Rams Draft: What Arkansas' Landon Jackson Brings to the Table

The Los Angeles Rams head into this offseason with high expectations regardless of how the NFL Draft goes next month.

With an influx of youth on both sides of the ball and the right mixture of veterans, albeit when healthy, this is a franchise ready to take over the NFC West and establish themselves as not just a perennial playoff contender but a Super Bowl favorite in their own conference.

Los Angeles will continue to add more talent through the draft and players that could see early playing time, especially at edge rusher where they have a need for depth and a reliable rotation to give starters like Jared Verse and Brennan Jackson needed rest.

Arkansas Razorbacks pass rusher Landon Jackson could be one of those Day Two targets if the Rams were to trade back.

A former transfer from LSU, Jackson has been a productive and successful defender for the Razorbacks in the last couple of seasons, earning first and second team All-SEC honors in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Jackson was also one of the top performers at the scouting combine with an impressive display of athleticism and work in on-field drills.

Let's take a look at what Jackson offers as a prospect as the one month mark approaches for the draft.

Strengths

The first thing that stands out with Jackson is his physical and athletic profile, weighing in at 6-foot-6, 264 pounds while scoring a 9.88 on the Relative Athletic Score. Jackson's frame and 33-inch arms allow him to seek a wide tackle radius and be an effective run defender to utilize and exploit his power capacity at the point of attack.

Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson's outstanding combine shows up on tape, and he uses all kinds of technique to amplify his strength and speed. From inside/outside counters to long-arm bull-rushes to dip-and-rip, he'll help any NFL defense. Also disrupted a lot in three-man fronts. pic.twitter.com/axJwqCu8M8
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 2, 2025

Jackson uses his length to play with great extension to stack and shed blocks at the point and use his upper half strength to create penetration in the run game. He lands some stout punches that create knockback ability and for him to be a quality defender against both the run and passing game. He also offers alignment versatility to play in any base front.

As a pass rusher, Jackson does offer a nice array of rush moves to win from the 7-technique or 4i. His active hands allows him to dictate his path to the quarterback once he establishes half-man relations to begin to cornering attack around the arc. Furthermore, his high motor and effort allow him to be an effective games defender as the slant or loop rusher.

Weaknesses

Jackson's physical profile also features a high-hipped rusher that is limited with his bend and overall flexibility and is only modest in this area. While he shows explosiveness in his athletic testing, he does now have the pure second gear acceleration to win with speed.

His pad level must show improvement in the run and pass game as his chest will get exposed and allow blockers to land punches. Jackson flashes accuracy in his strikes against opposing blockers but has some tendencies to hit wide of the mark. He also must improve his ability to establish a consistent secondary counter.

What Jackson could bring to the table for the Rams

If the Rams are looking for another pass rusher with the ceiling to be a 10-12 sack defender, they are looking in the wrong place. Instead, they should be looking to improve their run defense with a player like Jackson that can set the edge with his length, power, and discipline.

Jackson offers enough as a pass rusher to be semi-productive in an early rotational role. His physical and athletic profile will intrigue teams and in Chris Shula's defense, he offers the versatility to be utilized in NASCAR packages and develop into a potential starter by his third year in the league.

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