Arkansas senior defensive end Landon Jackson was selected 72nd overall in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills on Friday.
Jackson is the second Razorback off the board in this year's draft and the first defensive Hog to be taken in the draft since linebacker Drew Sanders in 2023, but the first defensive end since both Deatrich Wise Jr. and Jeremiah Ledbetter were selected in 2017.
A native of Texarkana, Texas, Jackson started 31 of the 37 games he played as a Razorback. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound pass-rusher began his career at LSU before transferring to Arkansas after the 2021-22 season.
In three seasons in Fayetteville, Jackson accounted for 116 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, two forced fumbles and five pass breakups. He recorded a career-high 13.5 TFL in 2023-24 and notched 6.5 sacks in each of his junior and senior campaigns.
Highly regarded across the country, Jackson finished as First-Team All-SEC in 2023 (Coaches), Second-Team All-SEC in 2024 (AP, Coaches) and was named to multiple award watch lists, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player), Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) and Lombardi Award (best lineman of the year).
Jackson turned heads at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.68 40-yard dash, recorded a 40.5-inch vertical jump and tallied a 10-foot-9 broad jump. He received a Relative Athletics Score of 9.78, which ranked 46 out of 2,012 defensive ends from 1987 to 2025.
NFL Next Gen Stats gave Jackson a total score of 77 following his NFL Combine performance, and that score ranked seventh of all combine defensive ends. His 85 athleticism score ranked second of all combine defensive ends and his prospect grade of 6.35 translates to "will eventually be plus starter," according to NFL.com.
"High-energy edge prospect with projectable traits but unorthodox movements and body control that might create a lack of conviction when it’s time to stamp a grade," NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein said. "Jackson added muscle mass to his leggy frame, but a lack of bend hinders his anchor and contact balance against force. He’s long and urgent in fighting his way past the man in front of him.
"He’ll never be a natural edge bender but he plays with connected hands and feet that should allow him to develop more impactful rush counters. It will look gawky at times, but Jackson seems to be growing into his frame and possesses the traits and motor to make it as a future starter on the edge."
