Breaking down the Bengals’ Round 3 selection of McKinnley Jackson

The Bengals definitely took note of their 2023 defensive issues as they approached this year’s draft.

With the 97th pick (their second one in the third round) in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson out of Texas A&M.

Jackson was their second interior defensive line pick of the class after Cincinnati selected Kris Jenkins, Jr. in the second round.

What are the Bengals getting in Jackson?

In short, size and run-stopping capability. Jenkins was also known as more of a run-stopper, but in an offseason wherein the Bengals lost both D.J. Reader and seemingly Josh Tupou, they needed to bolster their run defense. This is especially the case with the immense struggles in that defensive facet last year.

At 6-foot2 and 324 pounds, Jackson provides the beef needed up front in an uber-physical AFC North. Whether it’s in his ability to stop running plays in their tracks or eating up blocks to free others, he’s a valuable and unheralded commodity on a defense.

And, if folks had their qualms with the other third-round pick in Jermaine Burton with the concerns that surround him, then Jackson, a two-time team captain for the Aggies, continued the trend of what Zac Taylor and Co. usually looks for in his players.

Here’s where Jackson mainly lined up in college, according to Pro Football Focus.

What will Jackson do for the Bengals?

The rookie will provide depth and needed physicality in the rough-and-tumble division. In the AFC North, having Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and the hydra from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati was in need of run-stoppers.

They were mowed over by a number of teams last year, so the tandem of Jenkins and Jackson should help, despite a poorer RAS score (which is a divergence from other recent picks by the Bengals).

Given his past captain status, he could become an eventual leader in this locker room. And despite the lower testing scores, some of the film shows a stout player at the point of attack, who could be a nice rotational player at the NFL level.