finishes his career with 66 receptions for 874 yards and one touchdown.

Jackson used his extra season of eligibility from the covid season to return for the 2022 season so unless he wanted to be a graduate transfer at another school then he was out of eligibility.

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Two key defensive backs announce return for 2023 season

Hugh Freeze and staff received the good news that two crucial defensive players will return for the 2023 season.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] received the good news on Friday that several key defensive pieces are returning to the program for the 2023 season.

Defensive backs [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] both announced Friday that they plan to return to Auburn to play for Freeze instead of taking their first chance to enter their name into NFL Draft consideration.

Both players started at cornerback for the Tigers last season, with Pritchett returning with the most experience with the program. Pritchett signed with Auburn as a part of the 2019 class out of Jackson High School in Jackson, Alabama, and has played in 42 games over four seasons at Auburn.

Since 2019, Pritchett has recorded 93 tackles, with 4.5 being for a loss. He has also snagged two interceptions over his Auburn career. Pritchett returns to Auburn for his fifth season, which is possible due to the 2020 season where every athlete was granted an extra season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic that altered the season.

James joined Auburn’s program last season after transferring from Oregon and made an immediate impact.

The junior from Spanish Fort made 37 tackles last season, with one for a loss. He also picked off one pass, which he returned for a touchdown in Auburn’s 41-17 win over Western Kentucky on Nov. 19. He also ended the season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 82.4, which was the highest among Tiger defenders.

In other roster news, wide receiver [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] announced that he will be entering the NFL Draft on his Instagram account. Jackson recorded 66 catches for 874 yards during his Auburn career that spanned from 2018-22.

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Eight Aubun Tigers named to 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list

Here are the eight Tigers that made the watch list for the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The watch list for the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl was announced Wednesday and Auburn was well represented with eight Tigers making the cut.

Edge [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], tight end [autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] wide receiver [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag], edge [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and offensive tackle [autotag]Killian Zierer[/autotag].

The Senior Bowl is an annual all-star game and practice that is run by NFL personnel that is for seniors or graduating players.

Hall, Shenker, and Pappoe will be Auburn’s three permanent captains for the 2022 season and are expected to be leaders on and off the field for the Tigers.

Jackson is the most experienced wide receiver on the roster and is looking to build on a strong 2021 season where he caught 40 passes for 527 yards and one touchdown.

Pritchett is looking to become Auburn’s No. 1 cornerback now that Roger McCreary has moved onto the NFL while James is expected to be a key reserve in the secondary.

Leota is Auburn’s No. 2 edge rusher behind Hall and is looking to give the Tigers two fearsome rushers. Zierer has used a strong camp to lock down the starting left tackle spot.

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