So i did a dive on Kenyatta Jackson. Here is what i found. (First off, I am mad I didn't look him up a week early and get the jump on everyone in this thread on him after reading it... Anyway!)
First he has good size and length for the DE position. 6'6, 260-ish lbs. Long arms. All that good stuff. His run D jumped out to me instantly. He sets the edge well and gets penetration regularly. He can often be seen pushing the guard backwards which you want to see at this level if a guy projects to be a good run defender. He also makes great use of his arms and can regularly slide off his block to get to the RB as they run around him. I don't think there will be an issue with his transitioning these skills to the next level. He is 21 and will be 22 before the draft starts.
His pass rushing has some good and bad. I've seen some people mention the lack of bend, and there certainly is. He isn't a complete stiff like White who can only win with power or anything. But the word stiff is kind of fair to use in certain respects. He also lacks instant acceleration, particularly when flat on his feet. I saw a play of him vs Penn State when the QB did this shuffle pass to the RB right behind and to the side of him for a TD in the red zone. He was stuck in a bad position and kind of had to wait and react. But after the pass was made that 'stiffness' and 'lack of acceleration' in the open really showed. He looked like a statue and the RB easily scored on that play.
The moral of the story is him in open space flat footed vs a shifty guy? Nope. At all cost nope.
But that isn't to say he is slow. When he is in his pass rush set and ready to go, he can be fairly quick and fast to go along with his impressive power. He has a nice spin move and can actually maneuver well around traffic as long as he is going the same general direction as before. When his pass rush fails he doesn't panic. He keeps pushing but keeps his eye on the QB and is ready to instantly get off his block and get around his guy to the QB if the QB is forced from the spot as the play goes on. He never gives up on a play.
He also makes good use of his long arms. He has a few PDs and is always looking to get his arms up to make things harder for the QB. He also rarely leaves his feet to do it which is nice to see in a young player.
When he pass rushes he is more or less on a mostly straight line so i do worry about quick QBs today getting away. Getting the QB off his spot and on the move doesn't mean as much as it use to. And i could see him getting a QB off his spot but not finishing the play and then not having the speed to close which is concerning in today's game.
Overall though I think he is a solid 3 down player. He has an all around game. He won't be making any pro bowls. But for as much as we love pass rushers, there is something to be said for this kind of player.
I see an NFL starter level player here. Maybe you take him out on passing downs if you have a better option, but even if left out there on passing downs, he can still be a bit of a factor i believe. The run stop and all around game is a bit undervalued these days by some. In today's game where 4 down offenses are more common, having a player with a better chance of limiting early down yardage to put you in more 3rd/4th and 4 vs to 3rd/4th and 2 has value.
I give him a top 96 grade.
