Why Landon Jackson is the next MONSTER in the NFL

[MikePJ76]

2 hours ago, BigDingus said:

Guess I'm a negative Nancy. I think there's a better chance Bosa stays healthy for 14+ games than Jackson turning into an elite edge rusher.

 

And Bosa won't stay healthy for 14+ games, so...

No idea on elite b but Dan fetes and Jenna cottrell said Jackson was really good in practice this week.

 

hopefully he gets better and better each week with more experience until he is just playing at 100% speed and not thinking.

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

I say we give that Solomon fellow a try

[Richard Noggin]

17 hours ago, dayman said:

I read this topic while lined up Offside

 

You are forgiven. This one time.

 

 

[BigDingus]

6 hours ago, Ya Digg? said:

He’s a 3rd round pick, should the expectation be becoming an elite edge rusher? 

 

Look at the title of this thread. 

 

No, I do not expect that, but clearly some people think he's going to be "the next monster in the NFL..."

[GunnerBill]

13 hours ago, NoSaint said:

as a premium position guy that lasted a long time…. Clearly the nfl saw significant limitations. 
 

it’s not quite the same but a 3rd round qb has nearly no expectation while a round 3 running back is probably carrying a bit more pressure to contribute early. 
 

he’s at a position that gets overdrafted and he still lasted. I would plan to give him plenty of runway to figure things out and would not put all my chips in on him reaching all pro status. 

 

The other thing he was is a clunky scheme fit for a lot of schemes. I remember when I was doing the 2 round mock with @gonzo1105 there were a few edge needy teams in that late 2nd territory where Jackson just was not a fit. We found a team in the end in that range where it made sense..... the Buffalo Bills (I know they ended up taking him in the third but we didn't have trades).

[gonzo1105]

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The other thing he was is a clunky scheme fit for a lot of schemes. I remember when I was doing the 2 round mock with @gonzo1105 there were a few edge needy teams in that late 2nd territory where Jackson just was not a fit. We found a team in the end in that range where it made sense..... the Buffalo Bills (I know they ended up taking him in the third but we didn't have trades).

Yea I can’t say I watched him specifically as I was much more focused on the interior Dline but when I did notice him his stuff in college tape looked mighty similar to what I saw on Sunday. I think he’s gonna be a guy who pops during some games and then disappears during others at least early in his career. 

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, gonzo1105 said:

Yea I can’t say I watched him specifically as I was much more focused on the interior Dline but when I did notice him his stuff in college tape looked mighty similar to what I saw on Sunday. I think he’s gonna be a guy who pops during some games and then disappears during others at least early in his career. 

 

He isn't guaranteed a jersey on gamedays right now. It looks like Solomon is firmly ahead of him and will make up the top 4 with Groot, Bosa and AJE. They generally dress 9 DL and so it probably comes down to whoever the 5th DT is (maybe Carter?) vs Jackson. 

[Royale with Cheese]

15 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

He isn't guaranteed a jersey on gamedays right now. It looks like Solomon is firmly ahead of him and will make up the top 4 with Groot, Bosa and AJE. They generally dress 9 DL and so it probably comes down to whoever the 5th DT is (maybe Carter?) vs Jackson. 

 

What does Jackson do well?  I believe he was a consensus day 2 pick so you know there's talent.

He's not bendy and a speed guy so he is that guy that needs to be a great hand fighter?   

[GunnerBill]

14 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

What does Jackson do well?  I believe he was a consensus day 2 pick so you know there's talent.

He's not bendy and a speed guy so he is that guy that needs to be a great hand fighter?   

 

He's not bendy or quick twitch but has a decent first step, can convert his length advantage into power when he bull rushes and has good aggressive hands (especially good rip move). The two concerns for me on the Arkansas tape were his consistency..... there are games where he looks dominant and games where he looks like a big guy who isn't really a football player and his stiffness - especially when trying to change direction. 

 

I don't have my board in front of my but I think I had an early 3rd on him - so right about where the Bills took him. I still like the pick there value wise and think there is some ceiling but right now he feels more like a guy who might make an impact in years 2,3,4 than as a rookie. 

[MiracleAtRich1393]

I think the Jackson pick in tandem with Sanders/Walker is a tell on how the Bills want to generate pass rush.

 

The theory seems to be edge-setter/compression style DEs (Rousseau/Bosa/AJE/Jackson) that contain on the outside with length & power while the rush comes from the DTs into the QB's face (Ed/TJ/Walker all penetration style IDL) and they have no escape lanes outside (where Lamar & Mahomes kill teams extending plays).I like the theory, I just hope we have the horses to pull it off otherwise the CBs & safeties are going to be seriously stressed.

 

I trust Benford but if Tre is creaky and Hairston can't get up to speed and the safety tandem never gets figured out... we will have a tough time getting off the field on 3rd & long yet again. Just get Josh the ball back when you're supposed to and good things will happen!

[billsfan89]

26 minutes ago, MiracleAtRich1393 said:

I think the Jackson pick in tandem with Sanders/Walker is a tell on how the Bills want to generate pass rush.

 

The theory seems to be edge-setter/compression style DEs (Rousseau/Bosa/AJE/Jackson) that contain on the outside with length & power while the rush comes from the DTs into the QB's face (Ed/TJ/Walker all penetration style IDL) and they have no escape lanes outside (where Lamar & Mahomes kill teams extending plays).I like the theory, I just hope we have the horses to pull it off otherwise the CBs & safeties are going to be seriously stressed.

 

I trust Benford but if Tre is creaky and Hairston can't get up to speed and the safety tandem never gets figured out... we will have a tough time getting off the field on 3rd & long yet again. Just get Josh the ball back when you're supposed to and good things will happen!

 

I think the Bills attempted to get bigger and more physical along the defensive line to matchup against the Ravens and KC much better. The Bills 2024 D-line while not small and not terrible against the run did have issues against bigger nastier offensive lines during the regular season. 

 

Walker is a mountain of a man but they also brought in Larry O who while not a massive player is known to be a good run defender as he has aged into his career. Joey Bosa is also considered an elite edge run defenders and Jackson is a big dude off the edge as well. Hoecht is also a bigger edge defender with a lot of versatility. Sanders is smaller but was known as a good run defender in college. The D-line is less likely to get pushed around this season than it was last season. 

[MasterStrategist]

On 5/4/2025 at 12:54 PM, Chandler#81 said:

Thanks, Dad

I guess dad was right this time, huh?

 

As I and others said, Landon Jackson was a developmental player.  He had and still has alot of limitations to his game, which gave pause to alot of posters who didnt see a player that was able to win at rushing the passer with his current repotoire of moves.

 

I see this as a redshirt season for him- not sure he brings any value to the return games/Solomon is better there, and overall at DE rn.  Hoecht comes back, it makes it even easier to see Landon getting very few snaps.

[518Buffalo]

Wouldn’t be the end of his career but it would be disappointing if it was a redshirt year for Jackson, because with Bosa and Epenesa presumably out next year that makes DE an urgent draft need for 2026 unless Hoecht is a stud. I was hoping Jackson would show enough this year to be considered for a starting job in 2026, and then you don’t feel like you have to use a premium asset on depth/competition for him  

Edited August 24 by 518Buffalo

[NoSaint]

On 8/15/2025 at 10:12 AM, Royale with Cheese said:

 

What does Jackson do well?  I believe he was a consensus day 2 pick so you know there's talent.

He's not bendy and a speed guy so he is that guy that needs to be a great hand fighter?   

part is there are only so many 6’6 guys that at 270 lbs can run a 4.6-4.7 forty 

 

so he exists at that size well and seems to like football

[BuffaloBillyG]

34 minutes ago, 518Buffalo said:

Wouldn’t be the end of his career but it would be disappointing if it was a redshirt year for Jackson, because with Bosa and Epenesa presumably out next year that makes DE an urgent draft need for 2026 unless Hoecht is a stud. I was hoping Jackson would show enough this year to be considered for a starting job in 2026, and then you don’t feel like you have to use a premium asset on depth/competition for him  

While I have been extremely unimpressed by Jackson on the field so far I will say this. 

 

It's a long season. He will likely see live snaps at some point due to injury. I do see him as a game day inactive to start out.  But at some point this year he will likely see an opportunity. The hope is he can make progression during his rookie year. I'm hoping to see improvements by the playoffs.

 

Then he has a whole off season in the Bills strength and conditioning program. Learning the ins and outs. Working with other NFL pass rushers. Hopefully by this time next year he's taken steps to be a sturdy enough rotational DE. He was a 3rd round pick. He was always going to need some time to develop.

[billsbackto81]

22 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

While I have been extremely unimpressed by Jackson on the field so far I will say this. 

 

It's a long season. He will likely see live snaps at some point due to injury. I do see him as a game day inactive to start out.  But at some point this year he will likely see an opportunity. The hope is he can make progression during his rookie year. I'm hoping to see improvements by the playoffs.

 

Then he has a whole off season in the Bills strength and conditioning program. Learning the ins and outs. Working with other NFL pass rushers. Hopefully by this time next year he's taken steps to be a sturdy enough rotational DE. He was a 3rd round pick. He was always going to need some time to develop.

His path will probably mimic Bernard's. Didn't seem like much at first as his play appeared underwhelming, but really developed nicely after his rookie year as his skill set compliments McD's defensive scheme. 

[billsfan89]

2 hours ago, 518Buffalo said:

Wouldn’t be the end of his career but it would be disappointing if it was a redshirt year for Jackson, because with Bosa and Epenesa presumably out next year that makes DE an urgent draft need for 2026 unless Hoecht is a stud. I was hoping Jackson would show enough this year to be considered for a starting job in 2026, and then you don’t feel like you have to use a premium asset on depth/competition for him  

I think it’s fine if he has a Shakir like rookie year where he doesn’t make much of an impact the Bills were in a luxury position at DE where they could afford to have a guy with high upside but could maybe use some development.

 

The Bills will have Groot, Hoecht, Solomon, and Jackson heading into next season. There will be a need at DE but not that glaring in my opinion. Simply put I would much rather they have taken a player with a high ceiling like Jackson who may not contribute right away over a lower ceiling prospect who maybe could contribute more his rookie year

[nuklz2594]

If bosa gets through season unscathed, he may want to stay. 

[Maine-iac]

On 8/15/2025 at 12:46 AM, GunnerBill said:

 

The other thing he was is a clunky scheme fit for a lot of schemes. I remember when I was doing the 2 round mock with @gonzo1105 there were a few edge needy teams in that late 2nd territory where Jackson just was not a fit. We found a team in the end in that range where it made sense..... the Buffalo Bills (I know they ended up taking him in the third but we didn't have trades).

Our coaching staff loves a high motor edge edge setter/pocket collapser.  As much as our staff wants pass rushers they draft run stopping DE's and pass rushing DTs.  Solomon being the outlier who probably has the most upside as a pure pass rusher.

Edited August 24 by Maine-iac

[Ben]

32 minutes ago, nuklz2594 said:

If bosa gets through season unscathed, he may want to stay. 

was just going to say this, he's not old and he seems to want a ring more than more money. Might be back 3-4 years.