D'Qwell Jackson

D'Qwell Jackson

No. 52     Cleveland Browns
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: September 26, 1983 (1983-09-26) (age 28)
Place of birth: Largo, Florida
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College: Maryland
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34
Debuted in 2006 for the Cleveland Browns
Career history
Cleveland Browns (2006–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2005) First-team All-American (2004, 2005) First-team All-ACC (2004, 2005) Second-team All-ACC (2003) NFL Combined Tackles Champion (2008) AFC Defensive Player of the Month (September, 2011)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2011
Tackles	472
Sacks	5.5
Interceptions	4
Forced fumbles	2
Stats at NFL.com

D'Qwell Jackson (born September 26, 1983 in Largo, Florida) is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Maryland.

Early years

Jackson attended Seminole High School in Seminole, Florida, where he was a three-year letterwinner and spent time at linebacker, fullback, quarterback and punter. Jackson made 150 tackles with 16 for loss, four forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered as a junior in 2000, and 91 tackles as a senior, including 10 sacks. He also rushed for 950 yards with a 5.7-yard average and 13 touchdowns as a fullback. Jackson was a first team all-state selection by the Associated Press as a junior and senior.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jackson was ranked 57th among outside linebacker prospects in the nation.^[1] He chose to attend Maryland over North Carolina State.^[2]

College career

“	D'Qwell is his own guy. He's played far and above my expectations. He's a very good player all the time. He's always precise in practice, always sharp.	”
—Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen.[3]

In 2002, Jackson saw action in all 14 games and led all freshmen in tackles with 51, including 38 solo stops. As a sophomore, he started all 13 games at middle linebacker and led the team with 136 tackles (90 solo). He also recorded 7.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions (one returned for a TD), two pass breakups, 10 QB hurries and one forced fumble. Jackson earned second team All-ACC selection honors that year.

Having established himself as the leader of the Terrapin defense, Jackson started all 11 games in 2004 and led the ACC with 123 tackles. He was named first team All-America by Collegefootballnews.com and second team by Rivals.com, also receiving All-American honorable mention by Pro Football Weekly.

Jackson entered his senior year on the preseason "watch list" for the Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski and Lott Awards. He became a three-time All-ACC performer after finishing the season with 137 tackles, 6.5 for loss, four sacks, and two interceptions. Jackson was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, joining E. J. Henderson as the only Terps to earn this honor.

Jackson became only the seventh player in school history to record over 400 tackles in a career. His 447 tackles rank fourth on Maryland's all-time record list behind linebackers Eric Wilson (481, 1981–84), E. J. Henderson (473, 1999–2002) and Chuck Faucette (466, 1983–86). He also joined Ratcliff Thomas (1993–95) and Henderson (2000–02) as the only Maryland players to lead the team in tackles three consecutive seasons.

Professional career

2006 NFL Draft

Jackson was the second highest-rated inside linebacker according to SI′s Tony Pauline, but some were scared off by his slow 40-yard dash. Also, at 6 foot and 228 pounds, he was deemed "more suited for a Cover 2 defensive scheme" and considered as a possible weak-side linebacker.^[4] The Cleveland Browns selected him 2nd in the second round, 34th overall. He was the seventh linebacker taken in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Pre-draft measureables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 0 in	228 lb	4.71 s	1.65 s	2.74 s	4.36 s	7.05 s	37 in	9 ft 7 in	19 rep	12
All values from NFL Combine

Cleveland Browns

Jackson was signed by the Cleveland Browns on July 24, 2006. In his rookie season, he started thirteen games at weakside linebacker and finished second on the team in tackles with 115, including 58 solo and three tackles for a loss. Jackson posted a career-high 16 tackles at Carolina on October 8, 2006, and matched the total vs. Cincinnati on November 26, 2006.

Playing inside linebacker in his third season with the Browns, Jackson led the NFL in tackles.

Jackson's 2009 season was cut short after he was injured in the sixth game of the season against Pittsburgh. Jackson had a team high 57 tackles when he hurt his shoulder. Browns' coach Eric Mangini said of Jackson at the time, “It’s disappointing any time you lose a player for the season, and this is especially true with someone like D’Qwell, who has proven to be an outstanding leader for us both on and off the field.” ^[5]

Career statistics

Year	Team	G	Tackles	Sacks	TFL	INT	INT YDS	FF	FR	PD	TD
2006	Cleveland	13	93	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
2007	Cleveland	14	101	1	2	1	1	0	1	3	0
2008	Cleveland	16	154	2	-	3	29	0	0	6	0
Totals		43	348	3	5	4	30	0	1	9	0

References

1. ^ "Rivals100: Outside linebackers". Rivals.com. February 5, 2002. http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=43. 
2. ^ "D'Qwell Jackson Profile". Rivals.com. http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=946. 
3. ^ Parasiliti, Bob (September 18, 2003). "Jackson has way of gutting it out for Terps". The Herald-Mail. http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=62956&format=html. 
4. ^ "D'Qwell Jackson Draft Profile". FOX Sports. April 24, 2006. http://foxsports.foxnews.com/other/story/5527872/D%27Qwell-Jackson-Draft-Profile. 
5. ^ http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=19426

External links

• Official Website
• Cleveland Browns bio
• Maryland Terrapins bio
• Refreshing scenarios heading into camp, Yahoo! Sports, July 24, 2009.