New England Patriots Possible Target in the 2015 NFL Draft – Tre Jackson, G Florida State
 Tre Jackson was a three-year starter at right guard for Florida State and is one of the top prospects at the position in the 2015 NFL Draft. (USA Today, Image) |
As the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer we’ll profile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar. Some of these players have already been linked to New England as possible targets others, we feel would be a great fit.
Check out our earlier 2015 NFL Draft profiles on PatsFans.com:
DE/OLB Nate Orchard from Utah
WR Tyrell Williams from Western Oregon
DT Jordan Phillips from Oklahoma
DT Carl Davis from Iowa
RB David Johnson from Northern Iowa
CB Steven Nelson from Oregon State
OLB Zack Hodges from Harvard
CB Ronald Darby from FSU
WR Devin Funchess from Michigan
OG A.J. Cann from South Carolina
RB Mike Davis from South Carolina
ILB Benadrick McKinney from Mississippi State
OLB Hau’oli Kikaha from Washington
T Jeremiah Poutasi from Utah
OLB Kyle Emanuel from North Dakota State
RB Jay Ajayi from Boise State
WR Jamison Crowder from Duke
CB Kevin Johnson from Wake Forest
DT Eddie Goldman from Florida State
LB Shaq Thompson from Washington
The Patriots have a couple of pressing needs heading into the 2015 season and one of them is in the interior offensive line. There was little depth behind starting guards Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell. Connolly about to be 33 and a free agent, the time is now for a dose of youth and physicality inside. The team has Marcus Cannon, and Josh Kline right now as possible backups for 2015 or to vie for the starting reps once OTAs begin on April 20.
Rookie center Bryan Stork stepped in and played very well, which allowed Wendell to move over to guard, where he performed well in 2014. The emergence of Stork transformed the offensive line as it was then the group began to jell as a unit.
The Patriots had free agent OL Stefen Wisniewski in for a visit on Monday. Wisniewski has been the starting center for the Oakland Raiders for the past three years. But in his rookie season, he played all 16 games at left guard, earning AFC Rookie of the Week for Week 3 of the 2011 season. If the team lands him, it will go a long way in alleviating the need and push the need for a guard to a lower priority in the draft.
The Patriots also kicked the tires on a trade with Philadelphia for G Evan Mathis but it didn’t come to fruition. And it ultimately would have been a short-term fix as Mathis is 33 as well as Connolly. So the Pats will look to the draft for upgrades.
Tre Jackson from Florida State is an enormous road grader at the guard position. Jackson plays with raw strength and leverage at 6’4, 330 pounds; he has good footwork and is at his best drive blocking opponents in the running game.
A three-year starter at right guard, he played as a true freshman getting his first college start in a bowl game. First team All-ACC in both 2013-14, and a unanimous All American.
Jackson consistently finishes and is nearly impossible to push backwards in the running game. Strong hands and once he latches on will drive opponents. Jackson is at best in a phone booth, he could stand to trim down as his massive girth hurts his mobility to the second level, as well as his balance and agility.
Jackson played better as a junior in 2013 than as a senior, he struggled in pass protection and was susceptible to the A-gap blitz right up the middle. He will need to refine his technique at the next level.
Pros:
- Road grader in the running game, will maul opponents with straight ahead drive
- Keeps his body square and has good field awareness
- Three-year starter at the position, takes to coaching well
Cons:
- Too much weight causes limited mobility into the second level
- Struggles with A-gap blitz, and changing direction in space
- Lunges at targets at times, needs to refine his technique
Where can the Patriots can get him?: The Patriots will be actively looking at upgrading the interior offensive line in the first couple of rounds, there are numerous players that they’ve had in for workouts or gone to their Pro Days. These include South Carolina’s A.J. Cann, Duke’s Laken Tomlinson, Utah’s Jeremiah Poutasi as well as Jackson. Former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has an excellent working relationship with FSU’s OL Coach Rick Trickett and attended their Pro Day and worked out both Jackson and fellow guard Josue Matias. It wouldn’t be a shocker if the Patriots dip into the FSU program again after taking Bryan Stork from there in the 2014 draft.
If they’re going after Jackson, he should be there at the end of the 2nd round, possibly even into the beginning of Round 3.
If they do select Jackson, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots believe if he’d be a better fit at right guard than left, since that is where he played for the past three seasons. Jackson would be a nice upgrade for the Patriots in the running game, he and Bryan Stork would be a nice tandem for years to come.
But Jackson needs to tighten up his technique, especially in the passing game, as he struggled with pass blocking in 2014. But none of his problems are show stoppers, as they can be corrected with coaching.
Here is a highlight film of Jackson at Florida State:
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