DeSean Jackson
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[edit] Biography
DeSean Jackson is a junior wide receiver for the University of California Golden Bears. Jackson is renowned not only for his play at receiver, but for being one of the most exciting return men in college football for the past two years. He has 27 total touchdowns in 35 career games. In his college career, he has scored every 7.82 times he touches the ball (catch, punt return or rush).
[edit] A Two-Sport Star in High School
Jackson starred in high school at Long Beach Poly, which has produced more NFL players than any other high school in the nation. He was a First Team Parade All-American and the MVP of the US Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, and was rated amongst the nation's five best wideout prospects by Rivals.com, SuperPrep and ESPN.com. In his senior year, he caught 60 passes for 1,075 yards (17.9 ypc) and scored 15 touchdowns, 8 of which were for more than 60 yards. Jackson also starred in baseball as a centerfielder, and could have been drafted right out of high school. He chose to play football at California over USC, rumor has it because of reports that USC leaked Jackon's commital to the Trojans prematurely on National Signing Day.
[edit] College
Jackson started making an impact immediately with Cal in 2005. In his first collegiate game, he scored a 31-yard touchdown on his first catch, and also returned a punt 49 yards for a touchdown in the same game against Sacramento State. Over the course of his freshman season, he led the Bears in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. In the Bears' bowl game against BYU, Jackson caught 6 passes for 130 yards and two scores.
Jackson exploded onto the national scene in his sophomore season in 2006. He was a First Team Pac-10 receiver and punt returner, and was named a First Team All American punt returner by the AP, the Walter Camp Foundation, the Sporting News, Rivals.com and the Football Writers Association of America. He led the country with 18.2 yards/punt return. He finished second in the Pac-10 with nine touchdown catches, and set Cal and Pac-10 records for season and career punt return touchdowns with 4 in 2006 and 5 in his career. He amassed 285 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns vs. Arizona. His monster season had many experts putting him on the radar as a candidate for the 2007 Heisman Trophy.
Going into his junior season in 2007, Jackson was rated as the nation's best receiver by The Sporting News and Rivals.com. Jackson's biggest game came in the Bears' best win of the season at Oregon, where he notched career highs in catches (11) and yards (161) and scored two touchdowns in Cal's 31-24 victory. For the season, he scored 7 total touchdowns, two shy of his receiving touchdowns alone in 2006. While his season was a dropoff from 2006, Jackson was named a First Team All American as an all-purpose player by the AFCA and a Third Team All American by the AP.
[edit] One of Cal's Best
Jackson is expected to enter the 2008 NFL Draft and could be a first round selection. ESPN's Mel Kiper ranks him as the nation's best junior wideout. He ranks sixth all-time at Cal in receptions (157), third in receiving yards (2,342) and third in receiving touchdowns (21).
[edit] Personal
DeSean is the son of Bill and Gayle Jackson. His major is social welfare. Jackson's older brother, Byron, played for two years on the Kansas City Chiefs' developmental squad in 1992 and 1993 as a defensive back, after playing college ball at San Jose State. Byron is now a film editor, and has been filming DeSean on the football field since he was four. Byron says he has over 1,000 hours of footage of DeSean and is working on a documentary and looking for a distributor.
[edit] Scouting Report
Jackson's biggest asset is his pure speed. He runs the 40 in a blazing 4.29 seconds. Because of his speed, he is the most dangerous when out in open space. With his combination of speed, quickness and shiftiness, he has a chance to score every time he touches the ball. He has drawn some comparisons to Ted Ginn Jr., the former Ohio State Buckeye and current Miami Dolphin, but is a more polished natural receiver and route runner than Ginn.
Jackson's intelligence is another asset. Growing up, Jackson learned the game of football from his older brother Byron, who played briefly in the NFL, and some of his friends, all of whom played college football. As a result, when Jackson came to Cal, he was basically doing work at the graduate level and had an excellent knowledge of the game.
One of the main concerns NFL scouts have with Jackson is his size. He is smallish for a receiver at 6 feet, and lacks bulk (his weight has been reported anywhere from 166 to 178). His playmaking ability makes up for his lack of size. As Jackson puts it, "I am one tough little dude."
[edit] Transactions
Draft: 2008 - 2nd round (18th pick) by the Philadelphia Eagles
[edit] Statistics
| Career Stats | Receiving | Kickoff Returns | Punt Returns | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Y/G | Avg | Lng | YAC | 1stD | TD | KR | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | PR | Yds | Avg | Long | TD | Fum | FumL |
| n/a | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[edit] Awards and Accomplishments
- 2004: Glenn Davis Award, given to the best high school football player in the Los Angeles area by the Los Angeles Times
- 2005: Pete Dawkins Trophy, given to the Most Valuable Player of the US Army All-American Bowl, featuring the nation's best high school players
- 2006: Randy Moss Award, given to the nation's best kick and punt returner (Jackson won the very first award in 2006)
[edit] Trivia
- Arizona head coach Mike Stoops called Jackson "as quick as Reggie Bush."
- Jackson went to the same high school (Long Beach Poly) as Snoop Dogg, Chase Utley, Willie McGinest, Cameron Diaz and others.
- Jackson was a Major League Baseball prospect in high school as a centerfielder.
- Jackson spent much of his childhood learning football from his older brother Byron and a group of Byron's friends that played college football.
[edit] Video Gallery
[edit] Picture Gallery
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[edit] See Also
[edit] Web Directory
[edit] Statistics
[edit] News, Opinion, and Rumors
[edit] Shop
[edit] Recent DeSean Jackson ArmchairGM Stories
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[edit] Sources
University of California Profile, one of my sources
SI's Phil Taylor Profiles DeSean Jackson the Playmaker, great read and one of my sources
Wikipedia page, one of my sources
