Nick Daschel is a veteran sports writer and columnist who has worked on the West coast for nearly three decades. Nick has covered the Pac-10 for about 15 years, primarily focusing on the Northwest schools.
Note: With the NFL draft approaching later in April, we thought it would be fun to look back at the Pac-10’s top draft picks of the past decade (2000-09) to see where we would pick them. Continuing today and ending sometime close to the draft on April 25, we’ll count down a first round worth of Pac-10 draft picks, from 32 to 1. The list includes five quarterbacks, five running backs, five defensive linemen, six linebackers, three defensive backs, three wide receivers, three offensive linemen and two tight ends.
3. STEVEN JACKSON, OREGON STATE, RB
If ever there was a Pac-10 running back that screamed “NFL prospect,” it is Steven Jackson. He had the look of a linebacker playing running back; at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and ripped, Jackson was a physical specimen. One day during an OSU preseason camp practice, Jackson tore off his shirt, leaving several onlookers to gasp and say “Greek God!” And fast? How does a 10.4-second 100 as a high school junior suit you?
Frankly, it’s amazing Jackson lasted until the 24th pick of the NFL draft. But as we’ve said before, the NFL can whiff just like the rest of us.
The colleges did a fair job of overlooking Jackson, actually. Oregon State was on the rise when Jackson signed in 2001, but still, the Beavers might not have landed the Las Vegas sensation had schools like USC or Texas aggressively courted him. As it was, Jackson continued to lay the foundation at Oregon State for successful running backs. Since Ken Simonton in the late 1990s, the Beavers haven’t gone a season without a standout running back.
Jackson was the best of the bunch. He is the first Oregon State player to leave school early for the NFL, after running for more than 1,500 yards during his sophomore and junior seasons. In three seasons at OSU, Jackson scored 46 touchdowns.
Jackson has turned out to be a pretty nice find for a No. 24 draft pick in the NFL. In five years with St. Louis, Jackson has four 1,000-yard seasons, including a career high 1,528 yards in 2006.
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