1 bold prediction for each of the Saints draft picks in 2022
By TJAY Jones
Fifth-round pick DeMarco Jackson will start at least 5 games
DeMarco Jackson, the 6’1″ 230-pound linebacker out of Appalachian State was drafted by the Saints in the fifth round. Jackson is a tackling machine. In his final year with the Mountaineers, he recorded 119 tackles six sacks, and an interception.
Jackson is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in 4.5 seconds. If a player is drafted in the fifth round it’s not a guarantee that they will make the club, but based on Jackson’s upside he has a really strong chance of making the Saints team. He has a chance to not only make the team but to be a starter.
If you look at the Saints linebackers except for DeMario Davis, it is a room full of uncertainty, and full of players who are always injured. Kaden Elliss played well when thrust into the starting rotation, but is always hurt while Zack Baun since being drafted by the Saints in 2020 has been a huge disappointment.
If you put that together it opens up a huge opportunity for Jackson. I don’t expect him to be a starter in Week 1 when the Saints take on the Falcons, but by mid-season, he will be starting at a weak-side linebacker.