New Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson is fast. But is he fast enough to run a sub-4.22 40-yard dash?
Meet new Panthers CB Donte Jackson, who came up short of beating John Ross’ 40-yard dash record
Jackson ran an official 4.32 on Monday.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Jackson had his eyes on the record Bengals receiver John Ross set last year in the 40-yard dash. Ross’ 4.22 run bested the record of 4.24 that Chris Johnson set back in 2008.
At the 2018 NFL Combine, Jackson was honest about his desire to top Ross’ time.
“If you were fast, wouldn’t that be a goal for you? Exactly,” Jackson said. “That’s just competitive nature in me. I’m going to get out the bed and I’m going to be ready to run and beat it. That’s just what it is.”
Jackson got his chance at the combine when defensive backs went through their drills and he was feeling confident. He gave reporters two words of advice when they watch him run:
“Don’t blink.”
Jackson was waiting for the 40-yard dash for a year
Jackson’s LSU teammates believed Jackson could beat Ross’ time when they saw Ross set the record last year.
“A lot of guys on my team we were all watching it like, ‘You’re going to beat that. You’re going to beat that,’” Jackson said, via College Football 24/7’s Dan Parr. “It was cool to see. It was cool to see somebody actually went out there and broke it.”
Jackson was a solid corner during his LSU career. He finished his final season with 45 tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception.
He didn’t just use his speed on the gridiron, either. Jackson also ran track for LSU. He ran leadoff on the Tigers’ 4x100m relay team that won gold in the SEC Track and Field Championship in 2017 with a time of 38.71.
“From the waist down, I’m track,” Jackson told reporters at the combine. “Everything else up from there, my mentality, my toughness, my swagger, my confidence — all that’s straight football player.
If there was anyone at who could have broken the record this year, it was Jackson
College Football 24/7 ranked Jackson as the fastest player in college football last year. Guess who topped that list in 2016? That would be John Ross.
It’s hard to believe Ross’ record would fall so soon after Johnson’s previous record stood for nearly a decade. Unsurprisingly, no one came close this year. The fastest 40 through Sunday belonged to Jackson’s college teammate, wide receiver D.J. Chark. His official time was 4.34 seconds.
At the combine, Jackson scoffed at the idea of Chark beating him in the 40.
“4.34? I can run that not stretching.”
Jackson has said that he’s been clocked at 4.24 during training, so he’s close.
“I don’t feel no pressure to run fast,” Jackson said. “Running fast is something I’ve been doing my whole life.”
But in the end, he couldn’t top Ross. Jackson put up an official 4.32 time, tying him with two other cornerbacks: Ohio State’s Denzel Ward and Tulane’s Parry Nickerson.
As a football player, Jackson is more than just fast — though that helps
Jackson landed in the second round to Carolina with the No. 55 pick. At 5’11 and 175 pounds, he’s a little on the small side to be effective in run support. But he does have elite speed.
“I don’t take my speed for granted. I’m happy I have it, this God-given ability. It’s something you can’t coach, it’s something you can’t just get out of bed one day and be fast. But if you’re fast, you can,” Jackson said at the combine.
“I always want to stress I’m a complete corner, I’m aggressive, I’m a technician, I have great ball skills, I’m not scared to hit anybody ... and I love to compete.”
Even if he didn’t beat Ross’ record, he was still the fastest player at the combine this year.
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