Year after year, the Buffalo Bills have invested in the trenches, specifically the defensive line. This unit continues to be one of the reasons the Bills falter in the playoffs every year by never getting enough pressure when it matters most.

They will once again be looking to find their next impact EDGE player in the draft and may have already made their intentions known in 2025. According to All-SEC Landon Jackson, the Bills have met with him numerous times throughout the draft process. They have a clear need at EDGE despite extending Greg Rousseau, signing Joey Bosa, and filling out the depth with several draft picks and free agents but lack multiple high-end talents. Finding your next game wrecker could help keep costs low and allocate money elsewhere to maximize the roster in order to win a championship.

While Jackson has been incredibly productive, he has had several injuries that may raise some red flags about his future.

Below are Landon Jackson’s publicly reported injuries and analysis.

 

Injury History

 

High School

 

2018 Sophomore year

Left ACL tear

Jackson suffered a left ACL tear sometime during his sophomore year, prematurely ending his season. He was later seen in the following seasons with a hinged knee brace, which indicated that this was the surgically repaired knee.

2020 Senior year

Ankle fracture

Jackson suffered an ankle fracture during a Monday practice during his senior year, ending his season. It’s not clear if he underwent surgery for this and how much time he missed.

 

College

 

2021 LSU

Ankle injury, preseason.

Left ACL surgery, vs Auburn, missed 8 games.

Jackson missed spring practices after either suffering a new ankle injury or rehabbing the ankle fracture from his senior season. He later confirmed in an interview that he was working through the ankle and suffered an ACL tear after the fifth game vs Auburn, playing mostly special teams. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Jackson re-tore his ACL during his freshman year. He also missed the following spring football recovering as he transferred to Arkansas.

2022 Arkansas

Ankle injury, preseason.

Jackson battled a “nagging” ankle injury during the preseason but did not appear to miss any extended time.

2023 Arkansas

No publicly reported injuries

2024 Arkansas

Undisclosed injury, vs Arkansas Pine Bluff, missed 0 games.

Jackson missed several practices as he worked through an undisclosed injury ahead of Oklahoma State.

Hip pointer, vs Tennessee, missed 0 games.

Jackson picked up a hip pointer injury and was forced to leave the game for an assessment before returning to finish the contest.

Neck injury, vs Missouri, missed 0 games.

Jackson suffered a hit to his head right before halftime that led him to fall onto the ground and required being stretchered off for further evaluation at a local hospital. He had full movement in his extremities and was released. A video of the hit can be found here. From looking at the video, it appears as though he suffered a stinger. Jackson later skipped the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

 

Injury Analysis

 

Jackson has had a variety of injuries throughout his high school and college, which cost him time at various times throughout his career. Several of the injuries are of no consequence, while others have some lingering concerns that many teams are certainly looking at.

 

No Concern

 

Looking at injuries that aren’t a concern, the hip pointer, ankle injury, and even his ankle fracture are of no consequence. Teams will look at the injuries as part of their assessment but not put much stock into concerns when drafting him.

 

Moderate Concern

 

Neck Injury

A minor concern is his neck injury following his final collegiate game is an injury that many teams will take a close look at. Considering he was checked out at the hospital and released indicates there wasn’t any immediate damage. What teams will be looking at is whether there is a disc herniation present or any potential stenosis within the neck.

The neck is made up of seven cervical vertebrae that allow the spinal cord to pass through the middle, acting as a protective framework. This also creates the support necessary to support and maintain the head in an upright position.

In between these vertebrae are intervertebral discs that help provide space for the nerves branching off the spinal cord to innervate their respective areas of the body. The discs also allow for the movement of the vertebrae over each other. This provides stability around the spinal cord and nerves but also allows for mobility for all neck movements.

A disc herniation occurs when there is either a traumatic event such as an unexpected blow to the head/neck area or a degeneration to the area over time.

When a disc herniation occurs, the tough outer annulus fibrosus tears, allowing the nucleus pulposus to push out through the tear, which in turn, pushes on the spinal nerve that branches off the spinal cord. That pressure on the nerve can send pain down that nerve pathway, usually into the arm, and cause what is known as radiculopathy or paraesthesia.

This can be felt as pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness, leading to difficulty with everyday activities. This disc protrusion may also limit neck motion or cause significant pain. Through physical testing, doctors can narrow down what level is affected based on the symptom presentation and use imaging to confirm the diagnosis.

Another possible diagnosis is cervical stenosis. Stenosis is a narrowing of the spine either in the spinal canal where the spinal cord passes through or intervertebral foramen where a nerve root passes through. This can be congenital or as the result of trauma, which leads to a reduction in space that can lead to pain, numbness, and weakness.

This may be an isolated incident, such as we see with stingers, or it may be the start of something chronic. Numerous players have played with this condition and been quite successful. Or he could have continued issues, which teams will have to manage with potential surgery and potentially fusion.

Based on the current information, this appears to be an isolated incident and only a stinger.

 

ACL Tears

 

Looking at the available information, it is known that Jackson suffered two ACL tears, but it’s not conclusive whether this was to each knee or the same knee. His left side was conclusively torn, but no definitive information indicates that his right one was torn as well.

The ACL is a ligament that connects the tibia to the femur and runs medial to lateral — or inside to outside — acting as a stabilizer in the knee to prevent the femur from shifting too far forward over the tibia during movement. It also assists in preventing hyperextension in the knee. When the knee is loaded during activities such as cutting and sudden stops, the ACL is designed to keep the knee stable, but in the presence of injury, the ligament is overloaded, which either stretches and partially tears or fully tears based on the activity. It is possible to live a normal lifestyle with an ACL-deficient knee, but nearly impossible to resume a high level of play post ACL tear without reconstruction as an adult.

Activities that cause the ACL to tear are direct blows such as a low block or a blow to the knee while the foot is planted. Non-contact typically occurs when a player doesn’t land properly after jumping in the air, when they perform a sudden change in direction at a high speed, or when they attempt to quickly decelerate. Roughly 70-to-75 percent of ACL tears are non-contact in nature in the general population.

Considering Jackson tore his ACLs in 2018 and 2021, respectively, he is outside the re-tear window of two years. We don’t know the extent of the damage on the knees or whether these were isolated ACL tears. There is concern for another tear, whether it is contact or non-contact. There is research available indicating that there is still a chance that an athlete could suffer a third ACL tear, with those rates at 27 percent. Keep in mind that the sample size of the study was 128 subjects, and 35 of those subjects suffered a third tear. We’re talking about a pretty small sample size overall, but the risk can’t be dismissed.

When those athletes did return to play, their return to play rate was at 83 percent of their pre-injury level. Overall, the concern if he suffers isn’t that big of a deal, but the time lost for surgery, rehab, and then the initial decline in performance that first year is a lot to stomach. On a four-year deal, you’re sacrificing two years if he tears his ACL again or has another significant injury.

Is this a risk the Bills are willing to take? Depends on the round.

 

Comparable Player

 

The best comparison I can think of is current Philadelphia Eagles C Landon Dickerson. While not the same position, but playing on the line, there are many similarities. After tearing both of his ACLs in college and adding several other injuries to his history, similar to Jackson, he was drafted in the second round in 2021. Since then, he has gone on to be selected to three Pro Bowls and played in two Super Bowls, winning one.

Interestingly, he has been rather durable since entering the NFL and has become one of the highest-paid centers in the league. This was a draft pick that panned out and then some, despite the injury concerns coming into the NFL. Jackson could be the next iteration of this, or he could never develop because he is always injured. There are plenty of stories where there were injury risks that did well, but many others that teams took a risk on and things simply did not happen for that prospect.

 

Bills Draft Selection

 

The Bills have a very specific draft profile they look at in the first and second rounds, which includes minimal injury concerns. Looking at Jackson, he does not fit the profile they are looking at in the first round or, typically second round. Considering they have two late second-round picks and no third-round selection, they may have to go after a player they want with some medical red flags.

Jackson would fit this profile if he is still available late in the second round. Should the Bills add a third-round selection, this would be an easy pick for them to grab.

The Bills clearly like Jackson, as he has met with him multiple times and will be in the market to add someone at his position. They may have more pressing needs before EDGE, but if Jackson is still available late in the second round, the Bills should be seriously considering him, as he may still have his best football ahead of him.