The 2025 Senior Bowl will provide an opportunity for NFL draft prospects to prove themselves on the largest pre-draft stage. Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson plans on taking full advantage. Jackson recently spoke exclusively with the Senior Bowl and Draft Network to discuss his motivation for accepting his invitation to compete in Mobile, Alabama.
Jackson also discussed what he's striving to prove to NFL general managers and scouts in attendance at the Senior Bowl, his pass-rush arsenal, how he’d write his own scouting report, and more. Let's get to know Jackson better ahead of his journey to the Senior Bowl.
JM: Where were you when you found out about your Senior Bowl invite and what was your initial reaction?
Landon Jackson: I was actually in our defensive line meeting room. My DL coach had received the invite earlier in the day. He handed it to me and we had a big celebration. I was super excited. Honestly, it’s been something I’ve been hoping to participate in my entire life.
JM: What motivated you to accept the Senior Bowl’s offer?
Landon Jackson: I didn’t need a whole lot of motivation to be honest with you (laughs). As soon as I received the invite, I knew I was going to accept it. It’s sort of like how the Under Armour game is for high school prospects. It’s the best pre-draft showcase there is.
The Senior Bowl is something you grow up watching. I prayed for an opportunity to receive an invite. I knew what I was going to do once I got my invite. I’m excited to practice and participate.
JM: We love your competitiveness. What are you hoping to prove to NFL general managers, coaching staffs, and scouts in attendance in Mobile?
Landon Jackson: I want to prove that I’m a top defensive end in this draft class. I’m prepared to be an immediate contributor at the NFL level. That’s my biggest thing, to go out there and show that I’m one of the best prospects in the country. I want to put some great tape on that field.
JM: I want to talk a little about your pass-rush arsenal. You had 6.5 sacks in back-to-back years. You’ve been super effective. What are your go-to moves and counters that led to that production?
Landon Jackson: A lot of my pass-rushing moves are based on that long arm. I have terrific length. I’m a well-built prospect, a bigger guy. I love using those long-arm moves. I did really well with my cross-chop this year. I started using a little bit of that cross-chop last season.
I use a double swipe as well, but a lot of my production came from that long arm and cross chop. Those are a few of my main moves, the best ones I was able to execute this season.
JM: We love that. We feel like you’re a three-down defender. You defend the run on early downs. Do you feel like that’ll allow you to get on the field right away at the next level?
Landon Jackson: Yeah, for sure. I feel like I defend the run really well, especially from the edge position. Of course, when I got asked to kick inside to the interior, I was a little lighter to be playing inside.
On the edge, especially at those 5-2-9 positions (5-technique, 2i, wide-nine), I was one of the best run defenders in the country. I feel like I’m definitely prepared to be a three-down defender at the next level.
JM: If you had to compare yourself to a current NFL defender, who would you choose and why?
Landon Jackson: I feel like there’s a lot of guys I’m pretty similar to. Right now, I’m getting a lot of comparisons to Aidan Hutchinson. We’re both really long, faster guys. We use our weight to our advantage. I see some similarities in our games.
Another guy I feel like I’m pretty similar to is Arik Armstead. I love breaking down tape of different NFL players. Those are a few guys that come to mind when I think of pro comps for myself.
JM: I love those comps. Is there a player in the league you look forward to swapping jerseys with someday?
Landon Jackson: There are multiple guys I’m excited to do that with someday. We had Ricky Stromberg here at Arkansas. I’d love to swap jerseys with Stromberg. The same goes for Beaux Limmer as well. Both of those guys, for sure. They’re great guys to play with.
I played against Will Campbell all throughout our shared years of college football. We know him a little bit, we’ve been out together. I’ve probably known him for five years. It’d be cool to swap jerseys with him.
JM: Fun question before we let you go. What’s on Landon Jackson’s pre-game playlist?
Landon Jackson: I know it might sound a little weird, but I actually don’t listen to music at all before a game. I try to just lock in. My plan is to go out there and ball every single week. No music necessary.
JM: This has been awesome. At the end of the week, what does a successful Senior Bowl look like for Landon Jackson?
Landon Jackson: It meant I was productive every single day and made a bunch of plays. I’m going to fly around. I want to win my one-on-one reps. I want to practice well while also showcasing some leadership traits.
I’m looking forward to getting the complete Senior Bowl experience. I’m going to embrace every moment. You have to know you’re not going to win every single rep. I’m going to embrace all of it and live in the moment.
