Iowa LB Nick Jackson, who enters the predraft process ranked 2nd in FBS history in tackles (547), has spent time with the following teams at Hula:
• Bears (2x)
• Cowboys
• Steelers
• Panthers
• Falcons
• Bucs
• 49ers
• Saints
• Bengals
• Seahawks
• Dolphins
•…— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 10, 2025
The New Orleans Saints have started to work on their offseason meetings with some prospects they would like to speak with from the 2025 NFL Draft class. In that group is Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Nick Jackson, who met with a whopping 13 teams at the Hula Bowl recently, including twice with the Chicago Bears.
Jackson is a six-year collegiate player, gaining a year due to the Covid pandemic, and being eligible to apply for a sixth-year waiver due to the shooting tragedy which occurred at the University of Virginia, where he attended previously and unfortunately lost three teammates in this unspeakable act. He has had a long road to the NFL and has endured through a litany of things throughout his collegiate career. Chad Leistikow of HawkCentral wrote an exceptional story on Jackson’s college career and unwavering resilience, for those interested.
Jackson’s production on the field is indicative of this resilience, as he has performed at an exceptionally high level throughout these six seasons of his career. He has worked to the point where he is now second all-time in tackles among FBS players, behind only Carlton Martial from the 2022 NFL draft class. In his career, Jackson has accrued 73 games played, 555 total tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 17.0 sacks, 19 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles with a fumble recovery, and an interception.
It is not hard to understand why teams are so enamored with Jackson as a player, as despite being slightly undersized for the position, his productivity as a linebacker is nearly unmatched. He is viewed as an early Day 3 draft pick, however could potentially go in Day 2 with a strong performance in the pre-draft process. After four seasons at Virginia and two more at Iowa, Jackson will now move on to the NFL, and pursue a professional career in the sport.
