Jacksonville Jaguars training camp features surprise UDFA making final-roster push

Jacksonville Jaguars training camp has an unexpected breakout player.

The breakout comes at a perceived position of strength of Trevor Lawrence’s offense, too, in the form of running back Jalen Jackson.

Jackson, an undrafted free agent out of Villanova, entered camp as a likely longshot, given the depth chart there.

But as Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley pointed out, Jackson has been impossible to miss for most of camp:

Jackson broke off several big runs on Friday to build some momentum for the weekend, and he continued the trend on Saturday. Jackson once again showed off big-play ability with two long runs in team periods -- one up the middle and one to the left sideline -- and then brought in a grab on a great catch downfield vs. Terrell Edmunds.

Even so, Jackson has a tough route to the roster. Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby have locks on spots, while the battle between Keilan Robinson and D'Ernest Johnson comes down to versatility and special teams.

But Jackson’s 2,546 yards and 26 touchdowns on 401 carries over 46 games in college and the impressive work he put on film have clearly started to translate to the pro level.

For Jackson, while the base-offense versatility shown so far is a plus, it’s the continued work on special teams and strong preseason showings that will help him make the 53. So far, he appears to be on that track.