Patriots Round 4 Selection – Tre’ Jackson, G, FSU
Pats address interior offensive line
The Patriots made their second selection of the 4th Round of the NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon and chose Tre’ Jackson, guard from Florida State. The team will have one more selection in the fourth round at pick #131.
The Patriots had a couple of pressing needs heading into the 2015 season and one of them is in the interior offensive line. There was little depth behind starting guards Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell. Connolly about to turn 33 and a free agent, the time is now for a dose of youth and physicality inside. The team currently has Marcus Cannon, and Josh Kline right now as possible backups for 2015 or to vie for the starting reps once OTAs begin on April 20.
Rookie center Bryan Stork stepped in and played very well, which allowed Wendell to move over to guard, where he performed well in 2014. The emergence of Stork transformed the offensive line as it signaled when the group began to jell as a unit.
The Patriots had free agent OL Stefen Wisniewski in for a visit and kicked the tires on a trade with Philadelphia for G Evan Mathis but neither worked out and they now have Cameron Fleming making the move inside and Jackson who will probably be the right guard for next season.
In our profile we did of Jackson from Florida State we wrote, Jackson is an enormous road grader at the guard position. Jackson plays with raw strength and leverage at 6’4, 330 pounds; he has good footwork and is at his best drive blocking opponents in the running game. Jackson is part of the FSU pipeline with the relationship of former OL Coach Dante Scarnecchia and FSU's OL Coach Rick Trickett and was heavily scouted this spring.
A three-year starter at right guard, he played as a true freshman getting his first college start in a bowl game. First team All-ACC in both 2013-14, and a unanimous All American.
Jackson consistently finishes and is nearly impossible to push backwards in the running game. Strong hands and once he latches on will drive opponents. Jackson is at best in a phone-booth; He could stand to trim down as his massive girth hurts his mobility to the second level, as well as his balance and agility.
Jackson played better as a junior in 2013 than as a senior. He struggled in pass protection and was susceptible to the A-gap blitz right up the middle. He will need to refine his technique at the next level.
Pros:
- Road grader in the running game, will maul opponents with straight ahead drive
- Keeps his body square and has good field awareness
- Three-year starter at the position, takes to coaching well
Cons:
- Too much weight causes limited mobility into the second level
- Struggles with A-gap blitz, and changing direction in space
- Lunges at targets at times, needs to refine his technique
Where Does He Fit With New England: it will be interesting to see if the Patriots believe if he’d be a better fit at right guard than left, since that is where he played for the past three seasons. Jackson would be a nice upgrade for the Patriots in the running game. He and Bryan Stork would be a nice tandem for years to come.
But Jackson needs to tighten up his technique, especially in the passing game, as he struggled with pass blocking in 2014. But none of his problems are show stoppers, as they can be corrected with coaching.
Here is a highlight film of Jackson at Florida State:
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