Former Ravens linebacker Brad Jackson has taken a new step in his football career as a Senior Bowl scout.
Jackson, 47, played for the Ravens (1999-2001) and the Carolina Panthers (2002) during his NFL career. He won Super Bowl XXXV with the Ravens in January 2001 against the New York Giants.
Jackson and fellow former Raven Adam Terry went to scout school in Mobile, Ala., at Senior Bowl headquarters to learn about scouting players.
“Basically, it takes former players through the whole process because a lot of times, even this is my experience, a lot of former players don’t really get on to the scouting side,” Jackson said on Glenn Clark Radio March 4.
Jackson mentioned how he has stayed under of the radar since retirement, as his focus since then has been his family. His kids were playing sports and then moved on to college, and he found it important not to miss any of those moments. He stayed involved in football by taking summer internships around the NFL.
Once his youngest child graduated from Georgia Tech and her softball career was over, Jackson had a lot of free time. He sold a couple of his companies and helped out with the Senior Bowl, starting by scouting linebackers.
“It was a great opportunity for me with the extra time that I have on my hands now to kind of take what I’ve done with the coaching and the scouting, [and] with all those internships tied together … it helped me be better in the media,” Jackson said. “A lot of times people say mid-40s [might be] a little bit late to the game, but that’s how I got started in this.”
The Senior Bowl takes place in Mobile a week before the Super Bowl and showcases some of the best seniors who are hoping to be drafted. The event includes a week of practices and is capped off by a game.
As a Northeast area scout this fall, Jackson found some good players for the Senior Bowl from small schools like Shepherd and Princeton Universities. Those players now have a good chance of being drafted.
Shepherd quarterback Tyson Bagent was a four-year starter. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback threw for 16,869 yards and 159 touchdowns and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes.
Shepherd offensive tackle Joey Fisher started every game since the start of the 2021 season. The 6-foot-5, 322-pound tackle is one of the best linemen at the Division II level.
Princeton wide receiver Andrei Losivas was his team’s top receiver and was a team captain this season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver ended his Princeton career with 1,909 receiving yards, 125 receptions and 16 touchdown catches.
These players all played during the Senior Bowl game on Feb. 5. They stood out and impressed Jackson.
“And then ultimately through that, a couple NFL teams, which I can’t name … had asked me to kind of consult and if I saw certain things,” Jackson said. “So it’s kind of transitioning to be a fun little thing to do now that I’ve gotten out of the business world.”
Jackson explained how although this new career has given him freedom to travel and see his kids, it is still hard work. He traveled for 11 or 12 weekends throughout the college football season, watching games like Ohio State-Penn State, and watched practices at Bowie, Howard and Towson.
Jackson has an appreciation for the work done by NFL scouts.
“[Scouting] is fun, but it is work, and so I wouldn’t say it’s just something fun to do,” Jackson said. “I’ve always had a keen eye for it from what coaches and people in the business have said. … If you’re on the college side of scouting, you know you’re on the road 150 to 200 days a year.”
For more from Jackson, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Brad Jackson