On the Rise: Brandon Jackson

What better place to be in early August than Green Bay, Wisconsin, home a true American original, Green Bay Packers Training Camp? It is at once a unique and ethereal experience. Fans line the streets 10 deep to get a glimpse of their heroes. Strangers from Door County to the Dells meet and chew the fat, discussing topics as varied as where Brett Favre ranks among the all-time greats and if this just might be the year the Packers shock the world.

And in the greatest ritual of all, Packers players, on their way back to Lambeau in between practices, borrow the bikes of neighborhood kids, pedalling them back to the locker room in full practice gear.

So we armed Stevie the TJI intern with a late-model Huffy and sent him to Green Bay in search of some insight into the Packers' running back situation. And what a situation it is, with Vernand Morency, the projected number one, going down with a knee injury. Now highly touted rookie Brandon Jackson has the chance to shine. But just how good will he be?

He certainly will be able to stake his claim to the job without a viable #2 to challenge him in the coming weeks. And Green Bay is far from the worst team in the NFC. They aren't going to set the world on fire, but they know what they're doing and whomever their RB is will get some yards, as our favorite gunslinger, Brett Favre can still keep defenses honest with the original "laser, rocket arm."

Look for Jackson to step it up and if not win the job, prove that he should be given 200-250 touches this season. He is worth a pick as a RB3 and just might break out to be a 1,000 yard rookie that punches it in 6-7 times a la Cadillac Williams in 2005.

We highly recommend you move Jackson up your draft board and target him in the 5th or 6th round.

Be sure to keep checking back with TJI as we report from training camp on players that are currently under the radar but that should be "on the rise."