Just a year ago, Brennan Jackson was selected in the fifth round of the draft. And yet the Rams waived him at the end of camp this year, giving up on him after just one season. At which point the Raiders scooped Jackson up off waivers to try and help with their depth on the edge.

Sometimes all a player needs to find his way is a change of scenery. Or in this case, a change in schemery (see what I did there?). Jackson just wasn’t a fit for how the Rams wanted to use him.

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It was at defensive end that Jackson played his way up to being a draftable player. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which was right where Dane Brugler projected he would go.

The primary reasons he was not more highly regarded were because of age (24) and having been lost twice to injury — first and ACL and then a broken foot. Thus leading to a fifth year of college ball and being older than most of his draft classmates.

Jackson was a force at Washington State, leading the team in sacks three times and twice leading them in tackles for loss. He also saw his sack and tackle for loss numbers rise every season for the Cougars, leading to him twice being named Second team All Pac-12.

He did this with his hand in the dirt. So, it’s not really surprising when the Rams asked him to work as a stand-up outside linebacker, it didn’t go so well.

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“Last year, obviously was different for me, being a two-point guy, whereas in college, I was always three-point,” Jackson said Monday. “So, I think finding some familiarity in that again is going to be huge in my game. . . just kind of getting back in the groove of things and playing just three-down, four-down, both hands in the dirt, just getting back to doing that again has been really fun out there, just finding my comfortability back in that again.”

Obviously the Raiders have one of the league’s premiere pass rushers in Maxx Crosby. But after him, there could be a depth and complementary edge rusher issue.

Malcolm Koonce and Charles Snowden lead the way as the next up on the other side of the line from Crosby. Snowden is unproven and Koonce has spent much of the offseason and camp trying to make his way back from a knee injury that cost him the entire 2024 season.

Edge rusher was one of a few positions that the Raiders were clearly going to be scanning the waiver wire to add talent. Jackson was the guy they landed on as someone they hoped could help them right away with their depth issue. He certainly has a better shot in Las Vegas than he did in Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders ED Brennan Jackson in better position to live up to draft status