From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Oregon CB Khyree Jackson.
#5 KHYREE JACKSON/CB OREGON – 6036, 194 POUNDS. (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Khyree Jackson | 6036/194 | 9 1/4 | 32 3/4 | 78 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.50 | 1.50 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 11’1″ | 36.5 | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Tall cornerback with good length to jam receivers and high point the ball in the air
– Very competitive on the field and plays with confidence
– Physical mentality for his height and doesn’t shy away from meeting blockers
– Receivers have a difficult time releasing from him in press or man coverage off the line
– Knows how to box out receivers well on deep balls
– Tracks the ball well in the air and often gets his head around when it’s coming down
– Competes at the catch point with every receiver and wins often
– Sinks hips and gets low when in press situations
– Fluid mover for his size
– Wraps up and drives his feet through contact when tackling (two missed tackles last season)
– Good at disguising coverages and communicating pre-snap with teammates
– Stays on the receiver’s hip pocket well to carry vertically
– Used as a blitzer off the edge and can get after the quarterback with good closing speed
– Sits well in zone coverage to hover over an area and close quickly
– Took a very long road to start at Oregon, but when he did, he made the most of it
– Had great coaching at Alabama and Oregon and consistently got better at both schools
– Was really good on special teams at Alabama
THE BAD
– High-cut with some hip stiffness when he’s forced to change directions
– Transitioning from his backpedal to running downfield quickly
– Struggles to open his hips on crossers, slants, and mesh routes with receivers
– Lacks the foot quickness to keep up with twitchy or shifty receivers
– Not the greatest long speed to carry really fast receivers vertically
– Has too many arm tackles instead of fully driving through contact with his feet
– One year of production and lack of starting experience
– Primarily a guy used in press coverage with some zone capability
– Age (will be 25 years old by the beginning of the 2024 NFL season)
BIO
– Born Aug. 11, 1999
– 12 starts and 25 total games in his college career
– 717 total snaps (643 CB, 43 SS, 24 Slot CB)
– 476 total special teams snaps in 3 years
– 48 total tackles, 9 PBUs, 6 TFLs, 3 INTs, 2 sacks (most of these occurred in 2023 season)
– Played in the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl
– 2023 first-team All-Pac 12
– 2023 transferred to Oregon
– Played at Alabama for two seasons after transferring there in 2021
– 2021 Four-star JUCO recruit
– 2019 Played CB at Fort Scott Community College (JUCO)
– 2019 ESPN No. 1 junior college prospect
– Four-star recruit out of high school, according to 247Sports and ESPN
– Dr. Henry Wise High School team went 14-0 and won the 4A state title in Maryland
– Had 39 catches for 612 yards and 12 TDs as a receiver his senior year of high school
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Khyree Jackson has been through a lot just in his college journey of getting to where he is now. He played junior college football at Fort Scott Community College and then transferred to the University of Alabama for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Then in 2023, he transferred for his senior year to the University of Oregon. Jackson has a lot of experience playing for different coaches and systems, but he shows all of the traits that you look for in a tall cornerback. He’s long, aggressive, confident, and has ball production to match his excellent frame.
Jackson was more of an opportunist his senior season when it came to his interceptions and not so much playing the ball, but hey, a turnover is a turnover. The guy still forces a lot of incompletions, and he was only targeted 36 times in 12 starts this year. He allowed a 50% completion rate and 188 total yards.
He was a lockdown cornerback consistently against some elite competition (he faced Washington twice and gave up 62 total yards). Jackson really gets fired up for competition. He told his coaches he wanted to face guard Rome Odunze for both games; however, they utilized him against all their top receivers. You can really see his competitiveness when he plays. He’s a feisty guy and has great technique to be around the ball. He is able to react quickly to tipped balls and closes on deep out routes very well to either force incompletions or intercept the pass.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
Jackson was mainly aligned as the outside cornerback in Oregon’s defense last season. He almost always had the opposition’s No. 1 receiver for a reason. His size and length at the line in press and man coverage situations is formidable. He knows how to get his hands on guys by jamming them and makes them work to get open. Jackson is best in press man where he uses his length to win off the line and disrupt the receiver’s route. He is very physical with receivers and will give them issues throughout their route. When he’s at the catch-point phase of the route, he is excellent at getting his long arms up and either batting the ball away or coming up through the receiver’s hands.
He can be grabby when receivers beat him vertically or change directions, which leads to penalties (four in 2023) or him getting off balance. He gets away with it here because he stays with the receiver and continuously gets his head around to locate the ball. It also shows his ability to carry receivers vertically well because he begins the play in press coverage, which gives him an immediate advantage over almost any receiver because of his elite height and technique.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
I would categorize Jackson’s speed as good but not great, and he can mirror to stay in-phase against most receivers. He has good movement skills for a tall corner, but starting and stopping is hard for him to do when forced. Jackson really shows great instincts in zone coverage to diagnose, react, and close quickly to the ball. Quicker, shiftier receivers can be hard for him to deal with, as he struggles to change direction in-phase being a corner with stiffer hips and a thin lower body. This is an example where he tries to play off-man coverage and he doesn’t stay underneath or stay on the receiver’s hip well enough.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
There are times when he can become hung up on blocks and has a difficult time shedding because he just doesn’t have great play strength. It’s adequate for his position, and he typically makes up for it with awareness, tackling angles, closing speed, arm length, and sheer force of will. Here he has difficulty displacing the receiver in the first clip, but then in the second clip makes a great open field tackle to get the receiver out of bounds. He has way more instances of good form tackling than not and rarely misses a tackle.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
He can identify running plays well and quickly comes up to support. He tries to be a wrap tackler, going for guys’ legs a lot, but he will get caught too many times trying to arm tackle instead utilizing his length. Jackson is a good run defender and is willing to go after ball carriers. He doesn’t miss too many tackles and has an aggressive mentality when he’s near the ball to seek out the tackle. Jackson doesn’t have the strength to shed blocks like a safety, but he shows good effort.
Can’t get around your block? Okay, he’ll just slingshot your body into the receiver.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 2, 2024
CONCLUSION
Jackson’s best football is ahead of him, and he has a high ceiling if properly utilized. He won’t be for every team as he should be primarily used as a press cornerback with some zone coverage mixed in. He has the length and skill set that teams are looking for at the NFL level because there are only so many guys built like him. He is best used on the boundary where he can use his length to his advantage and hide his change of direction deficits.
As a comparison from last year’s draft, I see a lot of similarities to Joey Porter Jr., who is coming off a standout rookie season for the Steelers. Jackson is very similar in athletic profile, aggressiveness, and ability to thrive in press coverage. The same concerns coming out of Penn State for Porter are present for Jackson. He’s a prospect that maybe the Steelers will be interested in given the recent cornerback profile they have had on their roster and with Cory Trice Jr. coming back from a significant injury. It really depends on if they’re looking for more of a slot cornerback or another boundary guy. Ideally, Jackson would be able to come in and not have to start right away, but absolutely could if you needed him to. I see him as an above-average starting cornerback at the NFL level.
Projection: Mid-Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 7.8 – Future Quality Starter (Third Round)
Games Watched: at Washington (2023), vs Colorado (2023), at Washington State (2022), vs. USC (2022)
