Austin Jackson (American football)
Austin Jackson (born August 11, 1999) is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
![]() Jackson while playing for USC in 2019 | |||
No. 73 – Miami Dolphins | |||
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Position: | Offensive tackle | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Sacramento, California | August 11, 1999||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||
Weight: | 322 lb (146 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: | North Canyon High School (Phoenix, Arizona) | ||
College: | USC | ||
NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18 | ||
Career history | |||
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Roster status: | Active | ||
Career highlights and awards | |||
Career NFL statistics | |||
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Early life and high school career
Jackson grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and attended North Canyon High School, where he played defensive and offensive line on the school's football team and also was a member of the basketball and track and field teams.[1] Jackson was rated a five-star recruit and the best collegiate prospect in Arizona as a senior and committed to play college football at the University of Southern California over offers from Washington and Arizona State.[2]
College career
Jackson played in all 14 of the Trojans games as a true freshman, appearing as a reserve offensive lineman and playing special teams on the field goal unit where he played on both sides and blocked a kick against Colorado.[3][4] He was named USC's starting left tackle going into his sophomore year and started all 12 of the team's games.[5]
Jackson missed part of the summer practices going into his junior season due having surgery to donate bone marrow to his sister, who suffers from Diamond–Blackfan anemia.[6] He returned to practice in early August and worked his way back to playing shape in time to begin the season as the Trojans starting left tackle.[7] Jackson was named the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week for Week 2 after his performance, which included blocking a 43-yard field goal attempt, in a 45–20 win over #23 Stanford on September 7, 2019.[8] He was named first team All-Pac-12 at the end of his junior year.[9] Following the 2019 season, Jackson announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.[10] Jackson played in all 39 of USC's games during his collegiate career with 25 starts.[11]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
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6 ft 4 7⁄8 in (1.95 m) |
322 lb (146 kg) |
34 1⁄8 in (0.87 m) |
10 1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
5.07 s | 7.95 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) |
27 reps | ||||
All values from NFL Combine[12] |
Jackson was drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.[13] The Dolphins previously traded defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire the pick.
Personal life
Jackson's grandfather, Melvin Jackson, also played offensive line at USC and played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers.[14] In the summer of 2019, Jackson donated bone marrow to his younger sister Autumn, who suffered from a rare form of anemia.[13]
References
- Barnett, Josh (January 27, 2017). "Meet Austin Jackson, the nation's most low-key recruit". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- Johnson, Chris (January 31, 2017). "USC lands commitment from five-star offensive tackle Austin Jackson". SI.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- Brown, Russell (November 7, 2019). "Austin Jackson:Left TAckle on the Rise". Cover1.net. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "No. 11 USC pulls away from Colorado". Reuters. November 12, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Trevino, Chris (July 25, 2019). "Helton: OT Austin Jackson working his way back to full strength". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Kartje, Ryan (August 3, 2019). "USC's Austin Jackson calls bone marrow donation to sister 'a godsend'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- "USC's Jackson returns to practice after donating bone marrow". FoxSports.com. Associated Press. August 3, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- "USC's Austin Jackson wins Pac-12 Football Offensive Lineman of the Week honors". Yahoo Sports. September 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- Trevino, Chris (December 10, 2019). "USC Football: NFL mock drafts tabs OT Jackson at Top 15 pick". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "USC's Austin Jackson says he'll forgo senior year, enter draft". ESPN.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- "Dolphins NFL Draft: First-round pick OT Austin Jackson calls his ceiling 'incredibly high'". The Palm Beach Post. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Austin Jackson Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Maiorana, Sal (April 23, 2020). "3 things to know about Miami Dolphins No. 18 overall pick Austin Jackson". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- Patterson, Chip (February 1, 2017). "USC's huge National Signing Day push anchored by blue-chip OT Austin Jackson". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.