USC CB Adoree' Jackson Moving up Draft Boards

Adoree’ Jackson is on the way up!

Alabama embarrassed, destroyed and pushed USC around in their 52-6 win over them on opening night. But USC CB Adoree’ Jackson stood out, elevating himself as and 2017 NFL Draft prospect. I had him as my No. 1 CB going into this year but that isn’t the consensus.

For the most part, you’ll hear names like Marlon Murphy of Alabama and Teez Tabor of Florida. Even Tre’Davious White of LSU and Desmond King of Iowa were ahead of Jackson on many draft boards. But Jackson has since moved ahead of King and White.

It’s a shame that such a performance by Jackson ended up going toward such a horrible loss. But it was through no fault of Jackson, who shut down star Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley. Not that I ever believed it but many were already calling Ridley the next Amari Cooper.

While Jackson held Ridley to nine yards on two catches, ArDarius Stewart ate USC up on the other side. Alabama gave freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts time to find him four times for 113 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile, Murphy gets credit for shutting down USC standout Juju Smith-Schuster.

But Alabama’s defensive front-seven deserves more of the credit for overwhelming USC’s offensive line. Interior lineman Jonathan Allen and edge rusher Tim Williams kept USC QB Max Brown under constant pressure.

According to Pro Football Focus, right tackle Zach Banner, USC’s best lineman, yielded a sack, a hit and four hurries. So there was not enough time for Smith-Schuster to do anything down the field. But as the statline goes, Smith Schuster had just one catch for nine yards.

The help of that front-seven is why Alabama corners are often busts in the NFL. You should carefully consider that when comparing a corner like Jackson to Murphy. Look for Jackson to move up further in the prospect ratings, playing with a young front-seven.