As a former 45th overall selection, the first two years of Josh Jackson's career haven't gone how any of us - including Jackson - would have hoped. 

During his rookie season, Jackson would play a significant role, making 10 starts, although he would take his lumps along the way. According to Pro Football Reference, Jackson was targeted 64 times, allowing a completion rate of 62.5 percent and nearly 14 yards per catch with three touchdowns. Quarterbacks would also have a passer rating of 106.1 when targeting him. 

On top of that, he also tied for the team lead in penalties, with holding being a frequent issue as Jackson was oftentimes caught out of position. 

However, to some degree, these struggles should have been expected. Jackson was transitioning from the zone-heavy Iowa defense to Mike Pettine's press-man scheme. So, of course, he was going to have some ups and downs. 

Yet unfortunately, instead of taking a step forward in Year 2, Jackson went backwards. An injury early on in training camp would send him tumbling down the depth chart, and he never recovered. Jackson would play in less than 10 percent of the Packers' total defensive snaps, and when he was on the field, he was picked on, giving up six receptions on seven targets with a touchdown. 

Although just two years into his NFL career, 2020 certainly feels like a make or break season for Jackson, but he's risen to the occasion and put together a solid training camp.

While, sadly, we the fans are unable to attend practice or watch any preseason games, the Packers reporters have done an excellent job of keeping us up to date with their live tweets and post-practice articles. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Andy Herman of Packer Report what he's seen from Jackson this summer, and his response was very encouraging:

“Jackson’s had a really nice start to training camp. After getting beat on a deep ball to open up camp against MVS – Jackson has had two impressive practices in a row. On Tuesday he had a nice pass breakup vs. EQ in one-on-ones, had sticky coverage versus Jake Kumerow, then ended practice with a near pick of Rodgers. On Wednesday Jackson had perfect coverage on EQ in team drills, breaking up a pass and almost having an opportunity at another interception. This is a huge season for Jackson and he seems to be doing everything he can to make sure it’s his best season yet.”

Now, I'm not here to make it seem like Jackson has been perfect or that he's going to step on the field and be a Pro Bowler. Yes, there are certainly many more positive plays in camp than what there have been in the past, but we still see those miscues as well. However, there are just fewer of them this year and overall the positives outweigh the negatives. So, as a result, after hardly seeing the field in 2019, Pettine told reporters in a Zoom call on Thursday that Jackson is "gonna play some significant minutes for us."

When it comes to the Packers' secondary, they are young, they are confident, and they are very talented. But with the cornerback room, in particular, there is a lack of experienced depth. After Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, and Chandon Sullivan on the depth chart, there is Jackson and several other players with little to no NFL experience. As good as I expect the secondary to be this year, if Jackson can continue building off his performances in practice, he will provide this already stout unit with a nice boost this season. 

Ultimately what matters is that Jackson has to perform in the regular-season when it counts - something that he hasn't done much of. But let's not forget that the talent is absolutely there; we just have to see him put it together. And with this year's trianing camp just about over, it appears that he's doing just that (via Packers Wire):

“He’s come in so far and he’s had a good camp,” Pettine said. “When he does things right, technique-wise, he has good length, he gets hands on guys, he’s hard to get open against. The DB staff have done a real good job with him.”