Southern California junior left tackle Austin Jackson, a potential first-round pick, announced Wednesday he will enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jackson is rated the fourth-best prospect among offensive tackles in rankings by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. He is ranked 36th among all players on CBSSports.com.
In a post on his Twitter account Wednesday, Jackson thanked USC coaches, teammates and fans, adding, “The band of the Trojan family is for life! With that shared, I will be forgoing my senior year to pursue my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.”
Jackson earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors last season, when the Trojans went 8-5 overall, 7-2 in the conference. The Trojans will have to replace both tackles, as the starter on the right side, Drew Richmond, was a senior. The other three starting linemen were sophomores in 2019.
USC has one more underclassman with significant 2020 draft potential — junior wide receiver Tyler Vaughns, who has not announced a decision. The deadline to apply for the NFL draft is Friday.
