Lost amid the Daniel Jones hysteria, the ascension of Kyler Murray as the No. 1 pick and Drew Lock falling into the second round was the quarterback who was forgotten. The player who went undrafted despite a strong junior year and impressive measurables.
It didn’t take long for Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson to find a new home, though. Minutes after his draft disappointment, Jackson, the 2018 Mid-American Conference offensive player of the year, agreed to a deal with the nearby Bills.
“The first thing you look at is the size, and I truly thought he would be drafted,” general manager Brandon Beane said, according to the Buffalo News. “He was on our draft board, to be drafted. I’m surprised, and you saw his name still sitting there late in the seventh, and you go, ‘Man, if this kid doesn’t get drafted, we’re going to have to go after him,’ and we did.
“He has a strong arm, and he’s got some mobility. I think he’s shown improvement during the year and he played in the Senior Bowl. It wasn’t too big for him, and I think he’s still an ascending player.”
Jackson came a long way in a short time, from a 5-foot-9 high school freshman dreaming of playing in the NFL to now being on the cusp.
Some projected the 6-foot-7, 249-pound Jackson, who has a nearly 7-foot wingspan, to go as high as the third round — others as low as the sixth. Few expected the player who threw for 3,131 yards and 28 touchdowns on 225-of-407 passing with 12 interceptions in 14 games in 2018 — and who left college with a year of eligibility still remaining — to not get selected.
Clearly, accuracy was a concern. In three seasons at Buffalo, Jackson completed only 55.8 percent of his passes. He worked with a quarterbacks coach, Jordan Palmer, in preparation for the draft. Palmer also spent time with current Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“I talked to Jordan for a while, here at his pro day, and it was just asking him what some of the things he was working on are, and I don’t want to get into all of it,” Beane said. “He thought he was heading in the right direction. Josh [Allen] who’s been around him out there, I asked Josh about him and he really likes him.
“It’ll be a natural fit. It’s really exciting for Sean [McDermott, the Bills head coach] and I. We love the UB program and like what they’re doing, so it’s cool, even though we didn’t draft one, to be able to bring him here.”
