How Did Donovan Jackson Do in His NFL Debut?
In April’s draft, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah declined any potential trade offer, and he passed on players that could’ve helped in the secondary or along the defensive line to acquire offensive guard Donovan Jackson. Not everyone liked the move, but if the player is good at what he does, nobody will ever question the decision.
How Did Donovan Jackson Do?
His first matchups were Chicago’s Gervin Dexter and Grady Jarrett. The latter is 32, which certainly helps, as prime Jarrett was a problem. That’s no top-level competition in his debut, but it’s still the NFL, and a step up from his college days regardless.
Young players like Jackson always deserve some leeway, but he did not need it whatsoever. Analyst Ryan Fowler has the numbers, and it’s pretty much perfect.
With all due respect to his predecessors, that’s a level of guard play that hadn’t been seen in the Twin Cities for a long time, and he did it in his first professional football game.
Vikings Territory’s Dustin Baker noted, “The Bears don’t employ a totally elite defensive line, but the unit also isn’t a pushover. Jackson could’ve played mediocre in Week 1, and few would’ve batted an eye. During training camp and the preseason, the young lineman showcased a mixed bag, getting beaten from time to time while dishing out some bullying here and there. At Soldier Field, Jackson encountered virtually no struggles and served up the imperium, especially via pass protection.”
In recent years, the Vikings leaned on Ed Ingram, Dalton Risner, Ezra Cleveland, and Blake Brandel to fill the guard void, but a horrendous outing in last season’s playoff game made the decision-makers question their approach and finally invest in the offensive line. First, they signed Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, and then also added Jackson in the first round.
NFL Draft Files showed some highlights from Jackson, and he absolutely dominated in those reps.
After starting for three years at Ohio State, Jackson entered the draft. He had played about two-and-a-half years at left guard and then moved to left tackle when fellow 2025 first-rounder Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury. Guard is his natural position, but he helped his squad secure the national title on the outside.
That job, however, will be executed by Christian Darrisaw in the near future, and the elite tackle’s presence could give Jackson another boost, considering reserve Justin Skule certainly didn’t have his best day. Just last year, Brandel’s play dipped once Darrisaw had to be replaced by Cam Robinson due to his knee injury. Darrisaw could play as soon as Sunday.
Interestingly, just last week, our own Kyle Joudry suggested Jackson would want to avoid the Week 1 spotlight. A fair assessment, considering most blockers only appear in the news when they are messing up.
He wrote, “Quite often, an offensive lineman jumps off the screen for the wrong reason, such as allowing his quarterback to get pummelled. The fresh Vikings starter at left guard — Mr. Jackson — wants to ensure he isn’t going to be shown in a replay where a defender just earned a fresh career highlight. Quiet excellence, very likely, is the goal for his NFL debut.”
Jackson found the spotlight, but for all the right reasons.
The Vikings didn’t mess around with any competition between incumbent starter Brandel and rookie Jackson. They just handed the young blocker the job, which is unusual. Through one game, they have made a good call.
His next challenge will be an Atlanta Falcons front that also doesn’t feature any big-name standout defensive tackle, and after spending all summer working against a mix of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, that might be a welcome change.
Jackson had a wonderful start to his NFL career.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.