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RB Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills

HT: 6-1, WT: 215, Born: 2-20-1981, College: Coe, Drafted: ---

2008 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 28th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: M Booker (200), D Thomas (201), Fred Jackson (202), S Slaton (203), R McMichael (204)
Position: T Duckett (196-RB67), M Morris (197-RB68), Fred Jackson (202 - RB69), S Slaton (203-RB70), M Pittman (211-RB71)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Best Case

The Bills appear to have found a gem in Fred Jackson. Although he had to compete with two highly regarded draft picks and a veteran in Anthony Thomas, Jackson's strong preseason performance earned him a spot on the roster. Later on when Lynch was injured, Jackson was the RB who emerged from the pack and established himself as the clear backup on this team. He has good size, soft hands, and is explosive in the open field. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry, which was good enough to rank as the ninth-best season average in team history. Jackson also demonstrated his receiving ability by pulling down 22 receptions in just 8 games. Marshawn Lynch clearly has the ability to be a workhorse back in this offense, but the Bills also appear to have a very capable No. 2 option in Jackson. If he can continue to play well, the Bills might consider moving to more of a RB by committee approach and giving him five to 10 touches per game to keep Lynch healthy.

Worst Case

Jackson kind of came out of nowhere last year and could prove to be a bit of a fluke. He played for a small college and in an indoor football league before getting noticed in NFL Europe, so he doesn't have much of a history playing against top competition. The team also has more invested in draft picks like Dwayne Wright and Xavier Omon, who are both big backs that might be a better complement to Lynch. Jackson and Lynch appear to have very similar games, and if Lynch can emerge as the receiving option the Bills believe he will be, that might leave very few opportunities for Jackson.

Outlook

Despite little fanfare coming into the season, Jackson emerged as a diamond in the rough for the Bills offense. The team had high hopes for their 2007 fourth round pick Dwayne Wright but he looked slow in his limited work and was clearly outplayed by the more explosive Jackson. Jackson didn't get any significant game action until week 11 last year and still wound up with some impressive numbers. With a full year as the primary backup to Lynch, he could get five or more touches each week and wind up doubling his numbers from a year ago. Jackson is definitely a good player to target if you spend a high pick on Lynch.

2008 Schedule

2007 Game Summaries

Week 12 - The second year running back from Coe College served as the back up to Anthony Thomas. He showed a knack for catching the ball out of the backfield and gaining positive yardage, though most of his receptions came in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

Week 13 - Jackson looked good in his first extensive NFL game action. He gained 151 total yards (82 rushing/69 receiving) and led the team in both rushing and receiving yards. He busted out a long rush of 22 yards and a game high 54 yard catch and run. He showed excellent burst and surprisingly good vision.

Week 14 - Jackson shared the running load with Marshawn Lynch and had the best game of his rookie season. He ran 15 times for 115 yards. He had six runs of at least nine yards, including a 21 yard run that he nearly broke for a 43 yard touchdown on the final play of the first half. Jackson is now averaging nearly six yards per attempt this season and looks like he will be a nice complement to Lynch in the future. Like Lynch, Jackson runs hard and fights for extra yardage. Jackson also did a good job in pass protection, when called upon.

Jackson caught one pass for six yards. He also dropped a screen pass.

Week 15 - Jackson was a change of pace back, used to spell Lynch at times during the game. He was largely ineffective running the ball with seven carries for 16 yards. He did find a small niche in the passing game, specifically on play action, catching a total of three passes for 36 yards.

Week 16 - Jackson got into the game to give a Lynch a rest. He is a fast runner who can make quick cuts, although the field conditions were brutal. He still finished with 37 yards on six carries.

Week 17 - While his role is to spell Lynch, Jackson also led the Bills in receiving with six balls for 24 yards. His high number of targets underscores Buffalo's inability to get the ball to their wide receivers.