Height: 6-foot-5 (listed)
Weight: 265 pounds (listed)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Janarius Robinson

Pros for Kenyatta Jackson

• He’s got an idea NFL build — offering length and reach to effectively stack blockers at the point of attack
• Offers flashes of good power through his hands to jolt pads and create exit angles off of blocks
• Provides good second-effort chances as a rusher — good feel for quarterbacks forced off their spot
• Powerful enough to effectively play from either 7 and 9 techs off the edge and down into a 4i alignment in under fronts

Cons for Kenyatta Jackson

• Will benefit greatly from expanding his pass rush move set. Can get caught between counters and neutralized
• Lacks a high-end get-off to be an oppressive speed rush presence off the edge
• Play diagnosis and anticipation can continue to be sharpened
• Just a one-year starter at Ohio State entering into 2026 — bit of a high-variance projection until the sample size is larger

Background

Jackson is from South Florida and played his high school football at Chaminade-Madonna HS in Hollywood, FL. There, he was named Gatorade’s Player of the Year for the state of Florida. He was ranked as a 4-star recruit (247 Sports) coming out of high school and looks to become the next member of a very successful football family to make the leap to the NFL. His grandfather, Rudy Barber, was a member of the 1968 Miami Dolphins team. His uncles, Rudy Barber Jr. and Kantroy Barber, also made it to the NFL.

Jackson enrolled at Ohio State after a slew of offers from major programs across college football. He set career highs in sacks, tackles for loss, and total tackles during the 2025 college season to position himself as a legitimate NFL prospect.

Player Evaluation

We’re not all the way here there yet — but the physical ability is that of an NFL starter. Kenyatta Jackson has a prototypical build to play on the edge. The good news is I felt he turned it up as the 2025 college season played out. Jackson had some of the best performances to date in his Ohio State career while playing against Penn State and Michigan in 2025.

Playing more fluid is largely the key to him continuing to unlock his obvious potential. Can he be more fluid in correctly anticipating the action of a play at the snap? Will he be able to more fluidly transition from an initial rush move to a secondary counter? If the answer there is yes, Jackson is going to be a name that’s brought up early in the 2027 NFL Draft EDGE conversation.

As is, he’d be best served as an early-down contributor in an EDGE rotation. He’s most proficient stacking the point of attack resetting the line of scrimmage. He’s successfully shown power rushes but how that alone translates to an NFL resume without development could be a limiting factor if he doesn’t continue to level up. If Jackson can find more “slipperiness” through the contact window and at the turn of the edge, we’re cooking with gas.

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