McKinnley Jackson NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for Cincinnati Bengals DL

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 326

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33⅞"

WINGSPAN: 80¼"

40-YARD DASH: 5.26

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL: 23"

BROAD: 8'10"

POSITIVES

— Impressive get-off for an interior defender. Reacts to the snap quickly and has good acceleration off the line to help get penetration.

— Solid at taking on double-teams. Attacks the man he's lined up across from and is decent at absorbing contact to concede only about a yard consistently.

— Has the upper-body strength to get a leverage advantage at the point of attack and shed blocks. Also has shown a nice arm-over move to escape blocks.

— Good pass-rush motor to get clean-up and coverage sacks.

— For his size, has impressive quickness to grow as a pass-rusher at the next level.

NEGATIVES

— Listed at 6'2" and looks a little shorter than that. Might lack ideal NFL height and arm length.

— Poor use of hands as a pass-rusher, as offensive linemen typically make the first significant contact, and he doesn't knock their hands down to start moves consistently. Could be a symptom of shorter arms.

— Doesn't have a go-to pass-rush move that he can win with.

— Has a habit of narrowing his base against the run, which shows up the most when slanting, as he'll struggle to fight back against pressure and get washed inside.

— Takes risks against the run by popping his gap early and leaving his assignment.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 27 TOT, 5.5 TFL, 3 SK, 1 FR, 1 FF

NOTES

— 4-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2022 (Undisclosed, missed spring practices and four games, wore a brace on his right elbow)

— Suspended for two games in 2021 after getting arrested on two drug charges, per ESPN

OVERALL

Thanks to his impressive combination of strength and quickness, McKinnley Jackson has a higher ceiling in the NFL than he did in college.

He's already a good player against the run, showing good block recognition to hold his ground against zone or gap schemes and concede little ground against double-teams. He can get off blocks using strength and violence to shed or an arm-over move.

As a pass-rusher, Jackson has shown a few flashes of winning with a hand swipe and outside spin move. However, he was often taken out on passing downs and hasn't been consistent with his use of hands for his pass-rushing to translate to the NFL. He has the potential to grow here, but he shouldn't be expected to contribute on third downs right away.

Arguably the biggest area of concern for the Texas A&M product is that he appears to lack NFL length for a defensive tackle. His measurements at events like the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine will be important pieces of information for his draft evaluation.

Schematically, Jackson would be best as a 2i-technique in even fronts where his get-off can be put to good use against the run. He can play as a nose tackle in odd fronts as well since he has the strength to hold up against double-teams, but his acceleration off the line of scrimmage would go to waste if he's consistently asked to two-gap.

GRADE: 6.7 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 112

POSITION RANK: DL12

PRO COMPARISON: Khalen Saunders

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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