Scouting The Draft: Tre Jackson, OG, Florida State

Introduction

We've done a lot of work this off-season to improve our football team, however the offensive line is still a concern for me. Outside of centre Nick Mangold, we really don't have a great deal. D'Brickashaw Ferguson suffered from inconsistent play and Breno wasn't much better. Winters was poor and although Aboushi came in and did a reasonable job, I'm not sure he's the long term answer (just yet). We signed Carpenter and re-signed Colon, but I wouldn't be surprised to see us try and infuse some young talent into the group.

Tre Jackson was a very good prospect after the 2013 NCAA season, but inconsistency during 2014 has made him tumble down some draft boards. Struggling to control his weight, some are concerned he doesn't have the foot quickness to excel in the NFL, however there are a lot of aspects to his game to get excited about. Having played in 49 games (starting 42 of them), Jackson has a lot of experienced, playing in Florida also means he came up against some excellent competition.

Jackson was invited to the senior bowl this year following the 2014 season and walked away as the south teams MVP and if you read the reports from Alabama, you'll see that many analysts came away extremely impressed with now only the game Jackson possesses, but also the shape he was in for what constitutes a job interview.

Measurables

Height: 6'4

Weight: 330lb's

Arms: 32 5/8

Hands: 10 7/8

40 yard: 5.52

Vertical: 25"

Broad: 96

Positives

+ Possesses a big body perfect for the interior of an offensive line.

+ Very strong lineman who plays with good leverage..

+ Powerful hands to latch on and push pass rushers.

+ Plays with excellent balance to ensure he doesn't fall back into the pocket.

+ Good initial burst to get into position quickly.

+ Moves to the second level well and latches onto linebackers and blitzing secondary personnel.

+ Plays with a low pad level and constant leg drive in the run game.

Negatives

- Carries a lot of weight around the stomach, conditioning could be an issue in the NFL.

- Sometimes can let his head drop which could make his susceptible to savvy pass rushers.

- Good at moving forward, but shows poor form when moving laterally.

- Can sometimes allow opponents to get into his chest too easily

- Plays with good leverage but his overall technique can be sloppy.

Conclusion

I do really like Jackson as a power guy and if he can control his weight, he can be a very good player at the next level. He could come in and start at right guard straight away, as he has a lot of starting experience and enough about him to get by at the start. I do worry about him sliding and moving laterally to mirror pass rushers, but overall I think he could do a job for a team. He's likely a 2nd or 3rd round prospect.

Draft Grade: 69

90-100 = Exceptional Talent

80-90 = Impact Player

70-80 = NFL Starter

60-70 = Solid NFL Potential

50-60 = Draftable - Lot of work needed

>50 = Undraftable - Long Shot To Stick