Bengals select William Jackson III: Draft grade

With the No. 24 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals select William Jackson III.

William Jackson III is a 6′ 189 pound cornerback from the Univeristy of Houston. Jackson III is a junior college trasnfer, and a two-year starter at Houston where he recorded eight career interceptions. He was named to the All-AAC team in both of his seasons.

Jackson III has been considered one of the best corner back prospects in this draft, mainly due to his high upside. He ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. He also has the size, and the arm length that your typical big frame corner back would have. That combined with shown ball skills gives you the thought that he has all of the potential to be a teams shut down corner.

Although he has the perfect height, he is bit weaker than you would like in a cornerback. He can line up with those tall wide receivers, but the stronger ones may be able to body him in physical play. He also has some work to do in his foot work which is what makes his future potential more attractive than where he is now as a player.

While it may not show immediately, Jackson III could easily be looked at as a steal at some point. You can plan to put him in the weight room, and get to work on him with your defensive back coaches and groom him up to be a potential shut down corner.

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