Chad Jackson was a three-sport athlete at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama where he played football, basketball, and ran track. On the football team, Chad was a three-year starter at receiver but he did see some time at free safety as well. In his first year as a starter, Chad helped Hoover to a state championship. As a junior he totaled 70 receptions for 1,404 yards, and 16 touchdown receptions, helping his team to a state championship appearance. He was named first team all-state for his play as a junior. As a senior, Chad received the honor of serving as team captain. He finished the season with 68 receptions for 1,187 yards and 14 touchdowns. He led Hoover to a 13-1 record and their second state championship in three years. He was named team MVP and first team all-state for his performance. During his three years as a starter, Hoover compiled an impressive record of 42-3 and Chad scored 52 total touchdowns. He was considered to be the top receiver in the state of Alabama and one of the best receiver prospects in the nation. He was recruited by schools such as: Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama, but he opted to sign with the Florida Gators instead. As a true freshman, Chad was a contributor on special teams in every game and saw action at receiver in four games. He finished the season with modest totals of 3 receptions for 38 yards, including a 29 yard touchdown grab. As a sophomore, Chad once again played special teams the entire season. He started three games at receiver and finished the season with 29 catches for 648 yards (22.3 yards per catch) and 6 touchdowns. As a junior, Chad had career highs in receptions (88), yards (900), and touchdowns (9). He led the SEC in receptions although his yards per catch dropped from 22.3 the previous year to 10.2 as a junior. He was named first team all-SEC for his play as a junior. Chad still has another year of eligibility left; however, he has opted to skip his senior season to enter the 2006 NFL draft.

Chad Jackson has a good combination of size and speed for a receiver. He is an athletic player with the size and leaping ability to take the ball from larger defenders and the speed to beat faster defensive backs deep. Overall he has very good hands although he will drop some easy passes from time to time. He runs solid routes, will break some tackles, and can be elusive after the catch. He will go over the middle and make a tough catch in traffic. He may need to bulk up a little bit and improve his strength but he does have the frame in which to do so. He isn’t a very physical receiver and he needs to improve his blocking to become a more complete receiver. Chad Jackson isn’t a finished product and he probably would’ve benefited from another year in school. He really only has a little over a year as a starter but he has a great deal of upside. I don’t think he will be an immediate starter in the NFL but he has the talent to become a #1 receiver at the professional level. Chad does have some things he needs to work on, but as I mentioned this is a weak group of receivers. His potential alone could be enough to push him into the latter portion of round one and at worst he is an early second round pick in the 2006 NFL draft.