It was amazing for new San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson to hear his name called on Friday night during the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft. His new teammate, Arik Armstead, announced the pick.
Even more amazing for the 21-year-old defender was having several of his new 49ers teammates, including Armstead and Nick Bosa, immediately reach out to him.
"It's crazy. I talked to both of them," Jackson said Wednesday morning on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "Nick Bosa texted me. Arik Armstead FaceTimed me right after. ... Trey Lance had called me. Emmanuel Moseley hit me up. I was astounded. I'm like, 'Damn, this is crazy.' Everybody hitting me up off the team, but they're kind of like legends too. I'm fanboying, but I've got to be professional at the same time."
Jackson wasn't sure the 49ers would draft him. He was hoping for it, though. The defender didn't have much contact with the team until closer to the draft. His 30-player visit came late in the evaluation process.
Jackson to the 49ers may have been destiny, though. He was born and raised in Southern California, and half his family is 49ers fans. He calls being able to stay on the West Coast a "blessed situation."
Among the biggest 49ers fans in his family is his grandmother, Anita Davis.
"It's so wild that this happened because she's been manifesting this since I was in high school," Jackson shared. "She seen a 49ers jersey that had 99 on it, and it had my last name on it. Ever since then, she said, 'That was a sign. I already know you're going to the 49ers.' Ever since the draft started, she was always wishing on the 49ers. ... As soon as it was time, it was just destiny."
While Jackson is expected to eventually fill the Dee Ford role that the 49ers had once envisioned, the young defensive lineman believes he is versatile enough to play anywhere.
"You can put me anywhere on the front line, and I'm going to get after them and try to make a play," Jackson said. "It doesn't really matter where I was on the field. As long as I was on the field, I'm always just trying to be around the ball, and making plays, and keeping the quarterback unsafe."
Jackson also feels confident in his ability to defend against the run.
"I love stuffing the run," he said. "It's the same thing. It's making a play. Making a TFL is almost like making a sack, in a way. It's the best way to make a play in the backfield. We always said, 'Party in the backfield.' That's where I'm trying to be at."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Jackson below.