Over the next few months, we’ll be breaking down all of the rookies added by the Jets during the draft and as undrafted free agents. We continue today with defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr.
The 22-year old Jackson is listed at 6’5” and 315 pounds and was a fourth round pick out of FSU. He started 38 games at three different schools in his college career, and was a two-time all-ACC honorable mention.
Background
Jackson was a three star high school recruit, who initially headed to Maryland where he started
one game for them in his freshman year and ended the season with 22 tackles.
Having transferred to Miami, he started all 12 games in 2022 and had 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
However, he then decided to transfer again to be closer to his mother as she dealt with some health issues, this time to Florida State. Unfortunately, he was forced to sit out the entire regular season due to transfer rules when a hardship waiver request was denied. Despite this ruling, Jackson was eligible to play in the team’s bowl game, which he started, recording three tackles.
For the next two seasons, Jackson was a full time starter and earned an all-ACC honorable mention in each year. He had 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2024 but only one sack in 2025. However, he did have a career high with 45 tackles.
Having been invited to the scouting combine and impressed at Senior Bowl week, Jackson was selected by the Jets in the fourth round, which was about where most analysts had pegged his value.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Jackson brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Jackson was initially listed at 274 pounds when his college career began but he had bulked up to 337 by last year. However, in pre-draft testing, he weighed in at 315 pounds.
That weigh-in was significant because it was exactly the same as the playing weight for former pro bowl defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson when he was with the Jets.
The similarities don’t stop there, though. Each of them has outstanding length. Jackson’s 86-inch wingspan is the longest in scouting combine history for a defensive tackle and while Wilkerson’s wingspan was shorter, his arms were even longer – the seventh longest for any defensive tackle in the history of the combine.
Whether Jackson is as athletic as Wilkerson is another matter. Due to injury the only testing he was able to do was a vertical jump at his pro day which was actually almost exactly the same as Wilkerson’s, but poor. Wilkerson had also posted very good speed and agility and solid strength numbers which Jackson likely wouldn’t have matched.
Having said that, there is footage online of Jackson dunking a basketball at 330 pounds and he looks strong and explosive in his game film at times.
We will reflect more on the Wilkerson comparison later…
Usage
Jackson’s first season at Maryland saw him playing as a 5-technique defensive end, but then he moved to defensive tackle for the rest of his career. In his final season, he took more reps as a nose tackle.
In high school, he played both as a defensive end and defensive tackle, as well as on offense at tight end.
Motor
Jackson is regarded as having a relentless motor and battles hard in the trenches. On this play, he showcases his relentless hustle.
He is capable of handling a starter’s workload, which he did regularly in college. He played 66 snaps in one game last year but his highest snap count was 68 in a 2022 game.
Pass rush
Jackson wasn’t particularly productive as a pass rusher with just 7.5 career sacks, but his pressure rate in 2024 was solid.
In 2025, he only had one sack and his pressure rate halved, but this was influenced by the fact he lined up in the A-gap more regularly and presumably saw significantly more double teams. That lone sack came against East Texas A&M.
He is still figuring out how to use his length effectively to get past his man, but there are signs of this over the past year or two.
Jackson regularly demonstrates good power and the ability to collapse the pocket as a bull rusher, though.
Run defense
Jackson was a solid run defender and his performance analytics suggest 2025 was his most consistent year in that area despite, or perhaps because of, the move to nose tackle.
When he takes on blocks aggressively, he had the tools to potentially be capable of two-gapping and playing read/react. However, he doesn’t always do so consistently.
Jackson can also shoot gaps, holds his ground at the point of attack and penetrates to bottle up runs.
Technique
Jackson can be a little mechanical in his movements and needs to correct issues with his hand quickness and his base and pad level.
The fact Jackson’s main weaknesses are technique-related is a potentially exciting thing to hear. With Karl Dunbar back as a defensive line coach, Jackson should receive first-rate coaching which will hopefully mean he realizes his full potential, much like players such as Sione Po’uha and Mike DeVito did under Dunbar.
In any case, he does possess some good pass rushing tools with the ability to free himself from a block with an arm-over move, transition into a rip and execute a bull-jerk move.
His length is such a weapon and the book on him is that he doesn’t make the most of this. However, he is showing good signs of an ability to get full extension when taking on blocks or using a long-arm move.
Special teams
While Jackson hasn’t recorded a blocked kick or tackle on special teams, he has contributed on multiple units without mistakes or penalties. He rushed kicks and punts and was a blocker in punt protection during his career.
Tackling
Jackson’s production as a tackler was on the increase at the end of his career, as he developed the ability to ensnare ball carriers in his long arms even when taking on blocks.
His missed tackle count also more than halved from nine in 2024 to just four last season. Interestingly, less than half of the 13 missed tackles over the past two seasons were in the running game, so clearly he could have had more sacks and needs to finish better in those situations.
He had one forced fumble in his career.
Coverage
Jackson only dropped into coverage a handful of times in his college career, with nearly all of those coming last season. He wasn’t targeted in coverage in his career but did deflect two passes at the line.
Instincts/Intelligence
Jackson’s block recognition could perhaps be better at times, but he displays a good first step off his pre-snap read and also reads and reacts well while moving laterally.
He displays good instincts in terms of sniffing out screen passes and not being fooled by misdirection.
Attitude/Demeanor
Jackson turned things around for himself after having been expelled from middle school after getting in with the wrong crowd and having some behavioral issues. Positive mentoring in high school helped him get recruited to Maryland and he’s clearly matured a lot since then.
At FSU he became a team captain and two-time winner of the Bobby Bowden Leadership Award. He led by example in a defensive line room where everyone held each other accountable, and demonstrated good consistency through preparation and planning.
His on-field discipline was good, with just six career penalties, including just one last season.
Jackson’s uncle Dexter was a former Super Bowl MVP.
Injuries
Injuries weren’t an issue for Jackson during his college career, as he only missed games due to the transfer rules and sitting out his final season bowl game.
He did, however, have a groin injury that limited him during the pre-draft process.
Scheme Fit
Aaron Glenn has already said that Jackson could play a versatile role with the Jets. While many had him pegged as a nose tackle due to his listed weight and role last season, he is actually expected to line up all over, including as a 5-technique and maybe even as a strongside edge in four-man fronts.
This brings us back to Wilkerson, who was a 5-technique initially for the Jets, but had his most productive season as a full-time edge. Again, whether Jackson has the same kind of athleticism and agility to do the same is open for debate, but at least it’s an archetype for him to aspire to.
Jackson was a teammate of current Jets player Azareye’h Thomas at Florida State and his fellow draft pick Anez Cooper at Miami.
Conclusions
While this isn’t a slam dunk pick, because Jackson needs to keep working on his quickness, strength and technique, this was a selection with a high upside.
The similarities to Wilkerson are impossible to ignore and the fact that Jackson will be working under Dunbar, who no doubt was involved in the selection, means he has the perfect teacher to optimise his skill-set and mask any weaknesses. The length and his move-set are both traits it has been common to see in Dunbar’s charges over the years, so he has a good foundation to build from.
From the game film, it’s not immediately apparently that Jackson is stylistically similar to Wilkerson, who was so graceful in spite of his size while Jackson can be more robotic in his movements in certain situations. However, his film is more rounded and impressive than advertised and he may be looking to develop a similar style to Wilkerson over time if he wants to maximize the outstanding length at his disposal.
While Jackson turning out to be a player that is anywhere near as good as Wilkerson is likely a pipe dream, the chances of him being able to be effective in the same kind of role and therefore excellent value in the fourth round are high … especially with Dunbar heavily involved.
