NFL Draft 2021: 3 biggest potential late-round DL steals

2. Tarron Jackson, DE, Coastal Carolina

Another small school player you should love, Jackson has been dominating the Sun Bet all four years he’s spent at Coastal Carolina, and particularly his senior year. He’s a huge reason the transition from FBS to FCS in 2017 was nowhere near as painful as most of the moves are.

Last year, Jackson was a key part of the best Coastal Carolina team since their FCS playoff days earlier in the decade. The Chanticleers went 11-1 last season with their only loss coming against 23rd ranked Liberty in the Cure Bowl. The Chants reached as high as number nine in the polls thanks in large part to a huge win over top 10 BYU.

Jackson had 14 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles last year. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet in that game against BYU, but he made some noise disrupting BYU quarterback (and potential top-five pick) Zach Wilson multiple times. On his career, Jackson accounted for 188 tackles, 42 for loss, 24.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

He clearly overmatched most of his Sun Belt opponents, which is both a blessing and a curse. His stats are phenomenal, but are they really that good or just boosted from the competition? Watching the film, you’d think the former.

He’s 6-3 and 260 pounds, and strong. His ability to overpower opponents was apparent in many of his games. His finesse moves moves also also a big plus, as his ability to get passed defenders goes well beyond just running through them.

Jackson is a guy that can make an immediate impact on the field. Ideally, he goes to a system where he can be “a” guy early on, rather than being “the” guy.