Bills draft Pitt cornerback Dane Jackson in 7th round
Dane Jackson, who started three seasons at cornerback for Pitt, moved to the next level Saturday when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills (No. 239 overall).
“The Bills got themselves a steal in Dane Jackson,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He is as good as any cornerback I’ve ever coached.
“Dane was not only a playmaker for us, but he also became an impactful leader as a senior captain.
“He showed on the field this past season, as well as at the Senior Bowl, that he’s a disruptive corner and a big-time competitor.”
Jackson, a Cornell graduate, played for Quaker Valley because Cornell didn’t have a football team.
Jackson, who was named second-team All-ACC last season. was a starter in 38 career games at Pitt and was productive in a variety of ways.
As a senior in 2019, he recorded an interception among his 12 pass breakups. He had no picks in 2018 while helping lead Pitt to the ACC Coastal championship, but he was named honorable mention all-conference after forcing four fumbles (tied for ninth-most in the FBS) and breaking up 14 passes.
He started all 12 games for Pitt as a sophomore, with two interceptions and nine pass breakups.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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