Jackson is a junior who came out early for the 2006 NFL Draft, and because of the lack of game-changing receivers in this year’s draft, he definitely made the right decision. He is a good athlete, who is extremely smooth and fluid in his routes, and he consistently has shown quickness out of his cuts to get separation. While he lacks top-end playing speed, he accelerates to full speed quickly, and once he gets to full speed, he has deceptive speed and can get separation deep down the field. He is a smart receiver who sets up his routes well, and he sells his fakes strong to turn defenders around. He has very good hands, does a good job catching the ball with his hands, and can twist and adjust to make tough catches on off-target passes. He is more slippery and elusive running after the catch than you'd expect, and he has the strength and balance to run through arm tackles and keep his feet vs. grab tackles. He also offers the added bonus of being a solid punt returner. Overall, Chad is not a game-changing speed receiver, but he has all the tools and competitiveness to become a very good starting receiver in a season or two and will consitently get open, make all the catches, and make plays running after the catch. He will also contribute returning punts early in his career.

Jackson is an extremely efficient receiver, who runs very sharp routes -- he consistently gets out of his cuts quickly and gets separation. He sells his fakes well, and he can turn defensive backs around. He consistently gets started upfield quickly after the catch, can make tacklers miss , and keeps his feet vs. hard hits -- he runs hard and gains yards after contact. He has excellent hands -- he does a really good job of reaching out with his hands to pluck the ball away from his body. He can contort his body to adjust and make great catches on off-target passes. He is a solid punt returner who will always get positive yards.

Jackson lacks the elite explosiveness and top-end playing speed to be a big-play receiver down the field. He does not explode off the ball to shoot by the cornerback.

Jackson is a good athlete, which helped him to be very productive in his first season in Urban Meyer's Florida offense. He has the quick feet to accelerate to full speed fast and can get in and out of his cuts quickly. He runs very sharp routes, and his quickness out of cuts helps him consistently get separation. Despite his quickness, he does not explode off the line of scrimmage into routes and has only good quickness off the ball. He has deceptive playing speed; once he gets to full speed, he can run by defenders to get a step or two of separation deep down the field. But he lacks the elite playing speed and explosiveness to run away from the defense. His quick feet, flexibility and agility help him to change directions very quickly so that he can shake and make tacklers miss. He's definitely an elusive runner after the catch. He has the quick feet and agility to spin off a tackler right after the catch, and has a quick burst upfield to make plays running after the catch. He also exhibits the hands, body control and concentration to adjust to off-target throws, and makes tough catches seem easy. His balance combines with his agility and play strength so that he can keep feet after hard hits and gain yards after contact.

Jackson consistently has shown his toughness catching passes in traffic without peeking or flinching. He reaches up for the high pass, takes the hard hit and holds onto the ball consistently. On the most important third-down plays, Florida consistently looked to Jackson, and he stepped up and made the clutch catch. Jackson's overall production was consistently good; his performance did not vary much at all from game to game. As an example of his consistency, in the games GM Jr. graded, Jackson caught 96 percent of the passes thrown his way and showed the ability to pluck the ball away from his body. He is a quick-footed and elusive runner who consistently gained good yards after the catch; he can make tacklers miss and keep his feet after hard hits. He is a competitve player who always gives a good effort running with the ball, and never quits fighting for extra yards until he is on the ground.

Jackson is a smart receiver, and it shows in his sharp routes, use of hands to pluck the ball away from body, and in how he sets up cornerbacks with his routes. He has very good instincts, and with his quick feet, he can react quickly to the snap to get off the ball quickly and out of his cuts consistently fast. He does a very good job of maintaining his focus and concentration, which is a big part of how he is able to catch 96 percent of the passes thrown in his direction.

He has good size for a receiver. On the "hoof" he is a solidly built receiver with the height and weight that are ideal. He has shown toughness and durability catching passes in traffic, takes hard hits and stays in the lineup, and will be able to maintain durability in the NFL. While he is not explosive off the ball into his route, he has a good burst out of cuts to get separation, and has a very good burst after the catch to get started upfield. He has good playing strength, which allows him to get off the ball against the jam well. He can stay on his route when a defender is trying to push him around, and consistently keeps his feet after hard hits to gain yards after contact.