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The Oakland Raiders have drafted Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson with the 81st pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. Jackson came in at No. 38 among all prospects on SB Nation's top 200 big board. That placed him at No. 3 among all guards, behind only Xavier Su'a-Filo of UCLA and Zack Martin of Notre Dame.
Jackson was a second-team All-SEC selection in both 2011 and 2012, and was named to the first team in 2013. He was an immediate starter at left guard, starting 13 games in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He consistently kept his quarterback clean and is known as a strong run-blocker.
The Raiders have turned over their offensive line in recent seasons and lost Jared Veldheer to the Arizona Cardinals in free agency. Jackson will help bolster the inside alongside Steve Wisniewski.
NFL Draft
Combine results
Height: 6'3
Weight: 336 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.51 seconds
Bench press: 30 reps
Vertical jump: 29"
Broad jump: 9'0
20-yard shuttle: 4.78 seconds
3-cone drill: 8.25 seconds
Jackson moves far more quickly than you'd expect for someone his size, and while you couldn't tell that from his 40-yard dash, it remains true on the field. He's as prototypical a left guard as you can hope for, though he does struggle in space. He'll get a chance to work on that and start at one of the interior line positions at the next level.