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The Detroit Lions didn’t initially land any Pro Bowlers this season, but they did land an alternate in guard Jonah Jackson. As luck would have it, Jackson ended up in the game as a replacement, meaning he will get his first nod to the game in his career.
As nice as that is for Jackson, it’s even better for the Lions. The team drafted Jackson a few years back, and his meteoric rise has meant that the team could have a quick fix for their line for the future. The fact that Jackson has cracked the Pro Bowl is actually a big deal for the Lions historically.
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As the Lions PR account pointed out, Jackson being selected to the game represents an important first. He is the first home-grown guard the team has named to the Pro Bowl in the Super Bowl era.
In only his second #NFL season, @Lions G @jonahjackson73 has been named to the Pro Bowl, replacing Brandon Scherff, who is unable to participate due to injury.
He becomes Detroit’s first home-grown guard to be named to a Pro Bowl in the Super Bowl era.
“In only his second NFL season, Lions G Jonah Jackson has been named to the Pro Bowl, replacing Brandon Scherff, who is unable to participate due to injury. He becomes Detroit’s first home-grown guard to be named to a Pro Bowl in the Super Bowl era.”
Through the years, the Lions have had a problem developing great players of their own and working them up to the point where they make the Pro Bowl. Now, with Jackson, that ends. The hope is the team can continue to build like this for the future in order to give themselves a shot to build the kind of roster that can sustain success.
This is a big fact for Jackson and the Lions in their future.
Jackson Not Satisfied With Pro Bowl Status
Speaking to the media on Thursday, December 23 in an interview posted at DetroitLions.com, Jackson admitted he felt good about what he has accomplished this year for his future while also desiring much more.
“It’s definitely a big honor. It means that people are taking notice of the style I play and it’s definitely exciting. A stepping stone of where I want to be and I appreciate it big time,” he explained at the time.
With that in mind, it’s clear Jackson wants to get to the point where he can be considered such a standout routinely, and is not satisfied with alternate status. 2021 was a good step in the right direction as is the 2022 game, but there is more work to be done in the future.
Jackson Enjoying Good Start to Lions’ Career
While he may not have been an All-Pro, Pro Bowler or earned any type of accolades for his play last year in 2020, 2021 represented a new season for the guard. Jackson has been a strong player for the Lions since he joined the team last season. Perhaps most significantly, Jackson started 16 games as a rookie and was a load up front for the Lions considering his ability to play solid football. It’s not often that the Lions have a young lineman capable of playing a starting role right off the bat while not looking out of place in the league, but that’s just what Jackson brought to the mix for the team as a rookie last season.
While he was a first-year man out of Ohio State, Jackson showed the kind of toughness and grit that could make him a fixture in the NFL and a potential perennial Pro Bowl player.
Jackson deserves credit for making some history for the Lions, and the hope is he can continue to be elite on the field.
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Jonah Jackson Makes Impressive Lions History With Pro Bowl Invite