SUNDAY’S GAME Cornerback Jackson living up to his first-round draft status
He missed all of 2016 with injury, but has started last 3 games.
A rough season for CINCINNATI — the Cincinnati Bengals has produced at least one bright spot.
Bouncing back from a lost rookie campaign, cornerback William Jackson III has proven worthy of the team’s 2016 firstround draft pick. Bengals at Ravens, 4:25 p.m. WHIO-TV Ch. 7, 12, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
Jackson missed all of last season with a torn pectoral muscle suffered in training camp and hasn’t lost a step despite the long layoff from competition. Not only did he gradually work his way into the starting lineup, but Jackson is allowing less than 40 percent of the passes thrown into his cov- erage area to be caught, according to Pro Football Focus.
He looks to cap off his first season on a high note Sunday as the Bengals look to play spoiler to the Ravens’ playoff chances.
“Early in the year we were trying to find ways to not overdo it with him but give him the exposure and experience to see if he was ready to play, and I think he’s proven that as time has gone on,” secondary coach Kevin Coyle said. “Sometimes it was through
continued from C1 someone else being banged up he got more snaps, but all of a sudden you could see, yes, he can be special. Consequently, as the year has progressed, he’s proven to be one of our more solid cover players, and I think he’s just going to get better and better.”
Jackson has played in 14 games with four starts, replacing injured Adam Jones at right corner the past three weeks. He’s been in for 58 percent of the defensive snaps, including six games with more than 85 percent of the playing time, and he has 26 tackles, one sack and one interception returned 75 yards for a touchdown.
The 6-foot, 187-pound former University of Houston standout said missing all of last year helped him prepare for this season in terms of learning the system, getting to know his teammates and improving the mental aspect through film study. It also lit a fire in him once he got back on the field.
“For me to not be able to showcase what I could do was real frustrating,” said Jackson, who missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. “There was a chip on my shoulder. I didn’t pick to get hurt. It just hap- pened, so I wanted to go out and show the fans and the coaches what I could do.”
The coaches knew what he was capable of. Jackson led the nation in 2015 with a school-record 23 pass breakups and 28 passes defensed to go along with a career-best five interceptions.
Coyle said Jackson’s coverage skills are exactly what the Bengals hoped they would be. He needs to continue to work on being more physical, Coyle noted, but coach Marvin Lewis said that’s the biggest adjustment for firstyear players.
Lewis expects big leaps in Year 2 for Jackson.
“It ends up being a lot of football, a lot more than I think young guys ever anticipate,” Lewis said. “Early in the year you’re trying to figure out why they are shar- ing snaps so you can get them all through, and then it comes to, ‘You’re the guy,’ and you’re spending a lot more time across the hall in the training room because it does take a toll on your body. I think No. 1 when you go into the offseason after playing your first year of NFL football, you have a differ- ent look at the offseason, of which you need to prepare for physically to get ready to get on that horse again and get going. It’s a whole different point of view, and he didn’t get to experience that as a rookie.”
Jackson is building a reputation as a lockdown corner, and quarterbacks are more hesitant to throw it his way in recent weeks. He’s hoping for some chances to make plays Sunday against a much-improved Ravens offense since the opener against Baltimore.
“I want them to keep throwing it my way,” Jack- son said. “I want some pick- sixes, but they’ve been show- ing me respect lately. I just want a chance to compete and showcase what I can do.”
If Coyle is right, he’ll be gaining even more respect in the future.
“He has a very high ceil- ing, and a lot of that has to do with the fact he’s got excep- tional speed and recovery ability, which are two really important attributes to play the corner position,” Coyle said. “And, he’s very compet- itive. He’s very enthusiastic and deep down, he believes he can cover anybody. That’s a great trait to have. Willie is a very talented guy.” Contact this contributing writer at 772-260-8826 or email laurelpfahler@gmail. com.