Denver Broncos: Undrafted rookie spotlight on WR Warren Jackson
Warren Jackson is a name many fans of the Denver Broncos may recognize. The wide receiver signed as a free agent with the team following the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jackson was born in Mission Hills, California, and was a solid high school player. He originally committed to playing at Arizona but decided instead to come to Fort Collins and play at Colorado State.
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 219
School: Colorado State
Jackson is a player that we have talked about before, as his local ties make him a player fans want to get to know more about.
CSU has done a good job in recent years churning out professional wide receivers, as Michael Gallup, Rashard Higgins and Preston Williams all came out of the program.
Jackson had a tremendous junior season for the Rams, catching 77 passes for 1,119 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games, but deciding to opt-out for the 2020 season after the Mountain West Conference initially postponed its season didn’t help his draft stock and he was not selected.
Jackson has great size at 6-foot-6 but watching him on the field, you feel like he could and should be able to do much more with his size. He lacks great route-running ability and does not gain separation enough, so he will need to put in plenty of work at the next level if he is ever going to see the field in a regular-season game.
When he does get open, Jackson has nice hands and can make tough, contested catches when he has to as well.
If you wanted another reason to root for Jackson, this story about his bond with his father, who has battled brain cancer, is terrific.
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Chances of making the final roster (1-10 scale): 3
Jackson is going to have to put in a lot of work to get better and be prepared for the next level. One training camp will likely not be enough time to do that, particularly with the names the Broncos have in front of him on the depth chart.
Jackson is one of three undrafted receivers alone and as of this writing, the team has a total of 13 wide receivers on the roster. That’s likely too many for him to carve out a role in a short amount of time.
He will also have to find a way to get noticed on special teams, as that is the easiest way for an undrafted player to get noticed.
Still, he will be a fun player to keep tabs on this summer to see what the future may hold. The athletic traits and dedication to the game certainly seem to be there, so if the coaching staff can get the most out of him and teach him how to be more physical and use his size more to his advantage, he could make an impact on the team down the road.