A four-year Texas A&M starter and two-time captain, McKinnley Jackson anchors the middle of Cincinnati's defensive line.
McKinnley Jackson is a run-stuffing defensive tackle who started for four seasons at Texas A&M before Cincinnati made him a third-round pick in 2024. Despite battling injuries early in his career, he has developed into a steady interior presence for the Bengals.
Path to the league
Jackson played four seasons at Texas A&M from 2020 to 2023, earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2020 and breaking out as a junior in 2022 with 37 tackles, seven for loss and two sacks. He served as a two-time team captain and earned a Senior Bowl invite before the Bengals selected him in the third round, 97th overall, in the 2024 NFL draft.
Career highlights
Jackson's rookie season began on injured reserve with a knee injury, but he returned to the active roster in October 2024 and played in 13 games, contributing 15 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble as a run-stuffing interior lineman.
2025 season recap
Through Week 12 of the 2025 season, Jackson had recorded 18 total tackles, one sack and one forced fumble, continuing to develop as a rotational run-defense piece on Cincinnati's defensive line.
Sources
- Wikipedia: McKinnley Jackson
- ESPN: McKinnley Jackson
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
9 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | bengals | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | bengals | 13 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Texas A&M
- Hometown
- Lucedale, MS, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
