Antwuan Jackson is getting his chance to compete for an NFL roster spot.
The former Ohio State defensive tackle accepted an invitation to participate in the New York Giants’ rookie minicamp, he told Eleven Warriors on Sunday. He has not yet signed a contract with the team, but could receive one if he performs well in the minicamp.
Jackson is getting his shot at the NFL after a six-year college football career that started with one year at Auburn and one year at Blinn College before he joined the Buckeyes in 2018. In four years at Ohio State, Jackson recorded 48 total tackles with nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks across 38 games with 12 starts.
Jackson spent time playing both nose tackle and 3-technique on Ohio State’s defensive line and believes he is capable of playing either role in the NFL. While he didn’t make a ton of big plays as a Buckeye, Jackson thinks he can do more at the next level than he had the chance to show in Columbus.
“One thing I can say, I am a run-stopper and I can really pass-rush,” Jackson told Eleven Warriors in January. “That’s why I can play nose and 3-technique. So my pitch to them is I can play 1-technique, I can stop the run; I can play 3-technique, stop the run and pass-rush too. And I wish I could have showed that more.
“I was playing mostly nose guard, so it was just hard because I was getting double-teamed most of the time, so it was just hard to get to the quarterback sometimes, the times I was in there, but 3-tech, you have more space and you’re mainly blocked by one person, so playing both, it gives me the chance just to show I can stop the run and pass-rush also.”
While Jackson will now have to compete just to earn a roster spot after going undrafted, his versatility to play both defensive tackle positions could bolster his chances of sticking around in New York, and he’ll now look to prove that his best football is still yet to come.
