Khyree Jackson scouting report: Exploring the Oregon CB's strengths and weaknesses

A four-star JUCO recruit for Alabama in 2021, Khyree Jackson played in 21 games over the course of his two years under Nick Saban, but only started one of those (14 combined tackles and two pass break-ups).

Therefore he decided to transfer to Oregon for his final year of eligibility and it paid off big-time, ending up as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, thanks to 34 tackles, five of those for loss, two sacks, three passes intercepted and seven more broken up.

Details: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds; RS SR.

Breaking down Khyree Jackson's scouting report

Khyree Jackson #DB16 of Oregon participates in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine

Strengths

Man-coverage

• Khyree Jackson is patient in man-coverage, playing different versions of press with the nearly 33-inch arms to give him room for error even if the hand placement is a little off.
• Clearly a high-IQ cover-guy, who anticipates routes based on splits, position on the field and down-and-distance, along with forcing receivers to commit early to the release by bluffing one-handed stabs.
• Excels at sliding in front of and impeding the progress of the guy in front of him during the release with heavy hands.
• Really engages in hand-fighting early on and when he has help over the top (two-man), you see him beat his guy up at the line with aggressive two-handed jams.
• Frequently rides wideouts out to the sideline as they’re trying to release outside against him and does an excellent job of pinning the inside arm of receivers on go routes and maintaining position to look and lean for the ball.
• Makes sure to sustain contact with the top shoulder of receivers and forces them to further round off crossers.
• You see great discipline for a young player, to not let trigger steps and conscious change-ups in step frequency during the development of the route fool him, yet understand when the route is actually about to break.
• Doesn’t typically panic when someone gets a step on him down the field, but rather hangs in there and tries to punch or rake through the hands late.

Zone-coverage

• Khyree Jackson understands really well how to adjust his landmarks as a zone defender and funnel targets toward the safety.
• You’re not typically getting to keep a straight stem trying to get past Jackson in cover-two, widening their path in significant fashion when he puts his hands on guys.
• Disciplined with not biting on screen fakes and running with rail routes, etc.
• Shows great awareness to redirect to the flats after opening with a slant or sinking with a vertical stem, to quickly shut down underneath completions.
• His long arms extend his range as a high-low defender and squeeze down on vertical pushers down the seams, as well as presenting a make-up tool with the ball in the air.
• Showcases plus hand-eye coordination to locate and bat away passes or extend both hands for those for potential interceptions.
• Allowed only half of the targets his way (19 of 38) to be completed last season for 200 yards and one touchdown compared to his three interceptions (41.6 passer rating).

Run defense & tackling

• Khyree Jackson’s hands-on approach with the receiver also pays dividends in the run game, taking charge of and pulling off blockers in order to pursue the ball.
• Effectively utilizes swim moves to get past receivers as they’re too close to him in order to stack-and-shed, such as bailing in a side-turn as he’s reading the action.
• Recognizes perimeter runs and screen passes, with the length and physical to shed receivers early and corral the ball.
• Doesn’t shy away from engaging with linemen pulling out to the edge for him.
• Occasionally blitzed off the short corner on early and passing downs to great effect – produced pressure on seven of his eight rush snaps.
• Only missed two of 35 attempted tackles in 2023.

Weaknesses

• Khyree Jackson can get pretty high in soft press and physical receivers are able to attack his chest to get him off balance, which will show up more often if asked to play off at a higher frequency.
• When receivers can swipe away the hands and establish stack position down the sideline, that acceleration to get to top speed is lacking a little bit and you see guys be able to detach from him.
• While you like the fact he doesn’t panic if beat, Jackson doesn’t have that make-up gear to re-gain phase – someone to target for big plays on slot fade routes if you create switches/condensed looks.
• Bursty receivers can sell the take-off and get him stuck a little bit trying to redirect as they snap off hitches or curls when he’s playing quarters.
• Lacks consistency in temperament to come off his alignment and involve himself in the run fit.

Khyree Jackson's 2024 NFL Draft projection

Similarly to what I described about Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa, the team grades on Khyree Jackson could vary quite a bit based on their defensive system.

While I don’t think he actually played as big as the Cyclone standout in terms of actual playing weight, his arms are actually nearly a full inch longer. He uses his hands in even more impactful fashion during the stem of the route and his IQ for the position may actually be slightly higher at this point.

The difference here is that while Khyree Jackson’s height has major benefits at staying attached to targets and extending his range with the ball in the air, it also creates some challenges. In particular, when he’ll have to deal with physical receivers who get into his chest and it causes some delay trying to click and close when asked to play off.

If you put him on a defense that allows him to play a lot of press-man or quasi-man on the backside of the formation (with a safety shaded deep to his side or he can knock receivers off as a flat defender in cover-two), he can immediately step in to make an impact. I’d take him in the second round.

Khyree Jackson Grade: Second round.

You might like other CB scout reports: Ennis Rakestraw Jr.; T.J. Tampa; Max Melton; Terrion Arnold.