Drake plays Center for the Kentucky Wildcats. #52 on the field, he's listed at 6'2, 310 lbs and is currently a Redshirt Senior.
2021 NFL Draft Profile #6: Drake Jackson | Kentucky Center
Texans Thoughts
Strengths
- Good lateral mobility for a zone scheme, can possibly start day one
- Great at combo blocks and making contact at 2nd level
- Has good understanding of timing, when to leave his guard and go to the 2nd level
- Good hand placement - often punches the chest of the defender
- Shows decent power, running his feet to move defenders laterally
- Understands angles and often walls off defenders, away from the direction of the run
- Good wide base in pass protection, gives up ground slowly, when necessary
- Aware and willing to quickly help guards
My favorite trait from Drake is how he works combos. He helps out his Left Guard here, then turns his head and eyes the LB very quickly. He prepares himself to attack his target, then pushes the LB out the play, for the huge gain. Even blocks downfield for a bit, showing good effort.
This next clip is a great example of Drake's ability to punch. Despite not having the longest looking arms, he has a quick, powerful and well placed punch. I like how quickly he gets his hands up, after the snap. That punch and extension completely stalls the DT.
Weaknesses
- Doesn't consistently block "nasty"
- Won't drive defenders out of their gap on 1-on-1 blocks, not best fit in gap/power
- Can play with his head over his knees at times
Round Projection
The Draft Network: Late Fourth/Early Fifth Round
Pro Football Network: UDFA
Texans Unfiltered: Mid Fourth Round
Fit with Houston Texans
Drake would be one of my top Nick Martin replacement options, if we want to run a zone heavy scheme (Eric Bieniemy, Robert Saleh/Mike Lafleur). His mobility is something we haven't had since Chris Meyers and would be a refreshing sight. We've often struggled blocking the 2nd level, and Drake would be a huge boost in that regard. He's also pretty sound in pass protection, which should always be factored in - protecting Deshaun is priority #1. If he's there in the mid-late 4th round, pull the trigger.
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