Daniel Jackson, WR, Minnesota

Size:

Height: 6‘0” | Weight: 200 lbs

Accomplishments:

All-Big Ten Second Team (2023)

“Daniel Jackson is a skilled, quick-footed wide receiver with experience aligning at multiple receiver positions. He wins with tempo, quickness, and great route salesmanship.”

Strengths:

• Route salesman

• Separation quickness

• Alignment-versatile 

• Horizontal winner

Concerns:

• Concentration drops

• Run blocking

• Overcoming physical defensive backs

Film Analysis: 

Daniel Jackson plays in P.J. Fleck’s offense, winning in different ways and positions. Jackson aligns as the X, slot, and Z receiver for the Gophers offense. He plays with good linear speed to sell vertical routes and make everything look like a fade. His route tempo and pacing test the discipline of defensive backs. Jackson is an effective and efficient playmaker who proved to be a QB-proof in 2023.

Jackson has a savvy and nuanced approach to defeating soft-press and off-man coverage. He squares up and attacks the DB airspace with patience to hold them in place before using his quick, sudden footwork to break past them into his routes. One of the best parts of his early route process is that Jackson is always gaining ground as he presses vertically. He thrives against flat-footed DBs where he can use sudden jab steps and sharp cuts in the contact window to cross their face.

Football IQ is a strength of Jackson’s game. He understands pre-snap leveraging and has an answer for multiple coverage looks. Jackson is a strong route salesman who stems and angles his route, setting up DBs at the breakpoint. He is a naturally quick separator versus man coverage.

Winning the horizontal plane and short/intermediate areas is where Jackson thrives in the passing game. He works well on shallow crossers, deep overs, slants, and middle-of-the-field dig routes with toughness and contact balance to absorb would-be hits and stay on his feet. His toughness after the catch is appealing as a middle-of-the-field worker.

Jackson displays a strong sense of body positioning on throws down the field. He is good at boxing out the defender and preparing to elevate and highpoint the throw. He is a weapon that QBs will have confidence in giving a shot even when he is covered–his body control is great in contested catch situations. As a result, when placed in one-on-one matchups Jackson offers a good red zone weapon who can track and highpoint passes in tight quarters.

Drop is one of the few concerns for Jackson heading into this season. These drops are more concentration-based, simply not looking the football in before becoming a runner. This is a fixable issue but one to monitor in 2024.

Jackson must improve how he handles physical press cornerbacks in the contact window–especially long-limbed ones. He rarely uses his hands as a quick counter to their strikes/jabs, leading to being held up from getting into his route. Jackson has the footwork and quickness to push DBs and clear his path but without bringing his hands to the action, things will be tough in the NFL. 

Jackson’s run-blocking leaves a lot to be desired. He does not engage quickly or with urgency. Once he is engaged with a defender, he gives the desired effort, but the process of getting there can benefit from improving.

Overall, Jackson projects as a good potential starting wide receiver with alignment versatility to create advantageous matchups. With his strength and body control after the catch paired with good horizontal route-running, he can be an impact player with a solid ceiling to develop into. He spends most of his snaps at the X-receiver spot in Minnesota and it can translate to the NFL depending on the team and offensive system.

Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter

Written By: Damian Parson

Exposures: Wisconsin (2023), Michigan (2023), Michigan State (2023), Iowa (2023), Ohio State (2023)

Daniel Jackson NFL Draft Scouting Report