The San Francisco 49ers drafted Drake Jackson with their top pick, albeit in the second round, in 2022 in the hope he could blossom into a long-term starter at the defensive end position across from Nick Bosa.
His inability to do so at least partially informed the 49ers' decisions this offseason, one of which was to bring in an experienced and continually productive edge rusher in Leonard Floyd as their marquee free agent signing.
Former first-round pick Floyd has 39.5 sacks over the last four seasons and the 49ers will be confident of him providing a more reliable solution at the other edge spot after in-season trades for Randy Gregory and Chase Young last year failed to yield the desired dividends.
Those trades came about after a promising start to Jackson's sophomore season soon faded. He had three sacks in the season-opening win over the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not add to that tally before being placed on injured reserve after Week 8.
Jackson had surgery on the knee injury that prompted the 49ers to place him on IR and did not practice at OTAs or mandatory minicamp as he continues to recover from that operation.
With the 49ers bringing in Floyd and taking a bet on the potential of Yetur Gross-Matos by signing him to a two-year deal, the arrow for Jackson would appear to be pointing down heading into what most would consider to be a make-or-break year after successive seasons with three sacks.
A lack of practice time, even in a portion of the 49ers' preparations for the new season that did not include pads, cannot be considered to have helped Jackson's hopes of playing regular snaps in 2024 and belatedly realizing his potential.
However, in an interview with Matt Barrows of The Athletic, defensive line coach Kris Kocurek sounded an upbeat tone over Jackson's skill set and the work he has done away from the field this offseason.
"Drake’s still in the rehab process right now," said Kocurek. "He’s working extremely hard to get his knee back. … I would say (his) strength is as a pass rusher. His slipperiness, his ability to bend, his ability to shorten edges, his ability to use his hands to create an edge. Very flexible rusher. And versatility. You can line him up at multiple spots and rush the passer.
"He’s here 24/7. Shortly after the Super Bowl, he was back here going through his rehab process. He’s always an inquisitive person in the meeting room. Always wanting to know the reasons why. He sits right next to me in meetings, actually. He’s stayed on top of it. It’s a matter of staying with the trainers, continuing his rehab and getting back as fast as he can."
It's always worth taking glowing comments from a coach during the offseason workout program with a pinch of salt, but Kocurek's words speak to Jackson's determination to make the most of the kind of skill set the Niners value extremely highly.
Before they signed Floyd, Jackson was the only edge rusher on the 49ers' roster with that ability to bend consistently. Given how closely he has apparently stayed to Kocurek during meetings, it would be fair to expect him to lean heavily on the experience of Floyd to learn how to better harness that ability.
Jackson's previous experience of enjoying some success as an interior rusher may also stand him in good stead in a potential competition for snaps with Gross-Matos, whom the 49ers signed with the clear intention of kicking inside on pass-rushing downs.
The events of Jackson's first two seasons in the NFL and the 49ers' offseason would appear to point to him going down as a draft disappointment, yet he still boasts extremely enticing physical gifts and multiplicity the Niners covet.
And with the chance to learn from Kocurek, Floyd and Nick Bosa and test himself against Trent Williams when he does get back on the field, there's still a chance he could turn it around and make the leap as a rotational pass rusher in year three. Things haven't gone to plan so far, but it's still early to write off Jackson.
