Vols' Jackson thankful for late Senior Bowl invite

MOBILE, Ala. _ Malik Jackson was at home wondering why he wasn't here at the Senior Bowl when a phone call extending a late invitation came.

“I was sitting on the couch, kind of bummed that I didn't get the chance to come down here,” Jackson said. “Then when I got the call, I was super ecstatic. I hopped right up, washed some clothes and got on down here.”

Due to injuries, Jackson got the invitation to come to Mobile and play in Saturday's game for the South in the Senior Bowl.

Jackson, a defensive lineman, wants to make up for lost time with scouts and coaches here and wants them to know that he is versatile enough to play at either defensive end or defensive tackle.

“I want to show that I play end, that I'm not a slow inside guy that can only rush the guard or the center.” Jackson said. “I can come off the edge and handle the run. I want to show that I'm very valuable and I can do a lot for their team, playing defensive end or defensive tackle.”

As for picking up the defensive system two days behind everyone else, Jackson, who arrived Tuesday night, isn't worried about that.

“It's pretty easy for the most part. It's just over and under. They don't really make it too hard, because they want you to show what you can do. So that's what I'm doing,” he said.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com