Is Brennan Jackson ready to contribute in 2025?

Sean McVay called him out for a strong effort in OTAs

Fulfilling depth at the edge for the Los Angeles Rams is a work in progress. Fans are familiar with the exploits of Jared Verse and Byron Young, the bookend starters, but for 2025, L.A. did not re-up E#3 Michael Hoecht and now must replace his 639 defensive snaps and positional versatility.

To fill the void, the Rams did spend some draft capital at edge, getting Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart at #90 of Round 3 and they have two players with a few seasons in the pro’s, 2023 Round 5 pick Nick Hampton and Keir Thomas, undrafted in 2022. They also have last year’s Round 5 pick, Brennan Jackson. Although limited by battling a soft tissue for the first half of his rookie year, the Rams kept him on the 53 and got his feet wet, culminating with a start in the season finale vs. Seattle.

Now fully healed and with a year under his belt, Jackson may be the darkhorse to gobble up the missing Hoecht snaps at E#3. Rams Head coach Sean McVay gave him a shoutout of encouragement when discussing L.A.’s defense in a post-OTA interview.

“On the defensive side of the ball, I think BY (Byron Young) and Verse (Jared) did an excellent job. But you know, Brennan Jackson’s a guy that really stood out, we’re excited about seeing where he can go with his game.”

There’s not much pro film of Jackson, playing only 47 snaps as a rookie, with 27 in his Week 18 start, but there’s plenty of college work to digest and get an idea of what the Rams have to work with.

Is Brennan Jackson ready to contribute in 2025?

College Production

After entering Washington State as a three-star recruit, Jackson got off to a slow start, but then exploded onto he scene. As a freshman in 2018, he tore up a knee and followed that with a broken foot in 2019. He took over as a starter in the COVID-19 year of 2020 and locked in for four seasons, totaling 41 of 42 games. Made steady progress in his accolades, earning PAC12 All-Conference honorable mentions in 2020 and ’21, second team in 2022, and first team in 2023. Named to the Senior Bowl.

Jackson’s stats coincided with accolades, going up each season. For his 44 game career, he logged 164 tackles, 34.5 for loss, 20 sacks, three forced fumbles and five recoveries. In coverage, there was one interception and nine passes defended. He returned three fumbles for scores. An ankle tweak early in the week at the Senior Bowl kept him out of practice and the game.

Traits

While not elite physically or athletically, Jackson is certainly above average and his testing numbers fit well into NFL norms. He’s not a fluid, easy mover, more of a point-to-point linear player. He’ll win with a power game and getting off first. What you can count on is his hustle and rough/tough play-style to amplify his natural traits.

Jackson matches good speed to a well-put together frame. His 4.69 in forty and 1.62 10-yard split are a plus at 6’ 4” 264 lb. At 7.43, his 3cone meets the pro standard for agility and change of direction, as does his 4.34 time in the shuttle, denoting flexibility, burst, and balance. Although he’s not an explosive athlete, a 33.5 vertical and 9’ 6” broad are both solid numbers. His 21 bench reps may only be adequate, but overall play strength is Jackson’s strong suit, he has a strong core/lower half.

Technique

Bull in a china shop best describes Jackson’s technique. His pass rush needs grooming, showing flashes of a full toolbox, yet not consistently putting the pieces together. Two moves stand out and will likely be his game as a pro.

A good first step and powerful punch make speed to power his go-to and he also has a nice push/pullHe’s not going to be a speedy/bendy edge that races around the outside of tackles, but when lined up wide with less of a sharp bend angle, he can get under the block and use balance/power to get by. While Jackson uses his hands well, I don’t see consistent swipe moves. He does slip in a spin move.

Against the run, he’s quite stout. Jackson maximizes his lower body strength with low pad level leverage, by striking first, and shedding with his strong hands. He has good awareness of where the football is and again, his 100% motor makes him a good pursuit player. While he generally sets a good edge, his aggressive style can get him pinned inside when the running breaks off a play and takes it outside. On RPO options, he’s shows good patience and enough lateral moves to work down the line.

Where Brennan Jackson fits into the Rams defense

Actually, Jackson would be a good fit into Michael Hoecht’s old role. Quite aimilar to the way the Rams used Hoecht, Washington State lined Jackson up all over the defensive front, He would stand up or have his hand in the dirt as an edge, spread out wide, standing up in the B gaps, and even as a down defensive tackle.

Brennan Jackson projects as a role/rotational player. There’s still grooming to be done. Although he put good numbers in college, he’s not an explosive pass rusher with an array of moves, he’s a power-based player who will apply constant pressure, clawing, scratching and pushing forward. He’s a grinder, an assignment-based player to be relied on to do the dirty work so others can get clean. Brennan Jackson is in line to become another Rams mid-round draft pick that develops his versatility and creates value.