Subscribe
Follow Us
As the Saints inch closer to the 2022 NFL season, eyes will be drawn to new acquisitions like Tyrann Mathieu, Jarvis Landry, and others alongside high draft picks Chris Olave and Trevor Penning. Deservedly so, as all the players just mentioned have earned the recognition they're bound to receive throughout minicamp and into the summer as training camp approaches
However, perhaps more eyes should find their gaze fixed on another one of the Saints’ draft picks. One who is a bit less heralded, but has a chance to make a real difference from day one in the Big Easy. That player is 161st overall pick, linebacker D’Marco Jackson. Allow me to explain why.
Saints Rookie Sleeper for 2022 NFL Season
D'Marco Jackson spent the last four seasons in Boone, North Carolina as an Appalachian State Mountaineer, and boy did he make a name for himself. In fact, last season he won the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was truly a standout not only at one of the premier schools at the Group of Five level, and not only at Sun Belt level, but he could even be regarded as one of the most underrated linebackers in the whole country. One of the defining characteristics of Jackson's time in college was his 4.55 40-yard dash speed, and this is proven on his college tape in two stats.
Article Continues Below
One, his 206 tackles across the last two seasons. His 2021 tally of 119 total tackles ranks 16th in the country number two in the Sun Belt, and his 20 which were for loss was fifth in the country and best in the conference. This also includes six sacks, so Jackson showed a true ability to meet the ball wherever on the field it was. Only one player even came close to 119 tackles in 2021 for the Saints, and that was the 105 tackles that fellow linebacker Demario Davis racked up. If Jackson is able to work his way into the defensive rotation and produce anywhere near what he did his last two seasons at App State, the Saints would be vastly better off for it, and Jackson will quickly be asked to sign a second contract to stay in New Orleans. Teams look for players that fly to the ball anywhere on the field, and Jackson is one of those players.
The other stat is actually just one play. In his sophomore year, away at Charlotte, D'Marco Jackson scored a punt return touchdown. I know it was technically off a block, but it still takes serious talent to be able to scoop and score like that. Honestly it's just incredibly rare for a linebacker to even be in that position, let alone have the jets to take it for six. It's often said that players have combine speed and game speed, and it would appear that with D'Marco Jackson, no matter how you count it, it's all the same. Lightning quick for a linebacker.
Even if the impact Jackson makes in 2022 is on special teams, as shown, he's both got plenty of experience, and is able to create big plays when it matters, and that's what will impress coaches the most. On days two and three of the draft, something teams look for in players is versatility. Often, a player who isn't expected to contribute at their listed position as a rookie is drafted because they're that good at special teams, and Jackson seems like one of those players. But with a thin linebacker room in New Orleans, the space is there for Jackson to grow into a regular spot on the defense be it through injury or pure skill.
