Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB, Arkansas
Size:
Height: 6014
Weight: 229
Arm: 33”
Hand: 9 ½”
Accomplishments:
Four-star recruit • High School All-American
“Ja’Quinden Jackson is a big and tall, bruising back who weaves in and out of traffic smoothly while breaking arm tackles regularly.”
Strengths:
Contact balance
Zone scheme
Runs behind pads to get skinny
Patient
Concerns:
Upright runner
Pass protection technique
Feel for the RB position
Film Analysis:
Ja'Quinden Jackson started as a quarterback prospect at Duncanville High School. As a senior, completed 100-of-163 passes for 1,711 yards with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with 1,030 yards rushing and touchdowns. He chose to enroll at Texas and redshirted his freshman season before transferring to Utah and beginning the transition to running back. The 2023 season at Utah was his first full season as a running back where he put up 797 yards on 161 carries with four touchdowns before transferring to Arkansas for the 2024 season. His efficiency improved with a hot start to the year, and put up an eye-popping 15 touchdowns, adding 790 yards on 149 carries.
His size makes him stand out and helps him churn his feet for extra yards. He’s still raw as a runner, but his natural field vision made the switch more palatable for Jackson. He struggles navigating chaos in the backfield due to his overall athletic ability, but when he builds up speed hitting the hole, he becomes a tough tackle. One of Jackson's first things that stands out is watching him run through arm tackles and creating them at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds. He shows a better feel for zone concepts by pressing gaps and finding cut-back lanes than expected, and he does an excellent job of turning his shoulders or running behind them to get skinny through gaps. Jackson showed his value as a short yardage and goal line back this season, even while missing some games with injury. He bounces off would-be tacklers in space and falls forward for extra yards. His willingness as a pass protector is there and he has the functional strength to accomplish it.
Jackson has slow feet and lacks lateral quickness, which is disadvantageous when defenders shoot gaps and get in the backfield. While he runs through arm tackles, his upright running style will offer more accessible options for better tacklers who can square him up in space. Jackson wasn’t utilized much as a pass-catching option throughout his collegiate career and didn’t showcase much as a route-runner. While his effort in pass protection is there, the technique is lacking, making it more challenging to be a three-down back.
Overall, he’s still developing the natural feel for playing running back with following blocks and not running into his offensive line. Still, his play has a patience that allows him to get into space and use his contact balance and weaving to make plays. He projects best as a short yardage/goal line back in a committee early on with upside to handle more carries on first and second down.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Scheme Specific Contributor
Written By: Daniel Harms
Exposures: Texas (2024), Texas A&M (2024), Tennessee (2024), USC (2023), Baylor (2023), Washington (2023)
