Former Ohio State defensive tackle Antwaun Jackson and walk-on wide receiver Chris Booker were not among the 262 players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, but they will get their shot to prove themselves to the NFL in the coming months.
According to reports from Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope, Jackson has been invited to the New York Giants’ rookie minicamp, while Booker received an invitation to the Arizona Cardinals’ rookie minicamp.
Jackson started seven games this past season, racking up 23 tackles (4.5 for loss) and 2.5 sacks for Ohio State’s defensive front.
A former four-star prospect in the 2016 class out of Ellenwood, Ga., he originally attended Auburn before joining the JUCO ranks at Blinn Junior College, where he had 70 tackles, nine sacks and three forced fumbles.
He then joined Ohio State in 2018 and went on to play four seasons with the Buckeyes, accruing 48 career tackles (9.0 for loss) and 3.5 sacks in 38 games with eight starts. Jackson twice reached five tackles in a game, including a five-tackle, one-sack performance in Ohio State’s loss to Alabama in the 2021 CFP National Championship Game.
Booker, meanwhile, primarily played on special teams with the Buckeyes where he made several pivotal plays, including the game-clinching tackle in last season’s Rose Bowl. He joined Ohio State in 2019 after playing for the school’s club football team and being named a NCFA All-American in 2018.
An invite to a rookie minicamp does not guarantee that they will be on the roster this fall, but it provides an additional opportunity to show the NFL what they can do. Several notable NFL players – including New England Patriots cornerback Malcom Butler and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen – kickstarted their careers with an invite to a rookie minicamp, and Booker and Jackson will look to do the same.
