The Five Best NFL Prospects from Texas A&M Football's 2023 Roster

Five Best NFL Prospects on the 2023 Texas A&M Football Team: DL McKinnley Jackson

It was huge for the Aggies when Jackson announced that he would return for his fourth year. On a team absolutely overflowing with talent on the defensive line, Jackson found a way to get on the field from the very first game he was on the roster in College Station.

Jackson was a high-profile late signing back in the 2020 class, with the Aggies winning the battle for his commitment over Alabama and LSU. He saw the field against Vanderbilt in the first game of that COVID season, and was a solid part of the rotation ever since.

You don't expect a lot of numbers out of a nose tackle, but Jackson can rush the passer from an interior position with a fair amount of success. He's no Aaron Donald, but that's not the niche teams would draft him for. As Ian Cummings says on Twitter, "if you could build a nose tackle in a lab," he would look like Jackson.

Jackson is likely another day 2 or 3 guy, but that has to do more with the position he plays than anything else. It's not often you see a defensive tackle drafted really high, unless there is a glaring need (I once again proverbially cast my gaze at Jerry Jones) or he can rush the passer with deadly effectiveness.

Unless Jackson can show something huge at a pro day or combine, his ceiling is day 2 at the moment, in my estimation. Even though there may be guys on the team, like Hicks and Dindy, who could end up going higher at the same position, we just need to see more out of them—in Jackson's case, we know the goods.