Dan Jackson (defensive back)
 Jackson with Georgia at the 2025 Senior Bowl | |
| No. 17 – Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 30, 2000 Gainesville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | North Hall (Gainesville) |
| College | Georgia (2019–2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: 7th round, 230th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Daniel Warren Jackson (born November 30, 2000) is an American professional football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Lions in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life
Jackson attended North Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia. As a senior, Jackson played both running back and defensive back, totaling 1,785 all-purpose yards, 26 touchdowns, and four interceptions.[1] He decided to walk-on at the University of Georgia, following his high school career.
College career
After redshirting and being a member of the scout team for his first two years on campus, Jackson earned significant playing time in 2021.[1] Against Arkansas, he blocked a punt, leading to a touchdown, before leading the team in tackles the following week.[2][3] Jackson finished the 2021 season with over 35 tackles, becoming a leader on Georgia's defense.[4] The following season, he played in seven games, recording 16 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup before his season was prematurely ended due to injury.[5][6][7]
In 2023, Jackson returned from his injury, playing in the season opener against UT Martin.[8] He finished the season with 20 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception before announcing that he would return to Georgia in 2024.[9] In 2024, against rival Georgia Tech, Jackson forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter, giving Georgia the ball in Yellow Jacket territory down by seven points. Georgia capitalized on the turnover, going on to eventually win in eight overtimes by a score of 44–42.[10] He ended his year having appeared in all 14 games with 13 being starts. He totaled 64 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions.[11] He was selected third-team All-SEC (Southeastern Conference) at the end of the year.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 29+7⁄8 in (0.76 m) | 8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) | 6 ft 1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 4.46 s | 1.54 s | 2.64 s | 4.36 s | 7.12 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | |
| All values from Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Jackson was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 230th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on August 4, 2025.[15]
References
- 1 2 Hubbard, Drew (October 14, 2021). "Georgia's Daniel Jackson inspiring future players". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ Weiszer, Marc (October 14, 2021). "'Where did we get this guy?' How Dan Jackson went from unknown to UGA surprise contributor". Online Athens. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ Towers, Chip (October 4, 2021). "Dan Jackson is latest walk-on to make a mark with Georgia Bulldogs". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ Hutchins, Caleb (December 10, 2021). "For North Hall's Dan Jackson, 2021 has been". AccessWDUN. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ↑ Riley, Connor (October 26, 2022). "Georgia football safety Dan Jackson likely out for 2022 season due to foot injury". 95.5 WSB. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ↑ Shelton, J.C. (March 27, 2023). "Georgia safety Dan Jackson talks new role". The Players Lounge. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ Towers, Chip (October 25, 2022). "Georgia Bulldogs lose key safety Dan Jackson for season". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Dan Jackson proves you can outwork stars". BullDawg Illustrated. September 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ Murphy, Bill (December 13, 2023). "College football: North Hall grad Dan Jackson still has big goals with Georgia Bulldogs". Gainesville Times. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ↑ Towers, Chip (November 30, 2024). "Kirby Smart: Georgia Bulldogs thankful for 'Dirty Dan' Jackson". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Dan Jackson". detroitlions.com. Detroit Lions. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Dan Jackson Georgia Football Pro Day Results". SI.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Dan Jackson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
- ↑ Twentyman, Tim (April 26, 2025). "Lions draft safety Dan Jackson". DetroitLions.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ↑ Woodyard, Eric (August 4, 2025). "Lions rookie safety Jackson to IR with leg injury". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2025.