2024 NFL Draft Profile: Tulane WR Jha'Quan Jackson

Tulane football saw a massive rebound in 2022 and another strong year in 2023, thanks largely to their stellar offense. A key piece of that attack was sure-handed receiver Jha'Quan Jackson.

While Jackson may not be the first name that pops into casual fans' heads when they think of the Green Wave, real fans of the program can speak to his contributions in key games during that span.

Here are the important things to keep in mind as Jackson crosses over to the pro game in 2024.

Background

Measurements: 5'9" - 188 pounds

Jackson already has something of an NFL pedigree, as he is the nephew of Hall of Fame defensive back Ed Reed. 

Coming out of Hahnville High School, Jackson was a three-star recruit. The Green Wave found ways to utilize Jackson's talents right away as a receiver and punt returner. He only had two catches as a true freshman, but one was a touchdown.

2020 was Jackson's most prolific season, as he caught eight touchdowns and rushed for one. He led the team with 31 receptions for 425 yards that season.

Perhaps Jackson's shining moment as a member of the Green Wave came in the 2022 Cotton Bowl win over USC, when he caught a short pass over the middle and turned it into an 87-yard touchdown. 

At the end of his college career, the Louisiana native had 18 total touchdowns from scrimmage and picked up 1859 yards from scrimmage.

RELATED: 2024 NFL Draft Profile: Boise State RB George Holani

The Strengths

Tulane and offensive coordinator Slade Nagle utilized Jackson in a variety of formations and play types. On more than one occasion, he turned small gains into big ones with his sure footwork and by being deceptively hard to bring down.

The plays that jump out the most are the ones where he proves himself a valuable deep threat, getting behind opposing defensive backs and tracking deep passes over his shoulder. Over the last two seasons, Jackson had nine games with a catch of at least 34 yards and 13 games with a catch of at least 20 yards. He played in 24 games in that span.

His acceleration made him a useful gadget player as well. However, when you compare him to modern NFL players who are utilized in a similar way, Jackson is noticeably smaller than some of the more successful ones like Deebo Samuel.

Combine Stats

40-Yard Dash: 4.42 seconds

10-Yard Split: 1.55 seconds

Vertical Jump: 32" 

Broad Jump: 9'10"

3-Cone Drill: N/A

20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bench Press: 12 reps 

What's Next

After a fair showing at the NFL Combine, Jackson could potentially help himself further at Tulane's Pro Day on March 26. Other than that, all that's left is to wait and see if his name is called during April's NFL Draft. In all likelihood, he will somewhere in the round 5-7 range.