SI All-American Candidate Dink Jackson Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Dink Jackson
Projected Position: Strong Safety/Outside Linebacker
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
School: Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie
Committed to: Ole Miss
Frame: Long and lean. Average shoulder and chest width. Slender, tightly-wound lower half. Ample room for additional mass and muscle, but overall size potential somewhat limited.
Athleticism: Eye-popping burst and acceleration. Starts and stops with ease, firing in and out of cuts. Long-strider with impressive open-field speed, supported by 11.04 100-meter dash. Flexible and fluid. Relishes contact; plays with surprising power. Good ball skills as pass-catcher and defensive back.
Instincts: Fiery disposition. Multiple-effort player. Hits far harder than frame suggests, especially with shoulders square. Natural bend and dip flattening to quarterback. Comfortable dropping into coverage, showing awareness of zone responsibilities.
Polish: Innate pass-rusher with emerging, versatile toolbox, including devastating spin move. Clean footwork while backpedaling, breaking on ball in coverage. Plays multiple roles all over the field, ensuring he’ll require extra refinement at one position.
Bottom Line: Jackson is a very gifted athlete with the physical traits and overall skill needed to play several different positions at the next level. NFL ceiling comes on defense, where he pops getting after the passer and closing toward ball from defensive backfield. Positional designation may ultimately depend on size, but Jackson boasts long-term makings of an impactful, disruptive and versatile hybrid defender.