Kenyatta Jackson Jr. DE/EDGE Ohio State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #2 SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 11/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.65 seconds (88%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.8 DOB: 02/11/2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #2 | |
| SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | |
| Last Updated: 11/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.65 seconds (88%*) | |
| Age: 22.8 DOB: 02/11/2004 | |
| Overall Rating: |
85.1 / 100
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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60% |
| Pass Rush: |
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81% |
| Run Defense: |
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72% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Late
Overall Rank:
#54
Position rank:
#12 (DL)
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| College Games: 51 College Snaps: 1396 | ||
ESPN RATING: 85/100
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247 RATING: 95/100
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RIVALS RATING: 6.0 (98%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dani Dennis-Sutton - Penn State |
|
91% |
| Micheal Clemons - Texas A&M |
|
88% |
| Brennan Jackson - Washington State |
|
87% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. was Florida's Gatorade Player of the Year at Chaminade-Madonna Prep, where he made 65 tackles, 15 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in his final season, finished with 34 career sacks and helped win a Class 3A state title. An Under Armour All-American, he signed with Ohio State as 247Sports' No. 68 overall recruit in the 2022 class.Jackson redshirted in 2022 and played a reserve role in 2023 before appearing in all 16 games of Ohio State's 2024 national championship run, making 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He stepped into the starting lineup in 2025, making 28 tackles and 11 tackles for loss with 45 pressures, and he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten and the Iron Buckeye award. He had two sacks against Penn State and a sack at Michigan, though a leg injury in the opener against Texas and a stinger against Minnesota slowed him, and Ohio State's season ended in the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami.
Jackson returned for a fifth season in 2026, saying he wanted to become a more complete player, and switched to his high school No. 2. He had a sack in the loss at Texas, another against Illinois and a strip sack at Iowa, then a career-high seven tackles in the win at Indiana. He has three sacks and 20 pressures in eight games for a 6-2 team.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Rare get-off for his size, with a top-tier forty time
- Generated 45 pressures in his first season as a starter in 2025
- Strip sack at Iowa and a sack against Texas this season
- Sets a firm edge against the run, with a career-high seven tackles at Indiana
- Long frame that lets him keep tackles off his chest
- Experienced player who was part of a national title team in 2024
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Pass rush has slowed, with 20 pressures in eight games after 45 in 2025
- Missed six tackles this season and seven in 2025
- Wins more with length and effort than a developed counter plan
- Leg and stinger injuries limited him at times in 2025
Scouting Report: Summary
Jackson is a long, explosive edge whose first step and frame give him two ways to beat a tackle. He has rare timed speed for his size and turned his first season as a starter into 45 pressures in 2025, including two sacks against Penn State, while setting a firm edge against Big Ten run games. He has been part of a national title team and a playoff team at Ohio State and brings the experience of a fifth-year senior.His 2026 season has been steady but not spectacular. He had a sack in the loss at Texas, another against Illinois and a strip sack at Iowa, then made a career-high seven tackles in the win at Indiana. He has three sacks and 20 pressures in eight games for a 6-2 team, and he has become a more reliable run defender, which was his stated goal when he chose to return. He has played more than 40 snaps in six of eight games, a full-time workload for an edge.
However, the pass rush has not taken the expected step. His pressures are down to 20 in eight games after 45 in 2025, and he wins more with length and effort than a sequenced counter plan when his first move is stopped. His six missed tackles this season follow seven in 2025, and leg and stinger injuries limited him at times last year.
Overall, Jackson is a starting-caliber base end with the length, burst and run defense NFL teams want, and his best pass-rush football may still be ahead of him. He projects as a second-round base end who can start early, and his ceiling is a quality three-down end if the rush plan develops. His frame, burst and experience give him a clear path to early snaps on a defense that wants a base end who can also rush.
Update - 11/03/2026
Jackson was hurt in the fourth quarter of the win at Indiana on 17 October. Ryan Day lists him as day-to-day for the USC game. He has three sacks in seven games.
How other scouting services rate Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
49.3
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.