Patriots draft profile: Khyree Jackson is the next intriguing Oregon cornerback

One year after drafting Christian Gonzalez, New England might go back to Oregon for cornerback help.

The New England Patriots were able to get one of the steals of last year’s draft when they selected cornerback Christian Gonzalez — widely believed to be a top-10 selection entering the draft — with the 17th overall pick. Already a solid player during his time at Colorado, Gonzalez developed into one of the nation’s best cornerback prospects after transferring to Oregon ahead of his 2022 junior campaign.

Fast forward one year, and the Patriots might just go back to the Oregon well to continue bolstering their cornerback depth. And while Khyree Jackson lacks Gonzalez’s elite athletic traits and sky-high ceiling, he is an intriguing and potentially attractive player in his own right.

Hard facts

Name: Khyree Jackson

Position: Cornerback

School: Oregon (via transfer from Alabama)

Opening day age: 25 (8/1/1999)

Measurements: 6’3 3/4”, 194 lbs, 78” wingspan, 32 3/4” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.5s 40-yard dash, 36 1/2” vertical jump, 11’1” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 7.86 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 33 games (14 starts) | 717 defensive snaps, 279 special teams snaps | 48 tackles, 3 missed tackles (6.3%) | 48 targets, 23 catches surrendered (47.9%), 318 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs | 6 quarterback pressures (2 sacks, 4 hurries) | 5 special teams tackles, 1 missed tackle (16.7%)

Accolades: N/A

Jackson’s road to the NFL Draft was one of considerable twists and turns. After spending his high school career at Springbrook in Silver Spring, MD, and Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. in Upper Marlboro, MD, Wise was a no-star wide receiver recruit heading toward the college level. He originally enrolled at Arizona Western, a junior college in Yuma, but left again before the start of the 2017 season to move back home.

After not playing football in 2018 and working in a grocery story, he was invited to play football at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. Now a defensive back, he had a productive season and decided to transfer to East Mississippi Community College (of Last Chance U fame). Even though the 2020 season was canceled due to Covid-19, he had put himself on the map as one of the best juco transfers available.

Jackson decided to move to Alabama under head coach Nick Saban, and made his first start in the 2021 National Championship Game against Georgia. However, he played only a minor role through his two seasons in Tuscaloosa, and departed under dubious circumstances: he was suspended for violating team rules late in 2022, and shortly thereafter entered the transfer portal. He ended up at Oregon, where he had a breakout campaign in 2023.

Starting 12 of the Ducks’ 14 games — he missed one due to injury and another as a bowl game opt-out — Jackson registered a team-high three interceptions as well as a pair of sacks. He was subsequently invited to the Scouting Combine.

Draft profile

Expected round: 3-4 | Consensus big board: No. 91 | Patriots meeting: N/A

Strengths: Standing at almost 6-foot-4 (98 percentile) with 32 3/4-inch arms (89 percentile), Jackson brings rare length to the cornerback position. He knows how to use it as well, be it in jump-ball situations or when disengaging from blocks in the running game. He constantly competes at the catch point, and has the reach and ball skills to challenge any pass coming his way.

He also combines his natural length with a feisty attitude and willingness to get his hands dirty both as a press-man cornerback and against the run. He also has good burst out of his stance, allowing him to quickly make up ground in man coverage and when pursuing ball-carriers from the backside. In addition, he has been effective attacking the pocket as a blitzer, with his timing, acceleration and length all on display.

While not in the same stratosphere as Christian Gonzalez in that regard, Jackson moves very well for a player his size. This, in turn, allows him to stay on receivers’ hips throughout their routes and also quickly erase space in zone. He also doesn’t get too high when asked to press defenders at the line of scrimmage, and showed constant improvement throughout his college career.

Weaknesses: Jackson’s age and departure from Alabama are potential red flags. He will already turn 25 during his rookie training camp, after spending seven years moving around the country in hopes of kickstarting his career. When he did get his first big opportunity at the FBS level, he was unable to capitalize and remained buried on the depth chart before his suspension in late 2022. He had only one year of good, consistent production against quality opposition and played a mere 717 defensive snaps over his last three seasons.

In addition, he also is not the most fluid mover in open space. His hip transitions are a bit robotic at times, which counteracts the natural burst he possesses out of his stance and can be a problem when defending sharp cuts or quicker wide receivers. It also makes for a somewhat clunky transition from backpedalling to running — something that, at times, led to him getting grabby when starting to give up space. Jackson also doesn’t possess overly impressive long speed.

Furthermore, he has room for growth when it comes to understanding route combinations and receivers trying to manipulate him through their patterns. For a player who is not the most natural quick mover, that is imperative. The same is true for his tackling getting better, because he sometimes tend to go for arm rather than wrap-up tackles.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Jackson projects as your typical perimeter cornerback whose size and physicality makes him well-suited to play in a press-man defense. He also offers experience in zone shells, however, and could contribute on special teams early on in his career. He has some work to do before becoming a starter, but should be able to contribute during his rookie season nonetheless.

What is his growth potential? As an older prospect, Jackson is closer to being physically maxed out than players up to four years younger than him (as Christian Gonzalez was coming out). His growth potential lies in continuing to work on his shiftiness and understanding of what offenses and receivers want to do. If he can show improvement in those areas, he could become a quality CB2 on the outside.

Does he have positional versatility? Jackson played a handful of his college snaps in the slot, but that is not where his strengths lie. He is a perimeter cornerback first and foremost. His only true versatility comes in the kicking game, where he was a four-unit player at Alabama and Oregon: Jackson aligned on the punt and kickoff coverage teams, the punt return team, and the field goal/extra point blocking unit.

Why the Patriots? Even with Christian Gonzalez in the fold and Jonathan Jones doing a good job starting on the perimeter the last two years, the Patriots would benefit from adding depth and talent to that part of their cornerback group. Jackson may not be a Day 1 starter opposite his fellow former Duck, but in a year or two could be a valuable and sizable player on the outside of a traditionally man-heavy New England defense.

Why not the Patriots? The Patriots simply might not feel comfortable investing an early Day 3 pick in a cornerback (if he even remains on the board until No. 102 overall). His age also might lead to the team looking at younger options.

One-sentence verdict: While he will not be Christian Gonzalez 2.0, the physically imposing Jackson should still be a name to watch in case he slides out of the third round.

What do you think about Khyree Jackson as a potential Patriots target? Not worth the investment given the team’s needs? Or promising enough to bring on board nonetheless? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.