With the XXXth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the XXX drafted former Husker cornerback Lamar Jackson. He was the XXXX Nebraska player selected in this year’s draft.
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It was a rocky road at Nebraska to get to this point for Jackson. He arrived in Lincoln rated as a top-100 recruit in the nation. With the ability to play either safety or corner, then head coach Mike Riley and defensive backs coach Brian Stewart saw his long-term projection best at cornerback.
As a senior, Jackson was a second-team All-Big Ten selection. Filling up the stat sheet, he had career highs of 40 tackles, four TFLs, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 12 pass breakups. Jackson ended his career 10th in Husker history with 22 career pass breakups.
.@theroyal_21 your journey is just beginning young man. Thanks for letting me be apart of it! #GBR pic.twitter.com/EsZ9vX1Q34
— Travis Fisher (@CoachTFisher) April 21, 2020
During the draft process, the biggest question mark for Jackson was whether or not he would run faster at Nebraska’s Pro Day than he did at the NFL Combine. He clocked in at 4.51 during Pro Day, which is adequate for a player his size standing at g-foot-3 and 215 pounds.
"Initially I was going to sit on my 4.58 from the combine, just knowing that the hand-time [at Pro Day] is a little less official," Jackson said after Nebraska’s Pro Day. "I talked to my coach this morning, and the competitor in him, the competitor in me, was everybody wanted to see me improve and put a faster time on the board."
Jackson joins a long line of Husker greats in the defensive backfield to be drafted. He can now join the club along with recent Huskers Nathan Gerry, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Damion Stafford and Eric Hagg.
