ESPN analysts missed the mark in their criticism of Darrell Jackson Jr.

Darrell Jackson didn't have to wait long on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. The massive defensive tackle was selected by the New York Jets with the third pick of the fourth round (103rd overall). 

Jackson was generally projected to go somewhere between the middle of the third round and top of the fifth round, so this pick falls well within those parameters. The big man is considered more of an upside pick because the numbers Jackson put up at FSU fell a little short of expectations. The ESPN/ABC desk crew made sure to remind fans of that, but they didn't get it all right.

ESPN crew offers questionable takes on Darrell Jackson

Mel Kiper Jr. was all-in on Jackson's athletic profile and talked about his measureables, with his height, big arms and big hands. However, he questioned why Jackson wasn't able to dominate at the college level despite the physical tools. 

"He's got first-round physical and athletic ability. You think he should dominate, right? He didn't. He flashed," Kiper said. :He had some games...but he was quiet in some games for a kid with that kind of physical talent. You don't find guys with this much ability in the fourth round that often and that's because the production didn't match the talent."

Louis Riddick was ready to piggyback on Kiper's statement and basically said that the former Seminole was lazy. 

"Darrell has got to turn up the motor....that's what it's all about with this guy," Riddick said. "This is going to be an Aaron Glenn project. He is going to get after this guy because there is no reason for a guy with this measureables to be down here [in the fourth round] and for his production to look like it did on tape."

Mel Kiper Jr. and Louis Riddick forgot one thing in their criticism of Darrell Jackson

One thing that Kiper and Riddick failed to mention was that Jackson was in a brand-new scheme and playing an unfamiliar role this past season. Tony White needed Jackson to plug the middle and occupy double teams in his 3-3-5 stack defense. There weren't the opportunities for Jackson to create a ton of negative plays. He had to play at a heavier weight than he had in the past and his effectiveness in that scheme spoke in the numbers that Mandrell Desir put up as a true freshman.

Don't get me wrong, Jackson needs to be more engaged down-to-down, but simply writing him off as a guy that was lazy and loafed around in college is far from accurate. 

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