Packers Draft Report Card: Grade for Sixth-Round Cornerback Domani Jackson

GREEN BAY – Domani Jackson went from being a five-star recruit as a senior in high school to being benched as a senior at Alabama.

On Saturday, the Green Bay Packers drafted him in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was te 201st overall selection.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Jackson said after being drafted. “I shed all my tears, all my emotions came out right when I received the phone call and I’m just very thankful.”

Jackson’s Up-and-Down-and-Up Career

Jackson grew up in Oceanside, Calif., and dreamed of playing for USC, and that’s where he spent his first two seasons. After two inconsistent seasons and following some changes to the coaching staff, he transferred to Alabama for his final two seasons.

He was excellent in 2024, when he started all 13 games. He had two interceptions and nine passes defensed, and PFF charged him with a 54.0 percent completion rate and 63.0 passer rating.

With a chance to really solidify his status as a top NFL prospect, Jackson wound up losing his starting job. He wasn’t completely benched, but he was out of the starting lineup and got reduced playing for five of the next six games.

“You can’t control what happens, you know?” he said. “You just got to go 100 percent in every situation, whether it’s special teams, if it’s supporting your team on the sideline, if you’re on the field. You just attack each and every single day like you’re playing. So, yeah, I got benched, but it’s about perseverance and finding yourself again and just doing everything that Coach asks you to do to win for the team.”

After playing only seven snaps against Auburn, Jackson returned to the starting lineup for the final three games of the season. For the season, he played in 15 games with 10 starts. He allowed a 76.2 completion percentage – sixth-worst in the draft class – and broke up only one pass.

Jackson’s career didn’t play out like he hoped but he reminded teams of his ability at the Scouting Combine. At 6-foot 3/4, he ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds.

“Well, certainly, he’s got the size we’re looking for,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “Certainly, he’s a rare athlete with his combination of size, explosiveness, speed.”

Grading Packers’ Selection of Domani Jackson

So, why on earth would the Packers use a draft pick – or waste a draft pick – on a cornerback who spent five games out of the starting lineup?

The answer is deeper than 40 times.

In his first game back in the lineup against Oklahoma, he was targeted three times and allowed three catches but for just 9 yards. In the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, he was targeted three times and gave up two catches but for minus-2 yards. In the College Football Playoff against Alabama, the Hoosiers rolled but Jackson wasn’t targeted.

“He’s played a lot of really good football at a high level of competition, and he’s been through some adversity and he’s made it to the other side of that, which I thought was something that drew us to him a little bit,” Gutekunst said. “I think what we ask of those guys playing outside corner as far as size, length and speed, he has that.”

Jackson was the 201st pick of the draft and the 20th pick of the round. Gutekunst promised numbers at cornerback, where the Packers are short on proven depth for the upcoming season and players under contract for 2027.

Jackson was the 23rd of 27 cornerbacks off the board, with Iowa’s T.J. Hall, Missouri’s Toriano Pride, Toledo’s Andre Fuller and Arizona’s Michael Dansby following him. Washington defensive tackle Anterio Willams and Georgia Tech defensive tackle, who had “30” visits with the Packers, went off the board within the next dozen picks.

“I’m a physical corner, I like to say,” he said. “I can play in space, you know, just really dialing in on pre-snap rituals and QB tendencies and their favorite receivers, just little stuff like that. Everything pre-snap I feel like I’ve really gained knowledge from my junior year to my senior year, and I’m ready for the next level.

You can’t teach tall and fast. And the callouses built up from challenging times could pay off.

Grade: B.

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