Gabe Jackson

Gabriel C. Jackson (born July 12, 1991) is an American football guard for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Raiders in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State.

Early years

A native of Liberty, Mississippi, Jackson attended Amite County High School, where he was coached by his father Charles Jackson and started both ways at tackle since his freshman season. Until after his junior year, he was teammates with offensive lineman James Brown and linebacker Damien Wilson. Following his senior season, Jackson was rated with the top 40 high school prospects in the state of Mississippi by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jackson was ranked as the No. 91 offensive tackle prospect in the class of 2009, which was headed by D. J. Fluker and Mason Walters. He drew limited interest from several SEC schools, as well as from Southern Miss, and eventually signed with Mississippi State.

College career

After redshirting his initial year at Mississippi State, Jackson earned the starting spot at left guard, next to All-SEC left tackle Derek Sherrod, prior to the season opener against Memphis. On the season, Jackson posted 40 knockdown blocks and graded out at 80 percent or higher six times. In the Bulldogs’ 24–17 win over Kentucky, he graded out at 93 percent. With running back Vick Ballard, Mississippi State's rushing attack averaged 214.8 yards per game, second-highest in the Southeastern Conference and 16th in the country. In the 14–17 loss to Auburn, Jackson scored a touchdown after recovering Chris Relf's fumble in the end zone. After the season, Jackson was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

In his sophomore year, Jackson started all 13 games at left guard, grading out a champion in five games and recorded a team-high 69 takedowns. In the 34–41 loss at Auburn, he notched a season-high nine knockdowns. As a blocker, Jackson helped the 2011 Bulldogs to reach the top 10 in school history for single-season marks in passing touchdowns, passing completions, total yards and first downs. The Bulldogs offensive line, which also featured James Carmon at left tackle, gave up the fifth-fewest sacks in the SEC. Jackson helped pave the way for running back Ballard, who finished fourth in the SEC in rushing. For the first time since 1914, Mississippi State scored 50-plus points twice in the same season.

As a junior, Jackson was a constant fixture at left guard, starting all 13 games and grading out as champion consistently in all but one game. The Bulldogs offensive line gave up the second-fewest sacks in the SEC (29th nationally), while Jackson did not personally give up a sack all season. In the SEC-opener against Auburn, he graded out at 91 percent with six pancake blocks, earning the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. In the nationally televised 41–31 win again Tennessee, Jackson graded out a season-high 95 percent. After the season, he was earned First-Team All-SEC honors by the AP and Phil Steele and second-team honors by the SEC Coaches and ESPN.com. Jackson was also named to the Phil Steele and FoxSportsNext All-America Second Team, as well as earning honorable mention All-America honors from Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Weekly.

Jackson entered his senior season as one of the highest rated guards in the country, as he was named 2013 preseason All-American by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, and the best offensive lineman in the SEC by the Birmingham News. After the Bulldogs' 62–7 win over Troy, Jackson was named as the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after recording five pancake blocks in helping MSU’s offense roll up 551 yards of offense. In Mississippi State's 26–59 loss against Louisiana State, Jackson held highly regarded defensive tackle Ego Ferguson to only three tackles.

In November 2013, Jackson was named the inaugural winner of the Kent Hull Trophy, awarded to Mississippi’s most outstanding collegiate offensive lineman. He also won the Conerly Trophy as Mississippi's top collegiate player overall, and was named first-team All-SEC.

Professional career

Jackson was regarded as one of the best interior offensive linemen for the 2014 NFL Draft. Jackson looked to become the highest Mississippi State offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft since Derek Sherrod in 2011.

Jackson was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round, 81st overall, of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Jackson quickly inserted himself into the starting lineup as a rookie, playing in 13 games with 12 starts at left guard. He continued to be the Raiders starting left guard for the 2015 season, starting all 16 games. In 2016 he moved to right guard and started all 16 games. On June 29, 2017, Jackson signed a five-year, $56 million contract extension with the Raiders.

On November 26, 2017, during Week 12 against the Denver Broncos, Jackson was ejected for pushing an official while Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib were in a fight.

In 2018, Jackson started 13 games at right guard before suffering an elbow injury in Week 14. He was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018.