William Jackson III

A JUCO transfer, Jackson became a full-time starter at Houston in 2014 as a junior and led the team with 12 passes defended, adding 37 tackles and two interceptions. The 2016 class of senior cornerbacks appears to be an underwhelming group at initial glance, but a senior corner who stands out in a good way is Jackson, who will be an attractive prospect due to his NFL ingredients.

does he have the short-area agility to hold up vs. the quick pass-catchers at the next level? nfl scouts will keep their eyes trained on his transition technique during pre-draft workouts.

He will find himself off-balance in press and needs to refine his technique, anticipation and route recognition to eliminate false steps. Has some hip tightness. Allows receivers to drive him off the route with hard-stops or physical push-offs. Needs to better anticipate routes and improve his spatial awareness to close gaps at the stem. Lacks a second gear to recover if the receiver gains a step late vertically. Will panic and get grabby at times, attracting obvious penalties. Needs to better square up his targets as a tackler.

in our view

His body type, arm length and physicality at the catch point are why Jackson might be the first senior corner drafted. Projects as a day two pick.

strengths

At the next level, scouts and coaches covet speed at the position, but teams also want size and length to better match-up with the physical pass-catchers in the NFL. Jackson is a good-sized athlete for the position with an aggressive attitude that serves him well, doing a lot of wide receiver-like things at the catch point.

brackets receivers against the sideline with terrific instincts and coverage sense to take away short passes and not get beat deep. he looks comfortable in either press-man or off-man. balanced off the snap and extends his hands to jam in press-man coverage. quick out of his stance to shadow routes, reading the receiver to sense throws and get his head turned to react accordingly.

WEAKNESSES

A two-time All-District 22-4A selection on both sides of the football at Wheatley, including twice being named a First Team selection at defensive back

recorded 20 receptions for 357 yards and four touchdowns as a senior while averaging nearly 18 yards per catch for Head Coach Cornelius McFarland and the Wildcats

had two interceptions despite opponents routinely throwing away from his side of the field his senior campaign

collected 15 receptions for 269 yards and six TDs as a junior as he hauled in four interceptions to help lead Wheatley to the District 22-4A title in 2010.

Son of Vanessa Hailey

lists riding horses as his favorite hobby

majoring in sociology.

2015

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
2.0	22.0	110.0	5.0