Congratulations! You've just made the wonderful decision to draft Josh Jackson! Like most new Josh Jackson owners, you're no doubt filled with questions about your new family member. We here at GIA will try our best to answer any questions you might have.

HELLO GREEN BAY PACKERS!

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT JOSH JACKSON?

Jackson was one of the nation’s premier pass defenders last season and one of the most electric players in the Big Ten, if not the nation. His performances against Ohio State and Wisconsin were nationally televised and well known but Jackson was equally impressive throughout the course of Iowa’s 2017 season, serving as their lockdown cornerback. Jackson was an all-district receiver turned two-star cornerback recruit out of Corinth, Texas that redshirted in 2014 and saw time as Iowa’s nickel back in 2015. He earned his first career start in the 2017 Outback Bowl and never ceded the starting position, stepping onto the national stage as Iowa’s defensive superstar.

WHAT DID HE DO THAT’S SO GREAT?

Let’s start with what everyone remembers him for: his spectacular playmaking ability. In Iowa’s 55-24 rout of Ohio State, Jackson recorded three (3!) interceptions against J.T. Barrett, including one of the most spectacular interceptions in Iowa history:

The next week, Iowa’s offense struggled immensely against a stout Wisconsin Badgers team, but Jackson stayed in rare form notching not one, but two pick-sixes and scoring Iowa’s only points of the game. Here’s number one:

And number two:

Playmaking aside, Jackson was also, quite simply, a stellar defender. That’s why he not only finished the 2017 season leading the nation with 8 interceptions, but also led in passes defended with 18. Jackson showed excellent anticipation and was rarely (if ever?) out of position in Iowa’s Cover 2 defensive scheme. Pro Football Focus is extremely high on Jackson, noting that he did not allow more than 18 yards after the catch in a single game last season and put together this nice stat pack:

Counting the ways that Josh Jackson is awesome! pic.twitter.com/nQPIxrgr4z — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 24, 2018

It didn't matter what routes receivers ran -- Jackson was there to disrupt them.

Josh Jackson across the route tree pic.twitter.com/3o5TRXrGti — PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 24, 2018

Quarterbacks challenged Jackson a lot in 2017. That was a bad idea.

Josh Jackson was the second-most targeted CB in this draft class in 2017. Had 8 INTs, 17 PBUs, passer rating of 31.3...



STOP THROWING AT HIM!? — Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) April 23, 2018

Overall, he put together the best season in PFF history for a cornerback.

In four years of grading college football, no cornerback produced a more dominant season than Joshua Jackson in 2017! pic.twitter.com/DLl2WYcdKi — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 11, 2018

This is saying nothing of the year-end accolades he accumulated. Just to name a few, Jackson was a Unanimous All-American, Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten and won the Jack Tatum Award. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award but it instead went to Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had 1=one interception and 7 pass deflections to Jackson’s 8 interceptions and 18 pass deflections (because Alabama).

STATS

YEAR GAMES SOLO ASSIST TOTAL SACKS/YDS TFL/YDS FF FR PASS BRK INT/YDS 2015 14 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 2 0 2016 12 10 0 10 0 1.0/3 0 0 4 0 2017 13 34 14 48 0 0.5/0 1 0 18 8/168 TOTAL 39 52 14 66 0 1.5/3 1 0 24 8/168

As noted, Jackson didn't even see consistent playing time until he started in 2017 and these stats don't include the two touchdowns he scored on pick-sixes last season.

HOW ARE HIS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES?

Jackson had a solid showing at the NFL Combine, running a 4.56 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical, and 18 bench press reps. At 6’0 3/8ths and 196 pounds, he’s got the prototypical size for a cornerback and above average arm length to boot. At Iowa’s pro day he improved his 40-yard dash time, down to 4.52 and also recorded a 40-inch vertical.

HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT ABOUT THE BAD?

One of the most valid criticisms of Jackson is that he’s a one year wonder. Jackson was rarely seen on the field up until his junior season and only finished his Iowa career with 14 starts, so he doesn’t have an extensive body of work for NFL scouts to pick apart. There are also concerns about his “straight line speed”, as in “is he fast enough to catch up when he actually lets guys past him?” Of note: this was the same exact criticism of Desmond King, now the starting nickel for the Los Angeles Chargers and Micah Hyde, now a Pro Bowl safety with the Buffalo Bills.

WAS THIS A GOOD PICK?

Definitely. The Packers already selected a cornerback in the first round (Louisville's Jaire Alexander), but secondary was a major area of need for Green Bay, so double-dipping in the cornerback pool makes a lot of sense for them. And in Jackson they're getting a corner with elite ball skills and fantastic coverage skills, strong tackling ability, and the versatility to play outside or in the slot, which should help him get on the field. The Packers have done pretty well with Hawkeyes in the past -- Bryan Bulaga, Micah Hyde, and Mike Daniels are all current or former standout performers with the Packers -- and Jackson could easily become the next Hawkeye great to trade black and gold for green and gold. Enjoy him, Packers fans.