30 Days of Colts Fits: Safety Dan Jackson, Georgia

The 2025 NFL Draft is officially under a month away. In order to help you all along until draft day, I decided to start a daily prospect spotlight series to talk about some players that the Indianapolis Colts could target next month.

The players mentioned in this series will be players that I have either heard that the team is really high on or are players that just make way too much sense for the team based on fit/past draft history.

The next player up on this countdown to draft day is Georgia safety Dan Jackson.

Background

Dan Jackson is a former zero-star recruit who walked on at Georgia back in 2019. He had to fight his way up the depth chart, working on the scout team during his first two seasons with the program. He finally got an opportunity on defense back in 2021, appearing in 15 games and making four starts for one of the best teams in the nation. He would remain a key rotation player and high-level special teamer all the way up until this past season.

In 2024, as a sixth-year senior, "Dirty Dan" finally got his chance to start. He made the most of his opportunity, finishing third on the team in total tackles with 64. He also came away with two pass breakups and two interceptions on the season. He was named Third-Team All-SEC for his strong play on the year.

Following his breakout final season, Jackson earned an invite to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl. He was ultimatley snubbed from the NFL Combine, but teams are still interested in the former walk-on safety regardless.

Nice throw here from Jaxson Dart to Jack Bech, but an even nicer breakup from #Georgia S Dan Jackson.

It’s a chippier practice here on Day 3. pic.twitter.com/68eOWh0g5S
— Cat (@chriscatenacci) January 30, 2025

Size/Testing

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 194 pounds

Arm Length: 29.78 inches

Testing Numbers: Forty Time: 4.45 seconds / 10-Yard Split: 1.54 seconds / Vertical Jump: 34.0 inches / Broad Jump: 123 inches / Short-Shuttle: 4.33 seconds / Three-Cone: 7.12 seconds

If there's a prospect special teams coaches will be banging the table for on Day 3 of the draft, it's Georgia S Dan Jackson.

True hair-on-fire player who is going to have a 10 year career covering kicks and punts. Book it. Full scouting report below.https://t.co/5tD51c8Tw3 pic.twitter.com/8aFr4UO2nq
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) March 25, 2025

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Standout Traits on Film

Dann — Nov 29, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Dan Jackson (17) and linebacker Chaz Chambliss (32) celebrate after a victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in eight overtimes at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jackson is exactly what someone would expect out of a former walk-on at Georgia who eventually earned a scholarship and playing time on defense. He may not be the greatest athlete in the world or have fantastic size, but he is a smart player who throws his body around on defense. He flies downhill like a missile and has some outstanding flashes when running the alley.

His coverage instincts are actually solid as well, he just isn't fluid enough to always make a play on the ball. He could be an interesting linebacker conversion type, but his overall measurables are way too small, at the moment, to really consider that. Regardless, Jackson should be able to carve out a long career as a special teams player in the NFL.

Dan Jackson (Georgia Safety) has over 500 career snaps on special teams in his college career and plays defense with that same type of energy and desire.

Good athlete that throws his body around a good bit. Will probably be a 6-8 year pro as a core special teamer pic.twitter.com/kg5B9rEA0Z
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) April 9, 2025

The Colts lost Trevor Denbow to a devastating injury last season and he is currently still unsigned by the team. With his special teams role on the team currently open, a player like Jackson could slide in quite easily. He brings the same intensity that Denbow brought the past few years, and even has a bit more athletic upside.

The Colts could also use his as a sub-package player in a pinch on passing downs. As I mentioned above, Jackson's feel in coverage is quite strong, so maybe limiting him to specific roles or assignments could work at the NFL level. Aside from all that, simply adding a player with Jackson's fire and drive could be a good thing for the Colts' locker room.

University of Georgia DB Dan Jackson tells me that he believes his biggest strength is his physicality, which will be on full display this week: pic.twitter.com/cR6Q9UkFsS
— Zac Ventola (@NEPatriotsToday) January 28, 2025

Colts' Interest

Jackson is the type of player that Chris Ballard dreams about in the draft process. A former walk-on who had to fight his way up to playing time on one of the best teams in the country; how could Ballard resist? Snarky comments aside, I have heard that the Colts really like Jackson as a day-three player in this draft.

With the Denbow injury and Jackson's underrated potential as a sub-package player, he does make a ton of sense for this team later in the draft. He could even outplay his draft position from day one, and I'd expect him to instantly be one of the better special teams players in the league this upcoming season.

30 Days of Colts Fits: Safety Dan Jackson, Georgia

Background

Size/Testing

Standout Traits on Film

Colts' Interest

OTHER ENTRIES

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