Landon Jackson Scouting Report
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Nelson Chenault/IMAGN Images)
School: Arkansas
Class: Senior
Position: EDGE
HT: 6’6
WT: 264 lbs
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Background: Landon Jackson was a consensus 4-star edge rusher from Texarkana, Texas. Jackson was a top 10 edge rusher in the class of 2021. Landon played for Pleasant Grove High School where he finished his career with 46 sacks. As a junior for Pleasant Grove, he was named the Texas 4A Defensive Player of the Year and was a MaxPreps First Team All-American. He was an all-district selection for three seasons and helped lead Pleasant Grove to two state championships. After high school, Landon chose to play for LSU over Florida State, Tennessee, and others.
College: In his one season at LSU, Jackson only saw time on special teams and did not record any statistics. He was somewhat buried on a loaded depth chart. Landon transferred to Arkansas in order to get a more significant role. He played in 13 games for the Razorbacks and started 7 of them. He finished his sophomore season with 23 tackles and 3 sacks. Jackson was an All-SEC selection in 2023 after getting 13.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. 2024 was another great season for Jackson before he went down with an injury in the last game of November. He was named a Second Team All-SEC member after getting 6.5 sacks and 9.5 TFLs.
Strengths: Landon Jackson is a lanky edge rusher who has shown rapid development during his time at Arkansas. Jackson has become a team captain and leader of the Razorbacks’ defense. Jackson has desirable measurables from an edge rusher. He has a large frame and long arms, which he uses functionally. He can be seen long arming offensive tackles at the point of attack in order to set the edge. Not only does he have length, but he has the upper body strength to go along with it. Jackson is a densely built edge rusher who does not sacrifice overall mass for height. He has active hands to deconstruct blocks. Even offensive tackles with solid grip strength have problems consistently containing Jackson. Landon has been put in a variety of positions throughout his college career. While he is certainly an edge, he can be put as far inside as 3 tech on certain alignments if need be.
Weaknesses: Landon needs to learn how to better play with his height. He needs to get lower than the average player at his position due to his size. He loses plenty of leverage battles by playing far too high, allowing offensive tackles to get under his pads and walk him back. Jackson has decent straight line speed to hawk down mobile quarterbacks, but his agility and overall movement skills leave much to be desired. Additionally, he is not a guy that uses the speed in his get off. He needs to have a quicker first step in order to be more effective. He does not win on his initial move enough and rarely goes into a rush with a plan.
Conclusion: Landon Jackson can be an instant impact player in the NFL. He has technique that he needs to brush up on but all of his weaknesses are extremely coachable. Look for him to make serious strides from his college game at the pro level.
Scheme Fit: 4 Man Front
Ideal Role: EDGE
Best Team Fits: CIN, BAL, SEA
Player Comparison: Andre Carter II
Player Grade: Round 3 (75.3)
