Chris
Jackson.
Chris
Jackson.
Marshall
"Tennessee drafted Marshall's ball-hawking corner at No. 243, and he played 24 games with six starts over three seasons for the Titans before winning a UFL title with Birmingham in 2024."Pre-draft read
Jackson was a cornerback in Marshall's defense, a 5-10, 193-pound four-year contributor who played outside and in the slot. His primary trait was ball skills: he read quarterbacks, drove on throws and got his hands on the football, finishing his career with 45 passes defensed and seven interceptions in 47 games.
His secondary trait was athleticism, confirmed by a 4.48 40, a 36-inch vertical and a 6.94 three-cone at the Combine. He was a willing tackler for a corner, making 189 career stops. His size limited him against bigger receivers, and his signature was the steady ball production that earned first-team All-Conference USA honors as a senior.
Zone-heavy coverage scheme that lets an instinctive corner read the quarterback and break on throws.
Year 1: special teams player and depth corner. Ceiling: rotational nickel corner.
Press-man scheme that asks its corners to carry big receivers one-on-one on the outside.
His instincts and testing fit best in the slot within zone coverage.
Chris Jackson Senior Highlights | Marshall University
His All-Conference USA senior season.
Chris Jackson Junior Highlights | Marshall University
His 2018 junior season.
Chris Jackson Sophomore Highlights | Marshall University
His 2017 sophomore season.
Jackson projected as an instinctive, athletic cornerback whose size and level of competition made him a late-round depth and special teams candidate. Evaluators liked his ball skills, testing and physicality, but questioned whether he could match up against bigger NFL receivers.
He played four seasons at Marshall, finishing with 189 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 45 passes defensed and two fumble recoveries in 47 games. As a senior he made 25 tackles with one interception and 11 pass breakups, earning first-team All-Conference USA honors. At the Combine he ran a 4.48 40 with a 36-inch vertical, a 4.32 short shuttle and a 6.94 three-cone. The flags were his size, Conference USA competition and occasional grabbiness downfield.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round nickel and special teams option. Tennessee took him at No. 243, valuing his ball skills and testing as a developmental slot defender and core special teamer.
- 01
Ball skills
Finished his Marshall career with 45 passes defensed and seven interceptions, consistently driving on throws in his area.
- 02
Athletic testing
Ran a 4.48 40 with a 36-inch vertical, a 4.32 short shuttle and a 6.94 three-cone at the Combine.
- 03
Willing tackler
Made 189 career tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, coming downhill to support the run from the slot and outside.
- 04
Experience
Contributed for four seasons and 47 games at Marshall, bringing a veteran feel for route concepts and leverage.
- 05
Senior production
Earned first-team All-Conference USA honors in 2019 with 11 pass breakups and an interception.
- 01
Size
At 5-10 and 193 pounds he could be outmuscled by bigger receivers at the catch point and in contested situations.
- 02
Level of competition
Produced in Conference USA, leaving questions about how his ball skills would translate against NFL receivers.
- 03
Grabby downfield
Leaned on his hands when beaten vertically, a habit that risked penalties against quicker NFL route runners.
- 04
Limited interceptions late
Managed one interception as a senior, turning fewer of his many breakups into takeaways.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— No athletic data recorded
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Marshall | — | 25 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Career | — | 47 | 189 | 0 | 7 | 45 | 0 |
Career totals (47 games, 189 tackles, 6.5 TFL, seven interceptions, 45 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries) and the 2019 line (25 tackles, one interception, 11 pass breakups) are from Wikipedia and Marshall. Earlier season splits could not be verified and are left blank.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a depth corner with spot starts for three seasons.
Undersized slot corner whose instincts made him a long-term starter.
Late-round corner with good ball skills who stayed a fringe player.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Jackson played 11 games with three starts for Tennessee as a rookie in 2020, making 24 tackles, then 12 games with three starts in 2021 and one game in 2022. He finished his Titans run with 24 games, six starts, 59 tackles and five passes defensed. He won a UFL championship with the Birmingham Stallions in 2024 and signed with the CFL's Edmonton Elks in 2025.
In hindsight the pick returned solid value for a No. 243 selection. The instincts and athleticism evaluators praised put him on the field as a rookie and earned him six starts, which is more than most late seventh-round picks manage. The size concerns flagged before the draft kept him from a permanent starting role, and he never recorded an NFL interception in his three seasons. He was a useful depth corner who contributed right away and later extended his career in spring and Canadian football, a better return than the typical pick in his range.