Even with the NFL draft months away, it is never to early to start looking at some of the many prospects that will be future NFL players. There will be more comprehensive profiles completed, and Big Boards assembled as the draft draws closer, especially after the offseason All Star events and NFL Combine are completed, and more tape is studied. However, this preview series will give a brief view at this point to some of the popular players we will hear about as potential first or second round picks in April, and if they could be a fit for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Landon Jackson is an intriguing prospect due to his measurements. You would not think that a player that is as lanky as him can have success on the edge, but he is very technically refined and has surprising power from his lower half. Jackson succeeds by pairing these traits with a fantastic motor and good football IQ to become one of the top Edge players in this class. His best asset is his size. He does an incredible job of using his length to keep himself clean while diagnosing the play and is fantastic at using leverage to maneuver around the edge. While not fully developed, he does display good hand usage and cross chops in his rush packages. The most surprising aspect of his game is his power. For a layer of his thin build, he has tremendous lower half strength that he combines with his length to drive defenders. He also shows the ability to anchor this power in the run game and does a surprisingly good job of setting the edge. This power is also evident in the violence he displays in his tackling. When he hits you, you feel it. The relentless motor he has also never takes him out of the action, and he does a good job of cleaning up broken or extended plays. He does show a good feel for stunts and twists and has a knack for finding an opening on the interior to shoot through to get into the backfield.

Jackson’s style however, is not built for every scheme. What he displays in length and power he lacks in explosiveness. He is slow off the line, which gives his opponent that extra tick to set and absorb him and he is noticeably slower with his hand in the dirt. When he plays from a three-point stance, he tends to play high, which takes away his leverage in the rep. This lack of explosion makes it difficult to pressure the opponent’s edge with speed, which is why he falls back on his length to make plays. There is no suddenness or nuance to his game. What you see is what you get. A power Edge setter with little explosiveness or creativity in his pass rush.

With the Edge group being one of the best position groups in the class, I project Jackson to be an early day 2 selection somewhere between 35-50. There is always going to be a market for a power Edge player that can win with length and be a fit in certain schemes and packages. I think he projects best as a standup 3-4 Edge setter where he can use his length immediately off the snap to diagnose the action and use his length, power and motor to cleanup or chase down plays from behind. He will need to be used creatively in rush and pressure packages to be a regular contributor in the pass rush department. With his unique blend of length and power he was a tough comp, but he kind of reminded me of Keion White who also was a length to power player, but White was more explosive off the snap.

While there will no doubt be teams, coaches or evaluators that value Jackson’s skill set, I do not think he is an immediate fit with the Chargers. Jesse Minter’s defense relies on his four DL players to create the rush while incorporating simulated pressures. Jackson is not a pure pass rushing Edge player, who will regularly win his pass rush reps without schemed pressure packages. Even if Mack or Bosa return, this room needs a pure pass rush presence more than a high motor Edge setting player.