Former Houston cornerback William Jackson III is slowly gaining momentum as one of the best available players at his position in the 2016 NFL Draft. He crept up many teams’ draft boards and he could end up getting drafted in the middle of the first round, which is partially why he has been taking so many visits lately.
The next two teams on his list of visits are the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported those visits, which come after he has visited the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins and has worked out privately for the Chicago Bears.
Many scouts see William Jackson III as one of the top cornerbacks in the draft this year and one even believes that he will get drafted early in the first round.
“Jackson is definitely a first-round draft pick,” an AFC scout speaking on condition of anonymity said. “He’s a shutdown guy, for sure.”
Minnesota Vikings secondary coach Jerry Gray talked about Jackson, saying that he has been impressed with him and that he could really be a great option for any team.
“You watch him on film and you see the same guy I saw here,” Gray, a former Texas All-American and four-time Pro Bowl cornerback said. “He can go get the ball. He can cover anyone in our league. You see him against good teams, especially Florida State in the bowl game, and you can see how his confidence grew and how he can make plays.”
Some have labeled Jackson as a late first-round pick at best, but one scout disagrees with that.
“What I like about him is he has the confidence to match up with any wide receiver no matter how big or fast they are,” an NFC scout said. “He’s got every tool you could ask for from a corner. I could see him getting drafted higher than 25th. I don’t think that’s his ceiling.”
During the 2015 season, Jackson led the country with 23 pass deflections, recording 40 across his career with the Cougars. There’s no really telling where he will end up, but it is pretty safe to say that some teams are in love with his ability right now.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
