ATHENS — It seems there will be another perseverance-themed chapter in the story of Georgia football fan-favorite “Dirty” Dan Jackson.
Jackson, one of the key players on the Bulldogs’ SEC championship defense, was perhaps the most notable player not among the 329 players invited to take part in the 2025 NFL Combine.
Jackson is among the many inspirational stories in recent Georgia football history, bypassing smaller scholarship offers to walk-on at UGA and earn a starting position -- and -- ultimately, a place in history with his fumble-inducing hit that led to the Bulldogs’ 44-42 eight-overtime win over Georgia Tech.
The NFL combine takes place Feb. 24-March 3 at the Indianapolis Convention Center and Lucas Oil Field, with players doing in-person interviews, on-field drills and taking part in medical testing.
The 32 NFL teams provide input to the Player Selection Committee which selects the NFL combine participants.
Jackson was recently named MVP of his position group at the Senior Bowl in a vote taken by teammates at the annual all-star game in Mobile, making good on the scouting report Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy did that led to his selection.
Nagy, a four-time NFL Super Bowl winning scout who interviewed for the New York Jets GM position, has been adamant in his belief Jackson will transition well into the NFL.
Nagy recently said that, every year, there are “20 to 30 guys” who were invited to the NFL Combine who get drafted.
“Getting the invite to Indy isn’t the end all be all, whatsoever,” Nagy said in 2020, asked about the importance of an NFL combine invite after Tae Crowder was passed over. “He’ll have his pro day and the rest of the process to work it out.”
Crowder was the so-called “Mr. Irrelevant” of the 2020 NFL Draft when he was last player selected in that year’s by the New York Giants.
Crowder quickly proved those skeptics who overlooked him for an NFL combine invite wrong, starting six games of the 11 games he played for the Giants his rookie year — coming back from a midseason hamstring injury he suffered during a scoop-and-score fumble recovery for a touchdown.
In fact, Crowder played more snaps than three linebackers the Giants had selected in front of him in the NFL draft.
Crowder’s second season was even more impressive, as he led the Giants with 130 tackles and had two interceptions and a forced fumble, before being released by the team following the 2022 season.
Nagy was as much an advocate for Crowder at that time as he has been for Jackson during this current NFL draft process.
Looking back, it’s easy to understand why.
Crowder was a starting inside linebacker for a Georgia defense that finished the 2019 season ranked No. 1 in scoring defense and rushing defense and No. 3 in total defense and No. 8 in pass efficiency defense.
“I’ll say this about Tae Crowder, to me, the arrow is pointing up with him,” Nagy said on DawgNation’s Ingles ‘On the Beat’ Show at that time. “When you’re in scouting, you talk about guys that are ascending players, and I think Tae is doing that.”
The same could be said for Jackson, who Nagy said at the Senior Bowl was being erroneously overlooked by teams at that point of the NFL draft process.
“Yes, he was a walk-on, yes he’s a white safety, you can pigeon-hole him all you want,” Nagy told DawgNation during Senior Bowl week last month, “but if you watch the football player, he’s a Dog.”
The Philadelphia Eagles recent Super Bowl win says plenty about the value of drafting Georgia football players.
Former UGA team captain Chaz Chambliss and transfer tight end Ben Yurosek were also snubbed by the NFL combine, each now having to prepare for Georgia Pro Day where they will be able to perform combine drills with most, if not all, NFL teams having a representative in Athens.
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