A national champion and three-time first-team All-Big Ten guard at Ohio State, Donovan Jackson stepped straight into a starting role as Minnesota's first-round investment on the interior line.
Donovan Jackson is an offensive guard who anchored Ohio State's line for three seasons, capped by a College Football Playoff national championship, before the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in the first round in 2025. A five-star recruit out of Houston, Texas, Jackson stepped directly into the Vikings' starting lineup as a rookie and held the job for a full season.
Path to the league
Jackson was a five-star recruit at Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas, choosing Ohio State over offers from Georgia, Stanford, Texas and Texas A&M. He played in all 13 games as a freshman before winning the starting left guard job in 2022, then earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in each of his final three seasons and first-team All-American recognition in 2024. He capped his college career by helping Ohio State win the CFP national championship, then was selected by the Vikings with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Jackson's three consecutive first-team All-Big Ten selections and 2024 All-American nod made him one of the most decorated interior linemen in Ohio State history. He also earned academic recognition, becoming one of the few Buckeyes to pair first-team All-America honors with first-team Academic All-America honors, and graduated with a degree in sport industry in December 2024.
2025 season recap
Jackson started 14 of the 14 games he played as a rookie for Minnesota, missing time early in the season with a wrist injury. He posted a 65.7 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade, ranked 27th among the league's guards, while his run-blocking grade of 57.2 finished 55th at the position, giving the Vikings a productive if still-developing first-round starter on the interior.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Donovan Jackson
- ESPN: Donovan Jackson
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Guard
- Group
- offense
- College
- Ohio State
- Hometown
- Cypress, TX, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
