Former FSU DT Darrell Jackson projected to be Day 2 pick in NFL Draft
He isn’t expected to be selected on the opening night of the NFL Draft, but if the latest mock drafts are correct, former Florida State star Darrell Jackson won’t have to wait much longer than that to hear his name called.
Jackson, who is FSU’s top 2026 draft prospect by far, is projected to go in the second or third rounds, according to recent projections. The draft opens Thursday night with Round 1, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday and the final four rounds on Saturday.
Longtime NFL draft analyst Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com has the massive defensive tackle being selected in the second round, at No. 56 overall, by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In ESPN analyst Jordan Reid’s latest Mock Draft, Jackson is projected to go in the third round, at No. 74 overall, to the Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter also has the former Seminole being selected in the third round, at No. 84 overall by the Green Bay Packers.
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Instead of breaking down the draft order, NFL.com analyst Eric Edholm rates the top 100 prospects, and he has Jackson at No. 83, which also would likely mean a projection in the third round.
Jackson, who was listed at 6-foot-5 and 337 pounds during his final season at Florida State, had slimmed down to about 315 in pre-draft workouts. He finished his senior season with a career-high 45 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack.
Offensive tackle Micah Pettus is the next mostly likely former Seminole to be selected after Jackson.
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