After an outstanding season with the Razorbacks, former Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson is working toward his dream of playing in the NFL. His day in the spotlight was yesterday at the NFL Combine, and he was turning heads.
Jackson measured out at 6-foot-6-inches and 264 pounds, with an 83 and 5/8-inch wingspan. He's one of the biggest edge rushers in the draft but is officially the tallest, with James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee falling slightly below him at 6-foot-5 and a quarter inches. However, his stature wasn't what set him apart.
Landon Jackson's explosive day at the NFL Combine
In the three measured events he participated in, Jackson was in the top 2 in two of them: the vertical jump and the broad jump. His viral vertical was insane for a 260-pound lineman, coming in at 40.5 inches! That's massive, considering his already large wingspan. However, he wasn't done demonstrating his explosive abilities. He came second on the broad jump, clearing 10-feet-9-inches. His only better was Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart, recording 10-feet-11-inches.
Jackson also ran the 40-yard dash. While he wasn't blazingly fast, he still recorded a 4.68 time, the eighth-best of the day for EDGE/DEs. And according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, he had the highest athleticism score (86) for his position. Overall, he scored a 78, which was seventh.
He was also redeemed of another viral video from his high school days. The video in question showed the now top-10 DE prospect in the 2025 NFL draft doing a bag drill with very poor execution. Thankfully, the NFL had his back, showing him doing a similar drill with much more intensity.
Arkansas Edge Landon Jackson back at the bag drill 😤 (via @Rivals)
— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2025
📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/OmqA6faDQH
On top of his performance at the combine, Jackson showed out in the Reese's Senior Bowl. Reports didn't fair well at the beginning of practice, though. He was beaten multiple times during one-on-ones and didn't do much during team periods. But that didn't stop him from grabbing two sacks in limited minutes during the game itself.
Overall, Jackson has earned himself quite a bit of money over the past few weeks, but only time will tell how much. The NFL draft will start on Thursday, April 24. And who knows? Maybe Jackson gets his name called on day one.