Pittsburgh CB Dane Jackson a ‘lockdown’ corner

At 6-feet, 190 pounds, he’s got the size teams are looking for in a cornerback. And the production is there, too, as he now has 25 pass deflections the past two seasons.

So why isn’t Pittsburgh’s Dane Jackson more of a household name among NFL draft pundits?

It could have something to do with Pitt’s record against upper-echelon teams. Pittsburgh has a very respectable 7-3 record and 4-2 conference mark, but those losses have come against Virginia, Penn State and Miami. Meanwhile, the team eked out wins against Ohio, Delaware, Duke, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Their 10-point wins against Georgia Tech and Ohio represent the team’s largest margins of victory, although Pitt also beat then-No. 15 UCF in overtime.

Still, Jackson has been solid all season. He currently has 33 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 12 passes broken up, giving him a whopping 42 passes deflected for his career, with more games to come. He also has four career INTs.

Jackson is also a good athlete, earning all-state honors in basketball in high school (Cornell HS, Pa.). He averaged 28 points per game and once had a school-record 51 points his senior year.

Pro Football Network NFL draft analyst Nick Farabaugh calls Jackson a “name to watch moving forward,” adding that Jackson “has been the definition of ‘lockdown.’”

Farabaugh points out that Jackson has nearly as many pass deflections as he did last season while seeing fewer targets.

Jackson also got some Twitter love on Saturday from Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy.

The @seniorbowl got another live look at @Pitt_FB CB Dane Jackson (@Djack11_) the other night and he locked it down. If he comes to Mobile we hope @PITTequipment sends this old-school helmet for him to wear all week. Classic. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/StD0pNzjpm

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) November 16, 2019