Los Angeles Rams get undrafted free agent steal in Alaric Jackson
The Los Angeles Rams set up a draft headquarters in Malibu and without a first-round pick because of the Matthew Stafford trade, they were probably feeling pretty great, all things considered. Being without a first-round pick is nothing new for the Rams. They haven’t made a first-round pick in the NFL Draft since they took Jared Goff first overall in 2016.
The Los Angeles Rams have truly become masters of finding talent after the first day of the NFL Draft and clearly general manager Les Snead is not afraid to invest prime NFL Draft real estate in veteran players or to move up in the NFL Draft.
The 2021 NFL Draft looks like it will be par for the course for this Rams franchise in terms of guys bringing value beyond the first round, starting with their top pick overall in former Louisville wide receiver Tutu Atwell.
As tough as the Rams’ lineup will be to crack, there’s room for someone from the undrafted ranks to rise up and not only make the squad, but potentially make an impact as a starter in the not-so-distant future.
That particular player from the 2021 class is former Iowa Hawkeyes left tackle Alaric Jackson.
Alaric Jackson at a glance
- 2017 Freshman All-American
- Four-time All-Big Ten selection
- 42 starts for Iowa at left tackle
Jackson is the only player in the 2021 NFL Draft class with more than 40 starts at left tackle, which is likely where he’s going to fit in with the Rams. As much experience as Jackson has at left tackle, some feel like he could transition well to the guard position at the next level as well.
For the time being, projecting Jackson as a tackle, he comes from an Iowa program where he’s obviously going to be very well-coached. Specifically, on a team like the Rams with so many similar concepts between Sean McVay’s offense and the Iowa Hawkeyes offense in terms of blocking scheme, Jackson should have an edge that not all rookies bring to the table with this team.
Jackson has good size for the left tackle position at 6-foot-5, 321 pounds. Coming out of Iowa’s program, that’s to be expected. Iowa is essentially a printer and high school offensive linemen are like paper. You put the paper in the printer, and NFL linemen shoot out the other end. That’s how it’s gone under Kirk Ferentz, whether you’re talking about elite-level prospects through the years like Robert Gallery, Brandon Scherff, or Tristan Wirfs, or back-end guys who go undrafted or late like Austin Blythe, Ike Boettger, and here Alaric Jackson.
Jackson didn’t post a great workout when it comes to movement skills, and you see some of his flat-footedness show up at times in pass protection. There are other times when he looks like he can mirror with anyone.
Consistency was a bit of an issue for Jackson, and he could get blown up at times by power rushes.
If he can improve his base and strength, there’s a real shot you’re looking at a guy going from being undrafted to being a starting NFL left tackle. Being able to learn from Andrew Whitworth will be extremely valuable for Jackson in terms of just understanding what it takes to be a pro.
Being in this kind of offense, as it did at Iowa, can also help mask some of Jackson’s weaknesses at times. It will be excellent to see him in preseason play against other rookies and see how much he’s improved even in just a short time with new Los Angeles Rams offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, who spent the last three years coaching the Stanford offensive line.