Where Will Colorado State WR Warren Jackson Get Drafted?
Jackson has some real value.
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Will not playing in ’20 hurt Jackson?
The NFL Draft is this week and one particular player of interest from the Mountain West is Colorado State wide receiver Warren Jackson.
He elected to opt-out this past year due to COVID-19 and prep for the draft. The move has its plus and minuses. First off, there is less film from not playing in 2020 but the Rams had a new head coach in Steve Addazio who is a more run-based coach. Colorado State also had a shuffling of quarterbacks and missed games.
Some higher ups in the NFL like Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert are leaning toward players who played.
“As I stated in the summer, if a player chooses to opt out for whatever reason, that’s their decision and we will respect it,” Colbert said when speaking to the media. “However, if a player played in 2020 and those players are of equal value, the one that didn’t play and the one that played, we’ll take the one that played because we don’t know what the opt-outs will be like in their first season back in football.
“We believe it’s hard to sit this game out. Sometimes it happens because of injury, but this time it was pandemic-related for the most part. But we will take the players, again if they’re close. It’s not to say we’re not gonna draft somebody that opted out. I couldn’t say that. But if I have a choice and we have a choice, we’ll take the one that played if their value is close.”
This is our new friend Warren Jackson straight #mossing Anthony Averett as a True Freshman #EDGE #CSURams #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/uDVunkYINH
— Josh Engler (@EnglerNFL) June 29, 2019
With that mindset Colbert and others, Jackson could be a draft steal if he falls for not playing and be a value pick. He is around the 30th wide receiver on big boards and a 4-6th round pick.
There is some value and there are now a few ways for Rams fans within the state to put their money where their mouth is regarding Jackson’s draft slot.
Not many people know but you can apparently bet on which players will be drafted as the first, second and third overall pick. The sports betting market in Colorado has really bloomed the past year. To give you an idea just how big the market is, this past January saw the biggest revenue since launch with $326 million in total wagers. Once the college football season comes around, we’ll probably see an even higher number.
Jackson is the receiver who makes a 50/50 ball into more of a 60/40 ball in his favor. He’s so tall and lengthy, with a nearly seven-foot wingspan, that you can just throw the ball up and there’s a decent chance he will come down with it.
His consistency in jump ball situations will be of interest to a number of teams. “The size, the ability to just go get the football and high-point it — he’s been able to do that (consistently),” ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said. “He’s quick and he’s got enough of a burst. He’s an interesting guy (for teams) to think about, and I think on Day 3 we’ll be talking about Warren Jackson.”
Jackson is expected to be anywhere from a late Day 2 pick to a Day 3 pick and very well could be a quality player in the making following in other former Rams wideouts like Rashard Higgins, Michael Gallup, and Preston Williams.
