Tyree Jackson NFL Draft Prospect Report

 

Number 3 on my list is the real shock of my quarterback countdown list, Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson.

 

 

Tyree Jackson measured in at 6’7”, 249 pounds with 10 and 1/4 inch hands. He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.59 seconds. Then did the 3 cone drill in 7.09 seconds and the shuttle in 4.28 seconds. He started full time his redshirt junior year, but started multiple games as a redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore.

Positives

Jackson’s value is all over the board according to various websites. I am obviously in love with him. His arm is unbelievable. His arm strength is off the charts. In fact, he might have the strongest arm in the NFL when he’s drafted. This allows him to make throws that no one else can. Watching his tape I actually said wow out loud twice. His placement on these balls was just as impressive as his cannon. He is very good at putting the ball where only his receiver will catch it.

Jackson also doesn’t get sacked, it’s kind of insane. I had to check his stats and he only took 15 his senior year, but had multiple games where he wasn’t sacked. I asked him about this and he said he feels like he has a good feel in the pocket and he knows when to escape and when to hang in. He’s a gunslinger in a classic sense. In fact, he told me he admired Brett Favre growing up. He told me that he is a gunslinger, but he also wants to throw it away and move on if it’s not there. Jackson is also a great athlete, he runs very well. I saw him take off for about a 70 yard run in one of the games I watched. Though he doesn’t rely on his running.

Negatives

The big knock against Jackson is his completion percentage. He was over 60 percent once, his eight game redshirt sophomore season. He was only 55.3 percent his redshirt junior year, his full year. The thing is, he doesn’t miss by that much. Watching film his throws are always in the right area. I think he misses guys by putting the ball where either his guy catches it or no one does. It’s not a terrible skill to have. People say he’s not accurate, but like I said, I think they’re just looking at numbers and not watching film.

What Jackson needs to work on more is his touch. He throws a rope downfield, which is useful in some situations, but other times he needs to put some air underneath his throws. He also needs to take some zip off his shorter throws. Jackson was actually asked to throw softer at the NFL Combine by Steve Smith Sr. He also gets rattled in the pocket sometimes, though he throws on the move beautifully.

Prediction

Tyree Jackson is like a guy in video games who has a 99 potential rating. Besides Brett Favre, I can see some obvious comparisons to Daunte Culpepper in him. Watching him also reminded me of watching Patrick Mahomes. Jackson makes those wow plays and he also throws on the run outside the pocket well. He also showed the ability to make good pre-snap reads and diagnose where the defense would be. His accuracy issues are overblown, he’s not Christian Hackenberg or anything. Jackson needs a year of seasoning, just like Mahomes. Put him on the bench for a year, let him learn and clean things up and he will be setting the NFL on fire in 2020. Really I think he’s Drew Lock with a higher ceiling.

 

Draft Dive Grade: 1st Round

 

Likely Landing Spots: He said he had met with almost every team at the combine. If New England gets him and lets him sit while Brady finishes out his career, it’s just not fair. The Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and LA Chargers are also good fits. I hope the Green Bay Packers don’t take him and let him sit behind Aaron Rodgers, because that is also unfair.