2012 Who Ya Gonna Draft? - Janzen Jackson

PJD is on vacation, STILL. During this time, we’ve decided we’ll take a quick look at potential Minnesota Vikings draft picks for the second or later rounds. With so many needs and so many draft picks to get this team back to a place where we can at least pretend they are respectable, we’ll have plenty of ground to cover. Let us know what you think of each prospect in the comments, and whether or not they’d be a good fit or impact player, and of course if you can think of a funny nickname for them.

Today, we take a look at McNeese State’s safety Janzen Jackson, which is a pretty badass name that no one has ever heard of before.

From ESPN’s draft analysis, which probably knows about as much about McNeese State as I do about Southerners:

Overall Football Traits

Production	3	“2009: (10/9) 37-3-1 at Tennessee 2010: (13/13) 69-6-5 at Tennessee 2011: (9/3) 29-3-2 at McNeese State Career: (2009-11) 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR “
Height-Weight-Speed	3	Slightly undersized in terms of prototypical measureables but possesses very good top-end speed for the position.
Durability	2	Missed the Nichols State game this past season due to an unknown injury.
Intangibles	5	“Charged with armed robbery after being present at an incident outside a local convenient store in Knoxville, TN where two of his teammates (Mike Edwards and Nu’Keese Richardson) allegedly held up a man with a pellet gun. Janzen was later cleared of all charges. Suspended for the Memphis game in 2009 for violation of team rules. Janzen left the team in February of 2011 for personal reasons before returning in July. Dismissed from the team in August of 2011 but Coach Derek Dooley cited no specific reasons. “

1 = Exceptional2 = Above average3 = Average4 = Below average5 = Marginal

Safety Specific Traits

Instincts/Recognition	2	Possesses natural football instincts and confident in his abilities. Makes a quick diagnosis and generally puts himself in solid initial position to make a play. Reads quarterbacks eyes well and can get a quick break on the ball. Can free-lance on occasion which can get him into trouble and caught out of position. Flashes play making instincts but is not at the level that former teammate Eric Berry possessed coming out of school.
Cover Skills	1	Possesses loose hips and makes a quick transition when getting off the hash. Reaches top-end speed quickly out of breaks and shows a very good closing burst to cover a lot pasture when the ball is in the air. Can hold up as a half field defender and possesses more than adequate range when lined up at the point as a center fielder. Has an extra gear and can recover once caught in trail technique. Possesses enough fluidity and top-end speed to hold up if asked to match up in man coverage against TEs but will have limitations against quicker slot wide receivers.
Ball Skills	2	“Overall ball skills are strong. Angles are a bit inconsistent to the point when the ball is in the air. However, does a nice job of turning, locating and playing the ball. Flashes playmaking ability and can come down with tough interception outside of frame. Does show ability to create with the ball in his hand. Will look to make big hit instead of making a play on the ball at times.”
Run Support	2	“Active and willing to put body on the line in this area. Makes a quick diagnosis and displays a quick closing burst running the alleys. Can struggle to quickly disengage from blocks when aligned near the box. Lacks elite strength as a tackler but does a solid job of breaking down, bringing his feet and wrapping up to get ball carriers to the ground. Flashes ability to strike and deliver a violent hit when able to line ball carriers up. “

1 = Exceptional2 = Above average3 = Average4 = Below average5 = Marginal

Alright, I hear ya. “McNeese State? Janzen? 100th overall ranked player? What the hell is going on here?!” Hang in there, bucko, we’ll share with ya. Since Jackson plays safety, I figured it was important that we took a look at him. And if you think about it, being the 100th overall ranked player isn’t THAT bad. I mean, it’s probably not great, but when you played your college ball at McNeese State against Southland Conference competition, you’ll take any recognition you can get. And who knows? Maybe some safety desperate team like the Vikings will bite the bait and take you in the 3rd round (or maybe even MOVE Up to pick you?! PRETTIEST GIRL AT THE PROM, YOU GAIS!), and then you have an NFL contract and everyone else can eat a shark dick. As far as safety prospects go, Jackson is a decent one at safety. Despite his criminal track record (he’d fit right in!), his physical skills are something to take a good look at. I included both parts of the ESPN analysis because the overal football traits only focuses on his NOT BEING CHARGED with armed robbery. Pfft. What a load of shit. Leave the kid alone. Really, I like his speed and playmaking potential the most. And maybe with his bad record he could drop all the way to the 4th round for us, saving a valuable pick on someone who DOESN’T use pellet guns to rob people.

And if all else fails, if we ever get into a fight on the field after drafting Jackson, you totally know we’re going to win. That’s worth a draft pick, IMHO.

What say you?

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2012 Who Ya Gonna Draft? – Janzen Jackson

Alan Draper

Overall Football Traits

Safety Specific Traits

Alan Draper

Alan Draper