The next quarterback analyzed in this series of way too early scouting profiles is Tyree Jackson. Is he the next big thing from the MAC/MWC? He has an intriguing set of skills, prototypical size and some elite traits that scouts look for in a quarterback.
Tyree Jackson, Buffalo:
Games Watched: Ohio (2017), Bowling Green (2017), Akron (2017), Minnesota (2017).
Positives:
-Size: At 6’7″ 245 pounds Tyree Jackson has more than the prototypical size for a quarterback, in fact he would be one of the biggest players the moment he steps on a field.
-Deep ball placement: One thing you can say about Tyree Jackson is that he throws a good deep ball. His receivers might not always make the play, but the throws with good strength and solid ball placement.
-Decent Footwork and good base: For a player with such low completion porcentage, Tyree Jackson has a decent footwork and consistently throws from a nice wide base.
-Arm Strenght: You may hear this about a lot of prospects but Jackson has a very good arm attached to his shoulders, in fact I don’t think there is a place in the field where he can’t put the ball.
Athleticism: When you talk about Jackson, his physical attributes stand out. What’s more impressive is his speed, he moves like a young Cam Newton and at 6’7″ 245 pounds he is actually bigger, Jackson can absolutely run. We need to see in 2018 how much of that speed is left after he injured his knee, now that he should be fully recovered.
Negatives:
-Progressions: He often lock to one man and doesn’t go through progessions, the fact that he only threw 3 INTs all season tells you a lot about the defenses he faces (better defenders should be able to read his eyes and take the INT), where defenders dropped easy INTs in more than one occassion. He compensates it by throwing a laser where only his receivers can get it (and often drop it).
-Poise: When he is under pressure he makes some very questionable throws.
-Accuracy under pressure: Related to his poise (or lack of), his passes when he has a defender near or on his face is not good.
-Touch: He throws hard every ball, which makes it very hard to catch it for his receivers. While on some cases absolutely necessary (see: tight window), he throws hard even when it is required to throw with some touch.
What I want to see from him this year:
He NEEDS to stay healthy for a full season, that is a given but also very important. He also needs to start going through progressions or else the NFL will be too much for him mentally. As he gets more reps he is going to be more assertive in the heat of pressure and he has to take advantage of his imposing size.
Overall Jackson is an intriguing prospect who shouldn’t declare if he doesn’t light it up this coming season, given that his areas of weaknesses are more mental than physical, he can always use more reps before going pro.
Check out the other articles of the way too early scouting profile series: Easton Stick, Justin Herbert, Will Grier, Drew Lock, Ryan Finley, Clayton Thorson and Jarrett Stidham.
