From “Employee of the Month” to “Steal of the Draft,” New Vikings CB Khyree Jackson Has Had a Long Road to the NFL
The draft board fell very nicely for our Vikings this weekend.
Their selection at 108th overall on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, their first pick since trading up to take Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. With the 108th pick, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave a call to Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson, and the CB has had a long, winding road on his journey to finally reach the NFL. Here is his story.
New Vikings CB Khyree Jackson’s Road to the NFL
Jackson is what would be considered a rather “old” prospect, as he will turn 25 in August before the regular season even starts. Jackson first attended college at Arizona Western Community college but ended up dropping out after a little over a month, leading him to stay at home and get a job at his local Harris Teeter, where he would even add an “Employee of the Month” award to his resume.
He also became quite the player of “NBA 2K”, going as far as to prepare for a tournament in an attempt to enter the NBA 2K League. This preparation came to an end when Jackson returned to football with Fort Scott Community College in Kansas where he switched from his original position of wide receiver to cornerback. His natural talent was undeniable, however, that after enrolling at East Mississippi Community College, he would end up with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Jackson only saw 197 total snaps with ‘Bama, with his first start being in their National Championship victory over Justin Fields and the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 11th, 2021. Almost 2 years later, on December 18th, 2022, Khyree Jackson would announce his transfer to Oregon to join the Ducks.
Jackson was a very well-balanced corner in his singular season with Oregon in 2023, according to PFF’s grading system. He would be awarded an 80.5 overall defensive grade, 83.3 run defense grade, 82.8 tackling grade, 90.3 pass rush grade (this rocks), and a 77.0 coverage grade.
He uses his 6’4″, almost 200lb frame as a weapon in the run game, with his 12 defensive stops showing his willingness to get dirty and put his shoulder down at the line of scrimmage. His pass rush grade is supported by the fact that he was sent at the quarterback a handful of times, tallying five QB pressures including three QB hurries and two sacks.
Of course, he was extremely effective in coverage as well. PFF lists his pass-coverage snap-count at 296 out of his 473 total snaps. In these reps, quarterbacks targeted him 36 times and only completed 18 passes (an even 50% completion mark), and recorded a 51.6 passer rating. Receivers gained 188 yards on these receptions, with 97 of them being after the catch. Jackson allowed only one TD when targeted, and created 2INTs and 8PBUs.
The explanation for Khyree’s draft stock being so low relative to his performance is quite simple; teams are going to be wary when you combine his age as of the time of the draft and concerns about his commitment to the game of football after a weird journey to the league.
Minnesota, and more specifically, Brian Flores, don’t seem to mind. They know they are getting a certified DAWG out of Khyree Jackson, and all of Minnesota should be absolutely stoked to see this guy in action on Sundays.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus.
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