Yes, Cam Jackson is massive. But that’s not all he adds to Carolina Panthers’ defense
Believe it or not — and you might need to suspend reality a bit on this — there was a time when Cam Jackson wasn’t always the biggest guy on the field.
Really anytime before high school, he said.
“I was small in Little League,” said Jackson, the newly minted NFL defensive lineman the Carolina Panthers took in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Jackson smiled. “Yeah, I wasn’t just always the big guy until I got to like junior high, probably around middle school.”
So how small is “small,” though?
What position did you play in little league?
“Defensive end,” he said.
Ah. Fair enough.
It’s not hard to see why Jackson would consider playing defensive end as a youth “small” in comparison to what he does now. After all, the built-like-a-truck tackle out of Florida is now arguably the most physically imposing player on a Carolina Panthers team that spent a bulk of the offseason getting more players of the massive variety. Particularly on defense.
Think of free-agent addition Bobby Brown III, the nose tackle who measures out at 6-foot-4, 332 pounds. Think free-agent acquisition Turk Wharton, the nose tackle in Kansas City who will likely play more defensive tackle (3-technique, to be precise) and measures out at 6-1, 280.
Jackson — at 6-6, 342 pounds and 34 1/8-inch arms to boot — is larger than both of them.
So yes, Jackson is massive. And that’s significant for a defense that desperately needed a block-eating run-stopper on the defensive line after the early injury to Pro Bowler Derrick Brown. (Case in point: The defense gave up a league-worst 3,057 rushing yards in 2024.)
But that’s not all Jackson is.
Take general manager Dan Morgan’s word for it.
“When you see him in person and in his pads, I mean, that’s a big man, big, long man that takes up a lot of room, occupies a lot of blocks,” Morgan said. “He’s going to keep our linebackers free.”
“But I don’t think many people realize just how mobile he is for a big guy. He can get up and down the line of scrimmage and make plays out on the perimeter. So, yeah, he’s not just a big man and space-eater. He can move a little bit now, too.”
Such a virtue is huge when considering what the Panthers were looking for along their defense: Versatility. Coaches and front-office personnel have preached the importance of finding guys who fit certain profiles for building a good rotation of front-seven guys to keep players fresh.
Head coach Dave Canales said Jackson can help the team meet that end.
“I think what was important for us is versatility inside,” Canales said Saturday. “Having a guy like Bobby Brown, who has played the nose, who has played all across the front, is huge. Turk, the disruptive way he plays and more of a compact build, but he’s really sudden. Just kind of having a little bit of a different style of play.
“Then it was kind of the same thing as we were looking at Cam Jackson’s film and kind of evaluating him. He played the nose. He’s played all across the front, very similar to Bobby. For me it’s the openness for (defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero) and for Coach (Todd) Wash and the defensive staff to be able to let these guys show us what they can do, so that we can put them in the best situations possible and find those combinations.
“It gives us a lot of flexibility.”
A Panthers defensive line in rebuild
To call the Panthers’ defensive line a “work in progress” is fair.
Jackson joins a unit that includes Brown, Jerrod Clark and Popo Aumavae at the nose tackle spot. He’ll be lined up alongside defensive ends A’Shawn Robinson (who had a career year last year in Carolina), Wharton, Brown, Jaden Crumedy and Shy Tuttle.
He also joins a draft class that includes four SEC players — and three Florida Gators. Jackson joins running back Trevor Etienne and edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, who spent time at Florida and are now in Carolina.
Jackson spent his first three seasons at Memphis, where in 2022 he notched 41 tackles, and three tackles for loss. He spent his final two seasons in Florida, where he was equally productive: 32 tackles in 2023 and 37 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2024.
That production was a sticking point in his draft stock. And he’ll be the first to tell you he’s more than his numbers. (Run stoppers regularly are.) He also said he wants to improve on his pass rush at the next level.
Another sticking point in his draft stock?
His size. In a good way.
Others will be the first to tell you he’s more than his size, too.
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Yes, Cam Jackson is massive. But that’s not all he adds to Carolina Panthers’ defense."
