In 2019, the Syracuse offense was rather awful. Terrible sack numbers, bad quarterback play and an inability to score points defined a disappointing season. But there was one bright spot. A 6-foot-1, 185 lb. transfer wide receiver from Michigan State whose connection with Tommy DeVito kept SU in a couple of games.
In total, Jackson had 66 receptions for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns, which is a really solid stat line considering he was SU’s only threat on the outside and had DeVito throwing to him. A month after the 2019 season, the redshirt junior declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jackson had an uphill battle to make the league. Between the pandemic, the lack of consistent production (Jackson only had 11 catches before 2019) and his rather unimpressive combine numbers (ran a 4.5 40-yard dash), not many teams were high on his profile. The Fizz predicted Jackson would be selected in the fourth-sixth rounds of the draft. Unfortunately, he was not selected.
Jackson signed a UDFA deal with the Rams after the draft, and sat on the Rams for all of 2020 before being cut on August of 2021. The Vikings picked him up three days later for their practice squad. He has not appeared in a regular season NFL game yet, but has made a couple waves in camp this year.
Former Rams Offensive Coordinator Kevin O’Connell is now the Vikings head coach, so there’s some hope that Jackson sticks around past training camp. He’s got a long way to go to make the active roster.
