Jul 18, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

Buffalo Bills' explosive draft steal snubbed on ESPN 'NFL rookie leaders' list?

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Brian Letscher | Last updated May 21, 2025 8:43 PM ET

Predicting which rookies will step up in Year 1 is tricky business. The leap from college to the NFL can be a big one, yet organizations and fans put a lot of hope in their draft picks performing right out of the gate.

The Buffalo Bills needed help this offseason at EDGE rusher. They addressed it several ways including extending homegrown Greg Rousseau and bringing in free agent Joey Bosa. They also snagged what many feel was a draft steal, selecting Landon Jackson, EDGE rusher out of Arkansas, with the 72nd pick in draft.

Jackson lands at 6'6" and 265 pounds and had 13 total sacks over the last two seasons for the Razorbacks, earning First-Team Coaches' All-SEC in 2023 and a second-team selection in 2024. Highly-ranked pre-draft, Jackson performed very well at the NFL combine, running a 4.65 40-yard dash and hitting a stunning 40.5" vertical, numbers that ranked him 2nd at his position on the Next Gen Stats 'Athleticism' score.

ESPN's Mike Clay recently projected his "NFL rookie leaders" in several categories, including sacks, and Jackson did not make the cut on a list of five players that included, in order: Abdul Carter (Giants), Mykel Williams (49ers), Jalon Walker (Falcons) — all with six sacks — and then James Pearce Jr. (Falcons) and Shemar Stewart (Bengals) with four each.

"...Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske led all first-years with 8.5 sacks last season, but only three others reached 5.0 (Miami's Chop Robinson and Denver's duo of Dondrea Tillman and Jonah Elliss), " Clay wrote, "Micah Parsons' 13.0 sacks in 2021 were the most by a rookie over the past decade, and only four other freshmen reached double digits in that span. Four of the five players to crack double-digit sacks were first-rounders, with fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby being the exception."

RELATED: Bills' rookie Landon Jackson destroys best tackle in next year's draft

.@BuffaloBills with the #72 pick in the 3rd round @RazorbackFB @landonjackson40 Landon Jackson brings great length high motor. And Production. Should see PT immediately. #BillsMafia #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/AEKHec7J2J
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 26, 2025

All the players on the list are excellent talents and were ranked above Jackson pre-draft. Given the rookie sack stats and the fact that the Bills likely didn't pay Bosa $12 million to be on the bench on passing downs, Jackson may not crack the Top 5.

Jackson does have, however, elite size and physical skills, as his highlights show. With the opportunity to learn from the likes of Bosa and Rousseau (and Bosa's injury potential) a five or six sack season is not at all out of the question.