Bengals take William Jackson III at No. 24

The Cincinnati Bengals have selected cornerback William Jackson III out of Houston with the 24th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

With all four coveted wide receivers off the board, the Bengals decided to bolster their secondary after losing Reggie Nelson and most likely Leon Hall.

Jackson gives the Bengals a speedy option at corner with veterans Adam Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick still in the mix as starters. As a physical player, Jackson will fit right in with Marvin Lewis' hard-nosed defense.

William Jackson Bio

Position: CB
School: Houston
College Experience: Senior
Height: 6-0
Weight: 189 lbs.

Strengths

• Jackson has the ideal size and length for a professional cornerback.
• Possesses excellent field vision after recording interceptions, and is a threat to return the ball for a touchdown in every instance.
• Has excellent straight-line and recovery speed.
• Hits exceptionally hard in the open field and plays with outright aggression.
• Has very good ball skills and does a great job of tracking the ball down in flight.

Weaknesses

• Although Jackson's physicality overwhelms opponents, he displays poor tackling technique, often leading with his helmet.
• Savvy wide receivers know how to take advantage of Jackson's aggressiveness at the line of scrimmage, baiting him with double moves.
• Wide receivers can separate from Jackson with relative ease on hard cuts.

Combine Results