Character counts.
Hopefully Janzen Jackson has finally learned that lesson. As they say, better late than never.
If talent is the only thing in
question, it seems implausible that the McNeese State defensive back
falls through all seven
rounds of this year’s NFL Draft without someone selecting him.
Teams take fliers on guys from unheard-of places like Midwestern
State on the chance they will pan out.
Jackson wasn’t an unproven commodity. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school who proved he could excel at the
highest level of college football in two years at Tennessee.
Off the field, he had a knack for making one-star decisions. It finally caught up to him this August when Volunteers coach
Derek Dooley kicked him off the team, paving the way for Jackson to come home and play for McNeese.
Matt Viator took the chance of having Jackson on his team mostly out of concern for a friend’s son. If there was anywhere
Jackson would get things back on track, it was here, with coaches he had grown up with since he was a kid.
When Viator gave Jackson a shot at redemption, it was under the premise that education would matter. It was explained to me
that Jackson would be around for two years pursuing a degree at the same time as a future in the NFL.
It seems that deal only lasted until the season finale at Lamar. There is a reason you don’t see Jackson’s name on the list
of players awarded varsity letters even though he played the whole season.
Whatever Grade-A fool who had Jackson’s ear apparently gave him the idea that none of this mattered. Talent alone would be
enough to land the NFL’s dollars.
Instead, Jackson’s unexpectedly early exit created more questions in the area where the only questions were being asked —
character.
In terms of pure skill, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. saw Jackson as someone who could go in the second round. But skill
never ended up being any team’s primary concern.
“He’s a talented kid. You combine his
size, the leaping ability, the athleticism, what he was doing early on
at Tennessee,”
Kiper said. “But I think the off-the-field concerns, they had a
disappointing combine workout, as well, so when you have the
combine that wasn’t up to the level for a kid that was expected to
be such a great talent, then he didn’t show that enormous
talent at the combine. Then, the off-the-field concern, instead of
being a second-, third-round pick you become a day three
pick.”
Turns out Mel was being optimistic. Like talented but troubled Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict, teams had too many
unanswered questions about Jackson to risk spending serious money acquiring him.
McNeese did nothing to help Jackson
answer those questions during the season. Oversensitive to any kind of
press that might
reflect McNeese in a negative light — MY GOD, YOU CAN’T TELL
PEOPLE WE HAVEN’T WON A PLAYOFF GAME IN TEN YEARS! — the school
kept him off-limits to the media.
An opportunity to explain the
circumstances that led to his dismissal at Tennessee and what he was
doing to move on from it
might have done Jackson a world of good in the long run — as would
another year in school to separate himself from the character
questions that arose in Knoxville.
Ironically, Jackson’s journey to the
NFL — he quietly signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York
Giants — is the
opposite of the one he took to college, when he made a huge splash
the day after signing day by unexpectedly picking the Vols
instead of LSU.
Ideally for him, the trajectory of his pro career will also serve as a reverse image of college, where the only reason anyone
talks about Janzen Jackson is because of the amazing plays he is making on the field.
Jackson is still young enough to learn from his previous mistakes and go on to great things in football and life.
To succeed in New York City, he will have no other choice.
•••
Alex Hickey covers McNeese State athletics. Email him at ahickey@americanpress.com