5 reasons why LA Rams signing UDFA OT Alaric Jackson is a big deal

V – 42 starts as Iowa’s left tackle counts for something

There is an inherent value to experience. At one point, part of an employee’s wages was tied to ‘longevity’ pay. In theory, the longer a person worked at a job, the more valuable they became. I think that same concept can apply here. After all, Iowa faces some of the toughest competition in the NCAA each year playing against Big-Ten schools.

42 starts in college are the NFL equivalent of 2.75 NFL seasons. In the Big-Ten football conference, that means he’s seen a lot of talented NFL players before they became professional. While it may have embedded some poor mechanics due to not being coached to correct those flaws, the fact that he stood toe to toe with some of the nation’s best defenders should not be so easily discounted.

In a year when many top prospects opted out, Jackson played. Like a Jeep, he handled the sun, the rain, the wind, and the occasional snow. And he just went out there and did his job. There was one pause when a knee injury derailed his NFL aspirations. He was out for three weeks in 2019. But when he returned, he wasn’t 100 percent recovered.

So he chose the other option. He returned for another season at Iowa and delivered all that was expected of him. He measured himself once more against the best of the Big-Ten. When it was over? He found himself facing the typical draft analysis. A starting offensive tackle lacking the ‘desired length’ for the starting NFL offensive tackle role. Even as NFL rushers are becoming smaller and faster, the offensive tackle standard has remained the same.