NFL Draft Profile: Khyree Jackson, Cornerback, Alabama Crimson Tide
#6
Pos: CB
Ht: 6020
Wt: 185
Hand: 900
Arm: 3168
Wing: 7818
40: 4.50
DOB: 8/11/1999
Hometown: Upper Marlboro, MD
High School: Wise
Eligibility: 2023
Khyree Jackson
Alabama Crimson Tide
One Liner:
Jackson possesses intriguing arm length, closing speed, football IQ, and height, but he’s highly inexperienced and shows some physical limitations.
Evaluation:
Jackson played just over 130 defensive snaps in his first season with the Crimson Tide. About 106 of those snaps came during the College Football Playoff as Alabama scrambled to replace injured cornerbacks. Jackson spent most of 2021 playing special teams, where he totaled a little over 120 snaps. The JUCO product only saw action on defense in five games. Jackson spent most of his time in zone with some off-man coverages sprinkled in. His limited press opportunities were a mixed back. On his very limited snaps, he displayed some lunging tendencies when trying to jam receivers and had inconsistent hand placement. The tall, slightly high-hipped corner doesn’t have a low backpedal, and he likes to get out of that stance as quickly as possible. Jackson doesn’t use a true backpedal very often, instead opting to line up in a half-turn. Even when close to the line of scrimmage, he doesn’t stay in his backpedal for long before opening his hips. Jackson was highly effective when he successfully got his hands into the opposing receiver. He had an impressive one-armed stab against Cincinnati that completely threw off the receiver’s release. Jackson primarily played the field cornerback role in Alabama’s scheme. Alec Pierce didn’t give him much trouble, but Georgia challenged him in the National Championship Game. After not being threatened much vertically by Cincinnati, Jackson lost twice on downfield routes to Georgia. Jermaine Burton took his lunch money once with a stutter and go route that forced a pass interference call. A few plays later, Adonai Mitchell ran past Jackson for a 40-yard touchdown on a deep throw. The senior defensive back possesses good speed, but his inexperience at the SEC level shows. He bites on play action and double moves, which creates problems on vertical routes. Jackson likely runs in the low 4.4s based on how he ran with James Cook in the National Championship Game. The senior has the ideal size and arm length for a corner. He also has impressive closing speed and a quick downhill trigger. Jackson understands leverage well and is well-versed in forcing receivers back into his help and using the sideline as a second defender. He is aggressive at the catch point and displays good ball skills when he gets his head around. However, Jackson doesn’t always locate the football. He would benefit from adding some mass to increase his power as a tackler and make shedding blocks easier. Despite his downhill trigger and tendency to blow up wide receiver screens, Jackson doesn’t always impact the run game. He looked fluid against Cincinnati, but some hip tightness and agility limitations appeared against Georgia.
Grade:
6th Round
Quotes:
“I think we’ve got two guys that have rare length. He (Jackson) and Eli (Ricks) both have really rare length to be as athletic as they are. But you’ve gotta use the length to your advantage. You’ve gotta use the length to help you jam people. You’ve gotta use the length to help you bat and swat balls. I think both guys are certainly learning how to do that and trying to do that to their advantage. But I think that kind of size is a little unique to the position, but I think there are a lot of bigger receivers now. So having guys like that is really kind of a good thing for the long run.” -- Alabama HC Nick Saban on CBs Khyree Jackson and Eli Ricks
Background:
Khyree Jackson is in his second year with the Crimson Tide, where he made a lot of his impact on the special teams' side of the ball and was named special teams player of the week two times, against Auburn and Georgia. He even got some time playing in the Cotton Bowl and had a pass breakup in that game. In 2019, Jackson attended Fort Scott Community College and he posted some solid stats. Jackson is from Upper Marlboro, Maryland and attended Wise High School and while there, was viewed as a four-star prospect and was also deemed the number one junior college corner in the nation while attending Fort Scott.
