EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson discusses what makes him a top 2025 NFL Draft prospect

Landon Jackson is one of the top EDGE prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft class. His impressive college football career, paired with his outstanding Combine this year, have resulted in him being projected to be a top 50 pick.

In fact, he says that he has a workout scheduled with the New Orleans Saints, who are, apparently, interested in drafting him this year. They currently own the ninth and 40th picks in the first two rounds and are need help on the edge of their defense. So it makes sense why they would want to get a closer look at the Arkansas Razorbacks star.

Just days before his scheduled workout with the Saints, Jackson sat down for an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline and Adam Hulse. He talked about being a multi-sport athlete in high school and getting recruited by many colleges, especially in the SEC, before deciding to join the LSU Tigers.

Jackson explained why he transferred to Arkansas after his freshman year:

"At that moment in my life, I felt like it was the best choice. I don't regret LSU, I think I learned a lot and really enjoyed my time there, but it wasn't a great fit for me and I felt the best thing for myself was to go elsewhere.

"I kind of had in my mind exactly where I wanted to go, and it was Arkansas. I just kind of knew the city, knew the mindset of the program, and I loved the coaches. So that's what ultimately made that decision."

Landon Jackson explained that his process of picking a college out of high school was heavily impacted by the COVID pandemic. He stated that he was only able to do unofficial visits due to the restrictions at that time, but still received offers from most schools in the respected SEC.

He initially joined LSU, but transferring to Arkansas after his first year appears to have paid off for him. In three years with the Razorbacks, he totaled 28 tackles for a loss and 16 sacks. He did so playing in arguably the most competitive conference in the country and against some of the best offensive line prospects.

Among those he faced off against were offensive tackles Kelvin Banks and Will Campbell, who are both projected to be top 20 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Landon Jackson turned in solid performances against both of them and was asked if he did any special preparations before those key matchups.

Jackson responded:

"Not really. I try to prepare the same for everybody, but I guess I just naturally tend to shine against better competition. I feel like that's why I played that way. I'm not going to say I prepared any different or tried any harder.

"I tried real hard every game, prepared real hard every game, but I guess it's just the type of player I am. I'm a big moment player, I play really well in big moments and against big-time players."

Jackson had this to say about Banks:

"He's a really smart player. He knows what he's doing and doesn't make a lot of mistakes, so everything you do, you have to win by beating him, because you can't bet on him making mistakes. He's also a big body that can move well. There's not many guys that are as big as him, that can move as well as him."

Jackson added this about Campbell:

"I'm not going to say he's a nasty player, because he doesn't play dirty at all, but he plays really hard. Such a hard worker and pretty big player as well. I mean, overall, I'd just say his biggest thing that makes him as great as he is, is just his mentality."

His mentality also shows in the decision to return to Arkansas for another season, despite being a draft prospect last year as well. Jackson explained that he felt he had more to prove, and did exactly that in an impressive final campaign.

Pair that with his strong 2025 NFL Combine and he has a legitimate chance to potentially be selected in the first round.

Landon Jackson's 2025 NFL Combine significantly improved his draft stock

Landon Jackson

The NFL Combine offers a massive opportunity for all prospects to show off their athleticism ahead of the draft. Players who are successful during this important event can greatly improve their draft stock. Landon Jackson stood out as one of the most impressive EDGE prospects, especially in the runs and jumps.

His 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash, as well as his vertical and broad jumps, all ranked among the best of any player in his position. He is also 6-foot-6 and looked spectacular during the on-field positional drills.

He formerly participated in track and field back in high school as a part of being a star multi-sport athlete, which may have helped him in some of the drills.

Despite his excellent performance, Landon Jackson said he could have done even better:

"My goal going into it was to be in 4.6s for the 40, but I've been hitting some 4.5s during training, so that was a bit of a disappointment to be in the higher 4.6s. In the 10-yard split, I feel like I could have stayed low a little bit longer and I feel like that definitely would have resulted in a quicker time.

"But I definitely came back and continued to ball out throughout the positional drills."

His drive to constantly get better should be desirable for NFL teams. His workout was strong, but his focus was on how he could have improved it. Landon Jackson also mentioned that he's excited to get back to training for actual football, rather than for drills, now that the Combine is over.

Landon Jackson concluded the interview by mentioning star edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Arik Armstead being among the players he looks up to the most.

He also named Cameron Jordan as another one, which probably makes his scheduled visit with the New Orleans Saints even more exciting. They need an edge rusher, and could potentially pick Jackson, especially with his admitted goal of being an All-Rookie in his first year.