An underrated rookie that could be the missing piece for the Titans
Tennessee Titans rookie minicamp was in large part dominated by the storylines that surrounded the top draft picks. Following his first day in a Titans uniform, QB Malik Willis addressed the ongoing story regarding his relationship with Ryan Tannehill. After first-round WR Treylon Burks struggled to stay on the field for day one of practice, […]
Tennessee Titans rookie minicamp was in large part dominated by the storylines that surrounded the top draft picks.
Following his first day in a Titans uniform, QB Malik Willis addressed the ongoing story regarding his relationship with Ryan Tannehill. After first-round WR Treylon Burks struggled to stay on the field for day one of practice, concerns about his body and training routines arose.
The story that may have slipped through the cracks amongst it all is the emergence of Theo Jackson.
Jackson is a 23-year-old rookie safety that grew up in the Nashville area before playing college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and being selected by his hometown Titans in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. While at Tennessee, Jackson broke out in his fifth and final season, posting impressive career high numbers in TFL (9), tackles (78), and pass break ups (12).
While his boost in production seemingly came out of nowhere, Jackson was more than just a stat sheet stuffer, his numbers increased with the new role and responsibility he was given. Jackson played an essential role in the Volunteers defense, often acting as a Swiss Army knife defensive back.
Jackson was referred to as the “star”. A “star" in a five defensive back set is the extra defensive back (usually a safety) that can act as a safety, nickel, or even outside linebacker at times. Rather than have an extra corner back at the nickel spot, you play a "nickel on steroids". They’re often used to matchup with tight ends in the nickel.
Think Chauncey Gardner-Johnson at Florida or Dane Cruikshank with the Titans.
In fact, with Cruikshank signing with the Chicago Bears in free agency, it’s likely that the local kid Jackson will have an opportunity to fill the hole left behind in the Titans defense. He’s already off to a strong start.
At rookie minicamp this weekend, his presence certainly stood out amongst the crowd. Jackson was on the receiving end of a Malik Willis interception on Saturday and began turning heads with his play.
Jackson stepping up into the Titans defense would have a massive impact on Tennessee’s secondary. His size, arm length, athleticism, and intelligence that has been demonstrated both for the Volunteers and during Titans camp give reason to believe Jackson can be a productive defender against tight ends at the very least.
Tennessee has matchups this season with elite tight ends such as Travis Kelce (KC), Darren Waller (LVR), Logan Thomas (WAS), and Dalton Schultz (DAL), just to name a few. The Titans will certainly need someone with this skillset on their roster for these games, and what better fit than a local product playing for the team he grew up watching?
My early impression is that Theo Jackson can ball. Of course, if you watched Vols games last fall, you already knew that.
He’s a late bloomer that has emerged into a really good football player over the last year despite not making many waves on draft boards or scouting sites. Jackson is criticized for having a thinner frame despite his height and arm length, and his lack of top end strength. His weakest pro day numbers came on the bench press (12 reps).
I’m not sure any of that will really matter when it comes to his NFL transition, though. He won’t be the fastest or strongest guy on the field, but Jackson has the body to disrupt passes with length and the IQ to surround the football. He’s an electric athlete that plays hard, physical defense, and by the looks of things from camp, his growth could be exponential.
Jackson has a long way to go to climb up the Titans depth chart, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he sees the field in some big games for the Titans in 2022.
I know that either way, he’s a lot of fun to root for.
Image via George Walker IV – USA TODAY NETWORK
