Losing in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs as the No. 1 seed was bad. Losing both of your star coordinators to other teams is brutal. That is where we find the Detroit Lions entering the 2025 NFL season. This is a team that has the talent to be one of seven playoff teams in the NFC again. Their Super Bowl window may have closed, but do not tell head coach Dan Campbell that. He will not buy it.
It is because the man is starving to bring a championship to Detroit. Campbell has evolved from a football meathead into being one of the greatest players' coaches of his time. It helps that he gets great support from ownership and has one of the best general managers in the NFL in Brad Holmes backing him up. Together, the Lions are more likely to hit on late-round draft picks like Dan Jackson.
Jackson comes to Detroit by way of Georgia as a seventh-round pick. He may be joined by former college teammates Tate Ratledge and Dominic Lovett in Motown, but his path to the NFL was anything but conventional. Jackson gave up opportunities for more playing time to walk-on at Georgia. He immediately became a special teams ace before eventually emerging as a star safety.
It is one of the reasons why I think he has a great shot of making the Lions as a seventh-round pick.
Why we should root for Dan Jackson to make the Detroit Lions roster
My bias may be showing here, but Jackson holds a very special place in my beating Georgia Bulldog heart. It was his blocked punt vs. Arkansas way back in 2021 that led me to believe that Georgia would end its 41-year national championship drought by winning the College Football Playoff. Three years later, he was making big-time plays during his lone season as a starter on the Georgia defense..
Special teams is where Jackson stands a great chance to make the Lions' roster as their fourth safety. It is a steep competition for that roster spot backing up Branch, Joseph and company, but I know Jackson is built for it. The former walk-on plays with an edge that should resonate with Campbell's overall ethos. He should have been invited to the NFL combine but got drafted anyway.
Ultimately, Jackson is an incredibly easy player to root for because he continually bets on himself and makes plays in crunch time when others cannot, or will not. Half of the league is undrafted, and Jackson almost went undrafted out of Georgia. I think his versatile and impactful game, as well as his championship pedigree from playing Between the Hedges will go a long way in keeping Detroit viable.
Jackson being overlooked is nothing new, but I will just let it be known that he thrives in this situation.