Detroit Lions trade defensive back Michael Jackson to AFC powerhouse

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn managed to get a 2022 NFL draft pick for defensive back Michael Jackson, who was due to be waived.

Defensive back Michael Jackson, who was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, has been traded. The Detroit Lions signed him off of the Cowboys’ practice squad in October last year.

Jackson had already been announced by the Lions as one of the players they had cut to get down to the 80 player limit. However, it seems that the New England Patriots decided they didn’t want to risk missing out on the former Miami Hurricane on the waiver wire.

Michael Jackson was unlikely to make the roster at a loaded position.

Jackson played in just one game last season, receiving limited snaps. He got on the field for only two special teams snaps in the game, showing he was never likely to make the team this year.

Despite being on the roster half of last year and making it to this point in the offseason, Jackson was a long shot to make the roster this year. He was low on the depth chart at a position of strength for the Lions. Jackson was presumably behind (at the minimum) first-round pick Jeff Okudah, Desmond Trufant, Amani Oruwariye, Justin Coleman, Mike Ford, and Jamal Agnew; and perhaps others.

The Patriots seemingly must have liked something they saw on his college tape that they think he can still project to at the NFL level. It’s also possible they think he can be a good specials teamer for them.

In college, playing for Miami, Jackson was thought to be a third or fourth-round pick. Scouts liked his ability to play man-coverage in press schemes but weren’t impressed with his overall athleticism and fluidity.

ESPN’s senior NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, broke the news on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. He reported that the Lions would be getting an “undisclosed” draft pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

The 2022 draft pick is a seventh-rounder. It’s also a conditional pick that likely hinges on Jackson making the final 53-man roster for the Patriots.

It’s not a big move, but the Lions were still able to grab a 2022 draft pick for a player that they were going to cut anyway. So for that reason, Quinn gets an “A” grade for this trade.