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| No. 81 – Minnesota Vikings | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1997-07-17) July 17, 1997 (age 26) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 186 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Lafayette (Lexington, Kentucky) |
| College: | Western Kentucky (2015–2019) |
| Undrafted: | 2020 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Player stats at PFR | |
Dontavian “Lucky” Jackson[1] (born July 17, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footballatWestern Kentucky, and has also played for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the DC Defenders of the XFL.
After being ranked a two-star recruit by Rivals.com,[2] Jackson committed to Western Kentucky to play college football.[3] After redshirting as a freshman in 2015, Jackson had 26 catches for 395 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the year in 2016. In 2017, Jackson had an impressive campaign, as he racked up 39 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns. In a Nov 17 contest vs. Middle Tennessee State, he hauled in a 93-yard touchdown, which was both the longest play in WKU history as well as only one of eight 90+ yard pass plays in FBS history. As a redshirt junior, Jackson started 11 games. He had 50 catches for 552 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Hilltoppers in receptions and touchdowns. Lucky ended his Hilltopper career with a bang, putting his name in the WKU record books while leading the team with 94 receptions and 1,133 yards as well as four touchdowns. In the First Responder Bowl against Western Michigan, he earned MVP honors while hauling in 17 passes. His 94 receptions in 2019 ranked eighth in FBS that season and second in all-time WKU program history for a single season.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
179 lb (81 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | |||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[4] | ||||||||||||
After an impressing pro day, Jackson went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. He played for the Blues of The Spring League in 2021.
On September 13, 2022, Jackson signed with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and played in one game for them.[5][6]
On November 16, 2023, Jackson was selected by the DC Defenders of the XFL in the 11th round (81st overall) in the Skill Players round of the 2023 XFL Draft, He played in all 10 regular season games recording over 36 catches for 573 yards with five touchdowns.[7] He was named to the All-XFL team for the 2023 season along with teammates Jordan Ta'amu, Abram Smith, Liam Fornadel, Davin Bellamy, Michael Joseph, and Daniel Whelan.[8]
On May 23, 2023, Jackson signed his first NFL contract with the Minnesota Vikings.[9] He was released on August 29, 2023, before being signed back to the practice squad on September 12, 2023.[10] He was promoted to the active roster on January 6, 2024.
