Donovan Jackson Needs to Continue Development Into 2026
Donovan Jackson got the call from the Minnesota Vikings during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It was a selection that surprised many, seeing as most penciled in the Vikings to select IDL Derrick Harmon or any one of the corners that were available.
Donovan Jackson put together quite the career at Ohio State. Over his four years in Columbus, he only allowed a total of 5 sacks, 8 QB hit and 26 QB hurries to make up 39 total pressures across a span of 51 games. Jackson was a key cog in some very good Buckeyes offenses in his college days, and even kicked out to left tackle in late 2024 to fill the hole after injuries began to ravage Ohio State’s offensive line.
Jackson excelled at left tackle, and allowed only two sacks the rest of the season, both to big-time Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter in his first game at tackle. He wouldn’t allow another sack, including throughout their entire College Football Playoff run to a National Championship victory over Notre Dame on January 20th, 2025.
The Vikings liked what they saw in him enough to select him 24th overall in 2025. Like most rookies do, he showed promise, but also a lot of struggle.
Donovan Jackson Must Learn from Rookie Year Struggles
Donovan Jackson’s PFF grades from 2025 paint a grim tale. Sure, not everyone loves PFF’s grading system, but they do still at least point us in a mostly-accurate direction.
- 59.4 overall grade (45th out of 81 qualifying guards)
- 65.7 pass-blocking grade (26th)
- 57.2 run-blocking grade (50th)
Jackson definitely needs to improve upon his run-blocking for sure, although you could make the argument that the Vikings’ all-around shaky running game last season could contribute to his performance. The good news is that Jackson is looking like he could be a legitimately good pass-blocking guard. Across 440 total reps in pass protection, PFF credited Jackson with allowing 2 sacks, 5 QB hits and 19 QB hurries to total 26 total pressures.
Of course, pass-blocking is going to be the more valuable skill for a guard to have as long as Kevin O’Connell is running the show in Minnesota. If they are able to build more upon the promise he showed in those opportunities in his rookie season, the Vikings may have one of the better pass-blocking interior offensive linemen in the entire NFL before too long.
Donovan Jackson and Christian Darrisaw May Have the Left Side on Lockdown
The Vikings have some very promising youth on the left side of their offensive line. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw has already proven that he’s one of the best left tackles on the planet when healthy. The good news about that is that Darrisaw is looking to be healthy and recovered from his ACL tear in 2024.
He shares the left side of the Vikings offensive line with the aforementioned Donovan Jackson. If Jackson continues his upwards trajectory, then the Vikings will have quite the dominant offensive line for many years to come. Darrisaw is on contract through the 2029 season, and if the Vikings pick up Jackson’s fifth-year option much later down the road, then he would be on contract through 2029 as well.
