I think every Patriots fan remembers Super Bowl 52 like it was yesterday. It is extremely hard to believe that we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of that…mess. I vividly recall doing my meditational breathing exercises as the National Anthem was being sung, and the camera panned to a crying Malcolm Butler. My initial thought was, “oh, no. This can’t be good.” I checked Twitter and everyone was like, “awww, the National Anthem is making him emotional!” Yeah, no. We quickly learned just hours later that it was because he wasn’t going to get to see the field for even one defensive snap and that it would be his last game as a Patriot. I know some fans didn’t care for him and are still quite happy that he’s gone, especially because he had an underwhelming first season with the Tennessee Titans under a monster contract, but he will always have a special place in my heart for everything because of his story and, well, the obvious interception.
I had no idea how New England was going to replace Butler. I don’t think anyone knew. Yeah, they have Stephon Gilmore of course, but who else? No one, that’s who. I was worried. The Patriots have always had a knack for identifying and making something out of undrafted free agents, but at that time, I wasn’t thinking much about that. Regardless, the Patriots have shown in the last few years that they are especially great at identifying undrafted cornerbacks. The likes of Malcolm Butler, Jonathan Jones, Kenny Moore, Cre’Veon LeBlanc and Darryl Roberts all came through the Patriots system and have started games in the NFL.
You can add rookie phenom J.C. Jackson to that list. Undrafted out of the University of Maryland, Jackson has quickly made a name for himself in New England’s secondary.
Jackson most notably held Juju Smith-Schuster to just four catches on 10 targets, 40 yards and zero touchdowns in the team’s Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Ben Roethlisberger made it a point to target the rookie, but Jackson held his own that evening. Jackson’s rise this season doesn’t come without a story though, of course.
Jackson grew up in Immokalee, Florida, a small, “rough” town in South Florida. According to U.S. Census data, about 45 percent of Immokalee residents live in poverty. The annual per capita income between 2012 and 2016 was $9,966, one of the lowest figures in the country. It’s easy to get into trouble, there’s nothing to do, and it’s difficult to escape the grasp of growing up in such a community even if you are a promising young athlete. That’s exactly what those high school students do who want to better their own lives as well as their families’: play sports and attempt to catch the eye of whoever may be in attendance.
Jackson did just that, catching the eye of handfuls of college scouts who came just to see the ultimate four-star recruit in action. As a senior in high school, Jackson became an All-American and racked up over 1,000 total yards, 15 touchdowns, 53 tackles, a forced fumble, and two interceptions, leading the team to the district championship title. Jackson received scholarships from both Florida and Miami but chose the Gators. Things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Jackson was the talk of the town, representing Immokalee in a positive light. His mother frequently told him to be careful with all of his new fame, not to trust certain people and to look out for himself. Jackson suffered a shoulder injury just weeks into his freshman year that left him with loads of free time on his hands. On December 13, 2014, police found two small bags of pot in a car with Jackson and a couple fellow Florida teammates, but no charges were filed. Just a few days later on Christmas Eve, driving around Immokalee with a few of his friends, his friend pulled over as he was suspicious of a car that was following them. Once he came to a stop, someone shot at the car, the bullet hitting every passenger, including Jackson’s eyelid. The car crashed into a fire hydrant. Everybody fully recovered from their injuries, knowing fully how lucky they were. A few months later in April of 2015, Jackson was arrested in connection with an armed robbery and was charged with three counts of home invasion robbery and a count of burglary. He was acquitted, but this series of events left a lasting impact on the once highly-touted corner.
Jackson was quickly dismissed from Florida, even saying that the school locked him out of his dorm, preventing him from gathering his belongings. Jackson was embarrassed and admitted that he hung out with the wrong people and made poor decisions at Florida, going against his mom’s pleas. Jackson transferred to Riverside Community College and played a season in the Orange Empire Conference. Jackson wanted to make it back to Divison 1 but rightfully found it difficult within himself to stay motivated. The newly-hired head coach of Maryland at the time, D.J. Durkin, called the 21-year-old up and convinced him to transfer to Maryland. Jackson says of Durkin, “Coach Durkin just changed my whole mindset. Just being in that environment, not being in Florida, being away from home, I was just focused.”
In December of 2017, Jackson formally announced that he opted to not play his final year of college and give the NFL Draft a shot after being the Terps’ top cornerback for two years. As expected, he did not hear his name called on draft day, but if not for his legal issues, he could have easily been selected as early as the third or fourth round. Instead, the Patriots signed the rookie free agent to a three-year undrafted deal and a new era of his life was about to begin.
One commonality between every scout’s description of J.C. Jackson was his quickness and his athleticism. He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash as well as a 6.92-second 3-cone drill so that assessment is pretty spot on just by looking at those times alone. In training camp, Jackson moved up the ranks very quickly. He earned practice reps with starters, defended Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman and received high praise from coaches, including Bill Belichick, as early as June and July. Soon enough the preseason had ended and September came around. Jackson had made the cut and was on the 53-man roster for Week 1.
Jackson was a healthy scratch the first two weeks but saw his first snaps in Week 3, the loss against the Detroit Lions. From there, his role grew by the week. He caught his first interception the following week against the Miami Dolphins, and another in Week 7 in Chicago against the Bears. He played a small yet steady role for a few weeks, competing for a starting spot with Jonathan Jones until Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings. He started alongside Stephon Gilmore, playing 54 of the team’s 61 defensive snaps, allowing just 31 yards for five catches, lining up against mainly veteran Aldrick Robinson as well as the deadly Adam Thielen, breaking up a pass in the end zone, too. As I mentioned before, his most notable game came in Week 15 in Pittsburgh. Despite New England taking a loss that week, Jackson was the brightest point of that game. Handling mainly Smith-Schuster and on occasion Antonio Brown, Jackson held his own and dared Roethlisberger to target him.
Ever since Jackson started Week 13, the defense has greatly improved as a whole as he started every game from that point forward to finish the regular season. In playing eight of the team’s eleven games to start the season, the CB averaged 16.4 snaps per game. Since Week 12, he has averaged 52.8 snaps per game to finish the year. New England’s opponent passer rating in their first 11 games was 86.1% but since then it has dropped down to 77.8%. Have they played mainly mediocre competition since that point? Maybe, but the Patriots’ D needed some momentum heading into January, especially against this strong-willed Chargers team, and I think they have just that.
Jackson’s season stats are pretty damn nasty: 44 targets, only 20 receptions, 230 yards, zero touchdowns (!!!) and a 33.3 opponent passer rating. I believe stats like these ultimately helped Gilmore become the All-Pro that he was this year. Jackson took a lot of pressure off of him with his toughness and speed. Watching Jackson rather quickly turn into an established, consistent defensive contributor as both a nickel and dime CB has been a pleasure. I think the biggest thought on everyone’s mind right now, though, heading into January is if his lack of experience will play a negative role. Only time will be able to fully answer that, but his play down the stretch to end the regular season was an extreme positive and I see no reason why that won’t continue and spill over into the postseason. Gilmore will obviously be covering Keenan Allen and I expect Jackson to get the start and to cover Mike Williams, and Tyrell Williams when need be.
There’s a reason why J.C. Jackson became a fan-favorite as the days started getting colder down the stretch here in New England. His story is even more reason to root for the 23-year-old rookie. Just a couple of years ago, his parents prepared themselves for the worst and to get news of their son ending up in jail or worse, found dead. Now, it’s 2019 and Jackson is a father himself and is slated to start his first NFL postseason game. This is simply further proof to never give up no matter where you are, who you are or whatever you may be going through. There is hope and there is a reason to have hope.
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