Arkansas football‘s Landon Jackson is officially an NFL rookie after being picked by the Buffalo Bills in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Bills selected Jackson in the third round with the 72nd overall pick in the draft on Friday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Jackson entered the weekend as a prospect who could go as high as the first round and as low as the third round in recent projections.
Here’s what Jackson brings to Buffalo, based on his career with the Razorbacks.
What Landon Jackson brings to Bills in 2025 NFL Draft
Jackson was one of the best all-around defensive linemen in the SEC over the past two years. He’s an every-down player who can stifle the opposing running game while also getting after the passer.
Jackson plays with an incredible motor and never stops chasing after the quarterback. His 6-foot-6 and 264-pound frame is the ideal size for an NFL defensive end, and he has the ceiling to raise his game substantially at the next level. He’s taken strides in each of his four collegiate seasons.
Landon Jackson highlights, strengths, weaknesses at Arkansas
Jackson was an elite run defender for the Razorbacks, setting the edge and contributing to a stingy rushing defense in 2024. He has a knack for creating pressure with inside rush moves, but Jackson was inconsistent in getting home to the quarterback. He only had 6.5 sacks in each of his final two seasons.
The two best performances of Jackson’s career came against top opposition. Against Alabama in 2023, Jackson dominated the Crimson Tide’s offensive line with 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles in a 24-21 loss. As a senior in 2024, Jackson harassed Nico Iamaleava with six quarterback hurries in a 19-14 upset over No. 4 Tennessee.
Landon Jackson stats with Arkansas
Jackson finished his senior season with 49 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Landon Jackson NFL comparison
It’s difficult to make a comparison for Jackson because he has all of the physical tools to be an elite pass rusher, but those traits haven’t materialized into big sack numbers. For now, we’ll go with the Miami Dolphins‘ Emmanuel Ogbah, who is an elite run defender that had two big sack seasons from 2020-21.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.Â