Seahawks 90-Man Rundown: Clean Bill of Health Will Key D’Eryk Jackson’s Quest For Roster Spot
With their offseason program all wrapped up, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC on July 23, meaning the start of the upcoming season will be here before fans have a chance to blink.
In preparation for year number two under coach Mike Macdonald, I’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, dishing out fun facts, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2025 campaign.
Boasting plenty of NFL-worthy skills and top-tier athleticism as an off-ball defender, will undrafted linebacker D’Eryk Jackson be able to avoid the injury bug and stake a claim to a backup role in Seattle?
D’Eryk Jackson
Height/Weight: 6-1, 237 pounds
2024 Stats: 38 tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception
Highly recruited by Power 4 programs after a stellar career at West Laurens High School in Georgia, Jackson chose to continue his playing career at Kentucky over the likes of Purdue, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss among others. He appeared in nine games as a true freshman for the Wildcats, producing four tackles while mostly playing special teams, before a torn Achilles suffered in spring ball put his sophomore season in jeopardy. Somehow, he managed to return in October and suited up for four games, including his first career start. He followed up with 67 tackles and four tackles for loss as a full-time starter in 2022, putting himself on the map for NFL teams.
A highly effective all-around defender at Kentucky, Jackson ended his career in Lexington with 216 combined tackles, five interceptions, three sacks, and 17 tackles for loss, headlined by an impressive 2023 junior campaign where he posted 89 tackles, two interceptions, and two sacks starring in the middle of Bob Stoops’ unit. But durability concerns caused his draft stock to plummet and despite running a 4.51 40-yard dash at his pro day workout, after sitting out the final four games of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury, he went undrafted and initially competed in Seattle’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis before being signed shortly after to the 53-man roster for a chance to compete this summer.
Fun Fact: Even while being limited to eight games, Jackson tied for the lowest opposing passer rating (36.4) in coverage and ranked third in completion percentage against (47.1 percent) among qualified linebackers in the FBS division last season, per PFF.
Best Case Scenario: Racking up tackles in bunches all over the field in the preseason, Jackson emerges as a fan favorite and catches the attention of Macdonald and the coaching staff, surpassing Drake Thomas and Patrick O’Connell on the depth chart to become Seattle’s primary backup inside linebacker behind Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight.
Worst Case Scenario: After missing extended time in college battling injuries, Jackson isn’t able to get up to speed against his competition in the middle, battling for scraps at the bottom of the depth chart in the preseason before being waived and not being re-signed as a member of the practice squad.
What to Expect in 2025: If not for the litany of injuries he dealt with in Lexington that cost him large chunks of two separate seasons, Jackson absolutely would have been drafted in April. When healthy, he has been a dynamic playmaker with excellent speed, the desire to dish punishment as a tackler, and a natural feel in coverage, evidenced by his stacked stat line over five seasons with the Wildcats. He’s also coming from a program that has recently kicked out several other future NFL linebackers that his production stacks up favorably against.
With Jones and Knight under contract through 2027, finding a way into the lineup on defense likely won’t be in the cards for Jackson unless one of those players gets banged up. But if he can stay healthy - which has been a big if in the past - he has the size, athleticism, and instincts in both the run and pass game to not only push for a roster spot with the Seahawks, but potentially jump all the way into the third spot as the next in line to play on defense. Even if that doesn’t happen, his experience playing against the best competition in the SEC coupled with his intangibles make it highly probable that he can hang around on the practice squad with a chance to suit up on Sundays down the road.
