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Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After ending his rookie season as a pregame inactive for five of the San Francisco 49ers’ final six games, defensive end Drake Jackson sat down with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek for his exit meeting.
Kocurek told Jackson where he thought he stood in the defensive line’s pecking order, asked Jackson how he viewed himself and requested Jackson provide the date of when he would be returning to work out. Kocurek’s hope was that after their chat, Jackson would get back to work sooner than later.
The date Jackson provided wasn’t long after the Niners’ Jan. 29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Kocurek was satisfied by the answer but it didn’t matter what was said if it wasn’t followed by action.
“I just told him, ‘I got to get to the point to where I hit that start button in my truck in the morning and I’m heading to work and [I shouldn’t have to think] ‘I hope Drake’s in there working hard,'” Kocurek said. “It should just be ‘I know he’s in there working hard.'”
The 49ers used a second-round choice — No. 61 overall — on Jackson in the 2022 NFL draft with an eye toward the future. The Niners have prioritized building up the defensive line under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch but had no preconceived notions of Jackson’s rookie role. If he’d won the starting job opposite Nick Bosa, it would have been considered a bonus.
But the Niners were well aware that fellow defensive ends Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu and Jordan Willis would be free agents after the season. At worst, the hope was that Jackson could earn valuable experience and be ready to start in year 2.
Jackson flashed promise early last year — posting three sacks in the first six games — but tapered off as the season went along. The reason for that downturn? Shanahan pointed to Jackson’s body not being ready for the grind of a long NFL season.
“Towards the end of the season, I would say my body wasn’t the same as it was starting the season,” Jackson said. “I know that of course it’s going to wear down, but I feel like I didn’t have enough, so I just kind of keep working and try to have what I need for the rest of the season.”
Jackson weighed around 252 pounds for most of his rookie season, finishing with 14 tackles, three sacks and an interception while averaging 20.1 snaps in 15 games. His 8.5% pass rush win rate and 3.8% pressure rate ranked well below the rest of the Niners’ regular edge defenders.
Ebukam (20.7% PRWR, 6.8% pressure rate) and Omenihu (16.4% PRWR, 7.5% pressure rate) far exceeded Jackson when it came to getting after quarterbacks. Jackson fared a bit better than expected against the run, posting a 27.3% run stop win rate that fell in line with the team’s other ends, but the Niners’ desire for him to add mass ties directly to their need for him to be on the field more and hold up with a bigger workload.
“When they sat me, I kind of had to take myself from the game and see what else is going on that I need to be doing,” Jackson said. “It kind of helped me in a way because instead of me being mad or sad from being taken out of the game, I figured out things that I needed to do to help myself to better myself further on.”
Jackson’s work in the weight room has resulted in significant offseason gains. Jackson estimates he weighs around 265 pounds and wants to play in the 260 to 265 range. Perhaps more important, Jackson is focused on increasing his strength to better take on bigger offensive linemen. That has translated to the weight room, where Jackson is putting up numbers he’s never reached before.
Dennis Jackson, Drake’s father, has long given his son a hard time for not being able to lift more but that teasing has slowed this offseason. Jackson is bench pressing 315 pounds on two or three reps and squatting 415 pounds on six reps.
“No matter if you’re the best in the business or trying to fight your way as a undrafted free agent, it’s a humbling game,” Kocurek said. “Sometimes it takes humbling experience to really see that you need to put your best foot forward and improve on the things that you need to improve on to be the player that you know can be and envision yourself being.”
To that end, Kocurek has been right by Jackson’s side throughout the offseason program, checking in on him to make sure he’s “stacking the days” rather than “letting the days stack” him.
The more he can do that, the better chance Jackson will get first crack at becoming Bosa’s bookend. The Niners made multiple changes on the defensive line in the offseason, signing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $81 million deal in March. San Francisco also said goodbye to Ebukam (Indianapolis Colts), Omenihu (Kansas City Chiefs) and Willis (Las Vegas Raiders).
All of which means there’s a clear path for Jackson to a starting job on a line that also boasts Hargrave, Bosa and Arik Armstead that should leave plenty of one-on-one opportunities for whoever wins the other defensive end job. Jackson will get competition from free-agent additions Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant, as well as a returning player Kerry Hyder Jr. and rookie Robert Beal Jr.
For now, Jackson says he’s not concerned about winning the starting job, but there’s no doubt what the expectations for him are.
“He definitely is going to have a bigger role this year,” Armstead said. “We’ve had some key losses along the D-line and I’m excited for him and he has an opportunity this year. He’s been working extremely hard this offseason and putting himself in the best position possible to be successful… This year’s going to be a big jump for him. I’m excited to see it and we definitely need it.”