One name not mentioned in Alex Sinclair's excellent breakdown of in-house options at safety for the New York Giants is that of Bennett Jackson. It is, in fact, easy to understand why Jackson's name would not come up in connection with players who might patrol the back end of the Giants' defense in 2015.
- He was drafted as a cornerback and has very limited experience at safety.
- Jackson has never played a regular-season NFL down.
- Jackson spent most of the 2014 season on injured reserve after injuring his knee and undergoing risky micro-fracture surgery.
Still, Jackson might be a consideration as a conversion candidate. Pre-draft scouting reports like this one consider his ceiling to be limited as a cornerback. The Giants have apparently considered the possibility, and it's one Jackson told NJ Advance Media he would embrace if asked:
"A lot of my college coaches always said they thought I would generate into a better free safety or safety, because I like to hit and have good ball skills," Jackson said during a telephone interview with NJ Advance Media last week. "I'm not opposed to it. I think it would be a great idea. I'm not opposed to staying at CB either."
There is, of course, the matter of Jackson's health. Not all players who undergo micro-fracture surgery make complete recoveries. Jackson told NJ Advance Media that his rehab has gone well and he will participate in the offseason training program beginning April 20.
Take that with a grain of salt until we actually see Jackson on the field. Players never tell you if rehab is going poorly, and are known to be overly optimistic about recovery from injury. So, we shall see.
If he is healthy, however, the 6-foot, 195-pound Jackson might be a dark-horse possibility to emerge as one of the Giants' safeties.