Darrell Jackson Jr. DT Florida State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Darrell Jackson Jr. DT Florida State
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 05/21/2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 5.05 seconds (63%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | |
| Last Updated: 05/21/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| 40 time: 5.05 seconds (63%*) | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 85.2 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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79% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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55% |
| Pass Rush: |
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75% |
| Run Defense: |
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73% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#73
Position rank:
#17
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| College Games: 38 College Snaps: 1169 | ||
ESPN RATING: 77/100
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247 RATING: 87/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.6 (92%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Darius Alexander - Toledo |
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83% |
| Travis Jones - UConn |
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79% |
| Jerrod Clark - Coastal Carolina |
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78% |
Draft Profile: Bio
A journeyman who finally found his home in Tallahassee, Darrell Jackson Jr. began his collegiate odyssey at Maryland in 2021, starting just once but appearing in all 13 games as a true freshman. The Gadsden County product then transferred to Miami where he started all 12 contests in 2022, before making his way to Florida State only to have the NCAA deny his eligibility waiver for most of 2023. Jackson made his Seminole debut in the Orange Bowl against Georgia, giving fans a taste of what was to come in 2024.Jackson's perseverance paid dividends in his first full season with the Seminoles, where he anchored a defensive front that struggled through a disappointing 2-10 campaign. The massive interior defender started all 12 games, collecting 32 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. His performance earned him All-ACC honorable mention honors and the Bobby Bowden Leadership Award, recognizing his impact both on the field and in the locker room during a tumultuous season.
Rather than following teammate Joshua Farmer to the NFL Draft, Jackson made the difficult decision to withdraw his name and return to FSU for the 2025 season, citing unfinished business and a desire to "lead this program to the place we are expected to be." The former three-star recruit has accumulated 83 tackles, 8.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks across his 38 collegiate appearances, with his best football potentially still ahead of him as he enters his final collegiate season under the microscope of NFL scouts.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Mammoth frame with overwhelming mass at 330 pounds that allows him to eat space and command double teams, displaying natural leverage when he keeps his pad level down against interior offensive linemen.
- Shows flashes of surprising short-area quickness for his size, particularly when shooting gaps on stunts; can get skinny through tight spaces when he times his get-off right.
- Generates impressive power at the point of attack when he fully extends his arms, creating separation that allows him to shed and make plays laterally against the run.
- Has developed into a more consistent pocket pusher with 30 pressures in 2024, showing the ability to collapse the pocket from the interior and disrupt a quarterback's platform.
- Plays with genuine mean streak when engaged – saw him toss multiple interior linemen aside against Miami where he registered a career-high 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.
- Possesses the natural play strength to reset the line of scrimmage against single blocks, walking centers back into the quarterback's lap when he gets his hands inside.
- Displays leadership traits coaches covet, earning the Bobby Bowden Leadership Award amidst a disastrous 2-10 season; chose to return rather than bolt for the NFL.
- Shows flashes of dominant run defense when he maintains gap discipline, particularly evident against North Carolina where he racked up five tackles while consistently controlling his assignments.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Motor runs hot and cold throughout games – will dominate for stretches and then disappear for extended periods, raising questions about his conditioning and ability to maintain impact over 50+ snaps.
- Tackling technique remains inconsistent and sloppy, lunging at ball carriers rather than wrapping up, reflected in his concerning 54.8 tackle grade that lags behind his other metrics.
- Struggles to disengage when offensive linemen get into his frame first, allowing himself to get latched onto and controlled, particularly evident against zone blocking schemes.
- Pass rush arsenal remains limited mainly to bull rushes and occasional swim moves; lacks sophisticated hand usage and counters when initial push is stalled out.
- Can play too high at times, negating his natural leverage advantage and allowing smaller interior linemen to get underneath his pads and stalemate him at the point of attack.
Scouting Report: Summary
Put on the tape and you'll see a mountain of a man who can wreak havoc in spurts but disappears for long stretches when his gas tank runs low. When Jackson's fresh, good luck moving him – he'll anchor against doubles and push the pocket with raw power that can't be taught. He flashed legitimate interior pass rush juice last season with those 30 pressures, showing he's more than just a run-stuffer on early downs.The inconsistency is what keeps you up at night though. One series he's tossing centers aside like rag dolls, the next he's playing too high and getting washed down the line. His ability to disrupt is undeniable, but his tackling technique needs serious work – too often he's in position to make plays but fails to wrap up cleanly. Watch the Miami game and you see both sides of the coin – dominant moments mixed with frustrating lapses.
His return to Tallahassee tells me he knows the work isn't finished. If Jackson dedicates himself to conditioning this offseason and develops a counter move when his bull rush stalls, we're looking at a potential impact starter on Sundays. The flashes are absolutely there. The question is whether he can string together complete games and maintain his disruptive presence for four quarters. That final year of tape will tell us everything we need to know about whether he's a three-down defender or just a situational big body. The difference is enormous for his draft stock.
How other scouting services rate Darrell Jackson Jr. (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
49.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
11.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.