Get faster.
That’s what Marty Hurney said that they have been trying to do all offseason, and they made a huge step towards that with their second-round selection, drafting cornerback Donte Jackson from LSU, who flirted with the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record before recording an official 4.32 in Indianapolis this March. Jackson has been called the “fastest man in college football” and has the ball skills to match – he broke up 10 passes and snagged an interception while starting every game for LSU in 2017 and was named second-team all-SEC.
In 2017, Jackson showed the speed and tackling ability to play inside cornerback, lining up against quicker slot receivers – the 5’10”, 178-pounder has the closing speed to chase down every player on the field; for his career, he compiled 116 tackles (4 for loss) and four interceptions to go with 22 passes defensed.
In LSU’s upset victory over Auburn, Jackson had four passes defensed in the fourth quarter alone, three of them coming on three consecutive attempts; his natural position is on the outside where he is expected to compete with Ross Cockrell to start opposite James Bradberry.
Jackson joins Bradberry, Kevon Seymour, Ross Cockrell, Corn Elder and Captain Munnerlyn in what is an extremely young secondary group – one thing that Jackson brings to the table is the swagger that may be lacking in what is a quieter group. When ‘Thieves Ave’ was the address with Josh Norman leading the group, there was a cockiness and an attitude to the group defending the back of the field. Jackson is definitely not lacking in that category, his Twitter bio simply read “Cocky.” for most of the 2017 season.
At LSU’s pro day in early April, Jackson was asked where he ranked among the top defensive backs. Jackson simply replied, “The best.” The Panthers hope so.
