The Seminoles nose tackle will run through drills Thursday. But here are what various league draft experts say about Jackson.
Darrell Jackson is representing Florida State this week in Indianapolis.
He's the only one carrying the Seminoles name as he embarks on his NFL journey at the 2026 scouting combine -- the first step before the NFL Draft.
Jackson brings intrigue as a fleet-footed 6-foot-5, 328-pounder who ate up interior space for the FSU defensive line. But is Jackson already highly thought of by NFL Draft experts?
The pre-draft grades have surfaced for Jackson ahead of his combine workout set for Thursday (the defensive linemen will run that day inside Lucas Oil Stadium). Lance Zierlein of the NFL Network is one who handed Jackson a mixed review of his game.
"While he’s an enormous interior presence with impressive physical features, Jackson’s inconsistencies are partially rooted in flawed fundamentals and technique," Zierlein wrote first in his evaluation. "He plays too upright and with inconsistent base width/block take-on, making him more easily cleared from gaps. He might never become a tree stump at the point, but he could see vast improvement in his shed-and-control with quicker hands, improved upper-body power and a full-time move to odd-front end."
Overall, Zierlein states how "The tape is uneven with a floor of average backup, but Jackson’s size and length could be considered unmined gold by some teams."
Another words, NFL teams likely will become enamored by his massive frame and believe they can plug him in how they like. Meanwhile, NFL Draft Buzz shared a similar scouting report.
"Put on the tape and you'll see a mountain of a man who can wreak havoc in spurts but disappears for long stretches when his gas tank runs low," the scouting report read. "When Jackson's fresh, good luck moving him - he'll anchor against doubles and push the pocket with raw power that can't be taught. He flashed legitimate interior pass rush juice last season with those 30 pressures, showing he's more than just a run-stuffer on early downs."
Jackson isn't expected to crack the first round unless he wows teams in the 40-yard dash -- often the golden ticket to boost your draft stock. He'll likely impress teams more with his short-area quickness and strength.
The FSU star already revealed he spoke to the New York Jets on Wednesday along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Personal scouting take: Jackson can be coached up. It's a matter of putting him in a place where the franchise takes playing defense seriously -- a la the Steelers who now have former NFL nose tackle Domata Peko as DL coach. He can also boost a run defense that fell apart last season like the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders. But he's currently looking like a fifth-rounder at the highest.
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