Winner: Dane Jackson
The biggest winner for the Buffalo Bills after the 2021 NFL Draft has to be cornerback Dane Jackson. The fact that the Bills didn’t add a cornerback until the sixth round and it’s a position that has a true competition for that starting job, Dane Jackson should feel pretty confident that he has a real shot to win that job in training camp.
Jackson was a seventh round pick by the Buffalo Bills last year and spent most of the year on the team’s practice squad. However, he did play in five games and had two starts this past season and when he got on the field, he played well. He had a key breakup early in the game against the New York Jets and followed it up with an interception later to help them secure the 18-10 win.
Then in the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Jackson was lined up against DeAndre Hopkins and was able to break up the pass in the end zone to stop the touchdown. He is a player that didn’t really play like a rookie when he got the chance.
The starting job certainly wouldn’t be handed to him and he will need to beat out Levi Wallace, who the team re-signed this offseason. There is also a good chance that the Bills could still add a veteran at the position but after the 2021 NFL Draft, Dane Jackson should know he has a real chance to be the starting cornerback Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season.