Why Landon Jackson is the next MONSTER in the NFL

[Joe Marino]

Said it before…. Guy looks STRONG.

[Ralonzo]

4 hours ago, finn said:

Also, Greg Cosell said Dorian Strong is mostly a man cornerback. I love the idea of a diverse defense that can adjust on the fly, change things up, and surprise offenses. The constant zone, especially with a fading Douglas, an overmatched Hamlin, and a tepid pass rush, was just asking for teams to attack. 

 

The thing Cosell (or was it Nolan) said that wasn't on my radar was that while Strong's long speed isn't necessarily his... uhh... strong suit, his short area agility testing was elite. Combined with his length and play-strength, give me this guy in the 6th over AZ Thomas in the 2nd/3rd all day long. Great value pick. Absolutely a draft pick, along with Hairston and Hancock, to address the Bills inability to jam and disrupt short routes. That's the blueprint - new CBs make the QB hold it just one extra tick, new DL gets home. And if it takes two or 3 extra ticks, have 'em mirror and match and Landon will effort his way to the QB.

Edited yesterday at 03:13 AM by Ralonzo

[Redblood]

6 hours ago, Joe Marino said:

Said it before…. Guy looks STRONG.

Very twitchy

6 hours ago, Joe Marino said:

Said it before…. Guy looks STRONG.

Love your show btw

[finn]

9 hours ago, Joe Marino said:

Said it before…. Guy looks STRONG.

Epenesa looked strong like that before the Bills asked him to lose weight and he lost too much. By the time he got to "optimal," his signature power was gone. Now he's neither particularly strong nor quick. He's more of a high-effort, "blue-collar" guy who can bat the ball down. I sometimes wonder how he would have turned out if they had let him be. At least he could have set the edge, something he doesn't do well now. 

 

If Jackson and Solomon develop and Walker is better on the edge (talk about power and quickness), Epenesa could be the odd man out in 2026.

[Bill from NYC]

On 5/2/2025 at 5:06 PM, MJS said:

Sure, but we have examples of guys who do succeed, though. Maxx Crosby was a 4th rounder. Trey Hendrickson was a 3rd rounder. Mathew Judon was a 5th rounder. Za’Darius Smith was taken in the 4th round.

 

This draft had a TON of defensive line talent, so talent fell into the later rounds.

Yes and Bryce Paup was a 6th rounder of Green Bay iirc.

[MasterStrategist]

Nothing wrong with hoping.  I think he lacks the strength to win the way he did in college, at thr NFL level. 

 

That said, he'll develop and think our offseason coaching additions were geared toward knowing we'd attack DL and secondary in the draft.

 

I'm keep expectations at a reasonable level, it's the crazy expectations that fans set that get people fired up when said Player needs more development after year 1.  We've seen that story on here ALOT....zero patience, set super high expectations immediately: Bernard, Cook, Shakir, Coleman and Kincaid will be the next to take a huge leap

[H2o]

I really like our draft as a whole. And though I think Dorian Strong will end up being our diamond in the rough, I REALLY liked this pick, especially where we were able to grab him. 

 

We now have two mammoth human beings that will be lining up at bookends on the DL for years to come. At 6'6", 264lbs, with 33" arms, even when he doesn't get to the QB, he will certainly disrupt passing lanes. Fact of the matter is though, for a guy his size, he's quite twitchy and nimble out there. He also converts speed to power well, and will absolutely manhandle opposing blockers. He also plays the run well.

 

It will be interesting to see our rotation this year. I expect Jackson to see a lot of work on early downs, and Bosa in more clear passing situations. I also think the staff wants to get to the Playoffs with a healthy as possible Bosa so they can turn him loose. This DE group could be the best we've had in a long time if everyone stays healthy, that's not even counting PED boy. 

Edited yesterday at 11:58 AM by H2o

[Niagara Dude]

On 5/2/2025 at 3:36 PM, Mikie2times said:

He comes with the dreaded high motor tag, but I think he is a lot more than that. REALLY looking forward to seeing what he can do. 

High motor guys don't usually have freak like athletic talent,  this guy looks like the next TJ Watt

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

15 hours ago, Kwai San said:

He is Uncle Festers son!!!

 

Neat.

Sweet.

Petite.

[H2o]

48 minutes ago, Niagara Dude said:

High motor guys don't usually have freak like athletic talent,  this guy looks like the next TJ Watt

Ehhhh, I don't know about the TJ Watt comparison. Watt has more bend, and is even quicker than Jackson. For Jackson, I was thinking more along the lines of JPP. 

[Nephilim17]

5 hours ago, Redblood said:

Very twitchy

Love your show btw

I'm pretty sure he's not the podcast Joe Marino (or any other). I believe this was a dude called "Herdmentality" in the past and he wanted compensation from Joe Marino as JM's substack is called that. The poster considered that intellectual theft or something. So he changed his user name in retaliation. Naturally, of course.

Moderator's can correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's the case.

[4merper4mer]

5 minutes ago, Nephilim17 said:

I'm pretty sure he's not the podcast Joe Marino (or any other). I believe this was a dude called "Herdmentality" in the past and he wanted compensation from Joe Marino as JM's substack is called that. The poster considered that intellectual theft or something. So he changed his user name in retaliation. Naturally, of course.

Moderator's can correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's the case.

Shirley that can’t be serious.

[eball]

Just read in the Buffalo News this morning that Jackson was the only prospect in the draft to earn the “Bills Blue” checkmark by Beane’s scouting team.  What does that mean, exactly?  Apparently it means a prospect who matches every on and off the field trait the Bills value.  Previous recipients include Josh Allen, Khalil Shakir, and Terrell Bernard.

 

Take it FWIW.

 

Edit:  I re-read the article, and I think they meant the only prospect of this Bills class, not the entire draft pool.  Still, it certainly reflects that the Bills really like him.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 01:49 PM by eball

[noacls17]

1 hour ago, Niagara Dude said:

High motor guys don't usually have freak like athletic talent,  this guy looks like the next TJ Watt

Love the pick, love the kid as a player and person, but the Watt comparisons are unrealistic.  Watt has elite short area quickness, Jackson does not. Watt's 10 yd split was 1.58s and his shuttle was 4.13s and 3 cone was 6.79s. Jackson 10 yd split was 1.69 and did not run shuttle or 3 cone. Those are huge differences.  Hoping for another Rousseau type player.  Jared Allen would be best case ceiling comparable imho.

Edited yesterday at 02:00 PM by noacls17

[BillsFan130]

13 minutes ago, eball said:

Just read in the Buffalo News this morning that Jackson was the only prospect in the draft to earn the “Bills Blue” checkmark by Beane’s scouting team.  What does that mean, exactly?  Apparently it means a prospect who matches every on and off the field trait the Bills value.  Previous recipients include Josh Allen, Khalil Shakir, and Terrell Bernard.

 

Take it FWIW.

 

Edit:  I re-read the article, and I think they meant the only prospect of this Bills class, not the entire draft pool.  Still, it certainly reflects that the Bills really like him.

 

 

Ya i actually thought when the bills traded into the 40s, that they were going to pick Landon Jackson.

 

Pretty cool they got Sanders, and still were able to get Jackson in round 3

[Alphadawg7]

Don’t be surprised to see Groot, Jackson, and Deone on the field together in certain passing situations too with all those long arms that can disrupt passing lanes, alter throws, and deflect passes too.  

41 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Ya i actually thought when the bills traded into the 40s, that they were going to pick Landon Jackson.

 

Pretty cool they got Sanders, and still were able to get Jackson in round 3

Honestly I thought that Jackson might be who they were moving up for too.  Wasn’t sure, but thought it could be him.  

[Ralonzo]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Honestly I thought that Jackson might be who they were moving up for too.  Wasn’t sure, but thought it could be him.  

 

I was convinced it was going to Scourton, but if it had been they probably don't take Jackson.

[Don Otreply]

19 hours ago, Rockinon said:

I think the Bills are looking at some changes schematically and it began last year. It started with selecting Soloman in the draft, a much smaller quicker pass rusher than what they typically go for. Then there is the fact that the Bills began playing more man coverage throughout the year. And now drafting a CB with off the charts speed that can play man. Also, drafting another 3 tech DT when everyone thought it would be a 1 tech. The Bills still like their scheme, but it seems they are gradually mixing things up and we are going to see more of that this year.

 

There is a lot of conversation about how other defenses have adapted to stop a Josh Allen led offense. With the way Buffalo's defense performed last year, perhaps it has become clear that offenses have found ways to combat a Bill's defense. I'm just speculating, but I have a hunch the new additions aren't just replacements for a specific defensive scheme. It seems to be about scheme diversity. These additions allow the Bills to mix up not only types of coverage but also defensive line rotations with guys that have different skill-sets. The potential is there for the Dline to wreak some havoc by mixing up the scheme and the type of player on that line. Not sure how they intend to do it. It does look like they can be more flexible now though. To me Landon Jackson is just another piece that allows for a diverse rotation.

I agree with your points, opponents have indeed been figuring out out defense, as an example, our third and fourth down inability to get off the field, imo, a schematic change on defense has been needed for some time now, I so hope with the coaching additions, along with player acquisitions that our defense will be put in a position to succeed, which has not been the case over the last couple of seasons, jmo. 

[Sierra Foothills]

18 hours ago, BigDingus said:

I just think people need to stop looking at him like a big time sack threat. After watching more & more on the guy, it seems very likely he's there to help on run plays first & foremost.

 

Disagree.

 

If the Bills wanted a run-defending DE they wouldn't have drafted Jackson. They've said they're excited about his pass rush ability and Jackson said he was told by the Bills that he would line up at 9 technique from time to time.

 

As a pass rusher I'm told that Jackson was a force against Alabama and Ole Miss this season as well as at the Senior Bowl (not the drills).

 

5 hours ago, finn said:

Epenesa looked strong like that before the Bills asked him to lose weight and he lost too much. By the time he got to "optimal," his signature power was gone. Now he's neither particularly strong nor quick. He's more of a high-effort, "blue-collar" guy who can bat the ball down. I sometimes wonder how he would have turned out if they had let him be. At least he could have set the edge, something he doesn't do well now. 

 

As a collegian, Epenesa never looked as explosive as Jackson. AJ would would walk blockers back to the QB but rarely beat them around the edge as Jackson has.

 

I still think to this day that AJ should just be beefed up to 280 and let him play to his strength instead of trying to accentuate his speed. I've also wondered if he was on PEDs during his time at Iowa.

 

[Chandler#81]

5 hours ago, MasterStrategist said:

Nothing wrong with hoping.  I think he lacks the strength to win the way he did in college, at thr NFL level. 

 

That said, he'll develop and think our offseason coaching additions were geared toward knowing we'd attack DL and secondary in the draft.

 

I'm keep expectations at a reasonable level, it's the crazy expectations that fans set that get people fired up when said Player needs more development after year 1.  We've seen that story on here ALOT....zero patience, set super high expectations immediately: Bernard, Cook, Shakir, Coleman and Kincaid will be the next to take a huge leap

Thanks, Dad