Kicking in American football, let alone the NFL, was never a goal — or even a dream — for Mark Jackson, an Irishman from Wicklow, Ireland.
But thanks to his performance at the International Player Pathway’s Pro Day at South Florida, and then winning the Steelers’ kicking clinic held in Dublin last month, Jackson is kicking in the NFL — sort of.
Jackson is a rookie minicamp tryout player for the Steelers Friday-Sunday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. Putting on the Black and Gold and getting a chance to kick for an NFL team in the rookie minicamp is an opportunity Jackson is grateful for, even if it’s not one he even dreamed of.
“Oh, not really. Like when you’re a kid growing up in Ireland, the NFL is the furthest thing from your dreams. You could say it’s a dream, but you don’t even dream that big, really,” Jackson said, according to video via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski on Twitter. “So, no, it wasn’t something that was in my head. But yeah, I’m just glad to be here and grateful for the opportunity.”
Coming of age in Ireland, Jackson’s focus was on soccer. But then opportunity knocked. To his credit, he, well, kicked the door down.
Jackson showed off his leg strength at the NFL Scouting Combine, the South Florida Pro Day, and then by winning the Steelers’ kicking competition, hitting field goals from 70-plus yards, flashing serious leg strength that has teams rather intrigued.
Jackson is 25 years old and is one of 16 International Player Pathway members already getting a shot in the NFL, even if it’s rookie minicamp.
With a big leg and a kicking background albeit in soccer, Jackson has a shot in today’s NFL. It helps that he hired the same agent as Baltimore Ravens star kicker Justin Tucker, who should be in the Hall of Fame one day.
We’ll see if he can show the Steelers enough this weekend to warrant a spot on the offseason roster.
