Washington Football Team: 7-round all-Senior Bowl mock draft

Round 5, Pick 149: OT Alaric Jackson, Iowa

Waiting this long on an offensive tackle isn’t exactly ideal, but with the way the board fell, this made the most sense. North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz was worth considering in Round 2, but Grant was ultimately the pick there.

With that said, Alaric Jackson isn’t a bad consolation prize. Jackson was well-coached at Iowa and his performance at left tackle kept 2020 first-round pick Tristan Wirfs on the right side of the line for the Hawkeyes.

Jackson has a huge frame at 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, and though his arms are a little bit short for a tackle (32.5 in.), he plays with good power on the edge. He may struggle against some of the longer, quicker edge rushers at the NFL level, but in the run game, he will be able to push forward and open up some lanes.

During the Senior Bowl, Jackson’s power was on display. In one-on-one drills and in the game, he succeeded in that area. He has solid movement abilities for his size, too, so that should help him as he tries to develop into a starter at the next level.

Jackson would be a nice swing tackle to develop behind Cornelius Lucas and Morgan Moses. He might not be ready to start right away as a rookie, but John Matsko did excellent work on Washington’s O-Line last year. Jackson looks the part and learning from Matsko should help him do well if he dons a Washington uniform.

It’s also worth noting that if Jackson’s size becomes an issue he will be able to move inside to guard and serve as a big, road-grade run blocker there. At the very least, he has super-sub potential, so grabbing a guy like that in Round 5 is never a bad move.