Dexter

Jackson

Jackson is a former second-round flop out of Appalachian State. He may be given a look on returns in spring and summer workouts. Epps played college ball at Miami (FL), Landolt at Penn State, and Riley is a former Duke Blue Devil.

That was good for a tie for second at wide receiver. Jackson never caught more than 33 passes in a season in college, but brings enough return upside that he could sneak into the top three rounds.

Jackson failed to record a catch last season, and his calling card -- kick returning -- has fallen into the hands of Clifton Smith. Even if he manages to stay on the roster, he’d likely be inactive on game days.

Jackson was awful as a returner last year and lost the job to Pro Bowler Clifton Smith. Jackson will have to make the Bucs as a wideout, which isn’t his strength. He’ll probably stick around, but may be inactive on game days.

The Bucs were “starving” to draft a wide receiver, and the team was impressed with the undersized Appalachian State star’s blazing speed. Jackson failed to record a catch in his rookie year and even lost return duties to undrafted Pro Bowler Clifton Smith.

Kelly Campbell and Dexter Jackson are in the mix as well, but none figure to have much of a fantasy impact. The situation will get shaken out at training camp.

This is the Bucs admitting Jackson was one of the worst draft picks in team history. The speedster out of Appalachian State was the team’s second-round pick in 2008. That was clearly a reach. He was terrible as a return man and didn’t catch a single ball as a rookie.

Carolina is in search of return options with Mike Goodson (concussion) on the mend. Jackson could get a call-up late this week if he practice well.

Jackson, the 2008 58th overall pick, would be a cheaper return option than Mark Jones, who failed his physical Tuesday. He wouldn’t be an asset in the passing game. Jackson wasn’t even a productive wide receiver in college.

Jackson was believed to be behind Michael Spurlock on the kick and punt return depth charts as recently as three weeks ago, but the second-round pick has impressed the coaching staff. “Yeah, he’s doing a good job of securing the ball and making good decisions,” coach Jon Gruden said. “He’s caught the ball well here on the field, so we feel good about that.” While he’s emerged with a big role on special teams, Jackson doesn’t figure to see much action on offense as a rookie.