ORCHARD PARK – These days, being bald is kind of cool, and it doesn’t matter whether you lost your hair naturally or decided to shave your head, it’s a look that has grown in popularity and has become as commonplace as wearing jeans.
But when you’re six years old and your hair starts falling out, that’s an entirely different matter, one that Buffalo Bills third-round draft pick Landon Jackson had to confront while growing up in Texas.
Jackson, who took the field Friday for the first time at the team’s rookie minicamp, was diagnosed with Alopecia – otherwise known as spot baldness – while he was still learning how to read and write. And naturally, kids being kids, he was teased and sometimes bullied because he didn’t look like everyone else, and he admitted that it affected his mental health.
“I feel like it didn’t the older I got, but from a young age it definitely gave me a lot of anxiety,” he said Friday. “I’m not going to say depression, but just kind of in my own head about everything, always worried about what other people thought. And the older I got, the more I got within sports, I kind of grew away from that.”
Rather, than fight the condition, Jackson made a decision early on to simply shave his head and get on with his life and sure enough, bald became his new normal. And besides, pretty soon people weren’t noticing him for his hairless head but rather his rare athletic ability on the basketball court and on the football field.
Landon Jackson stood out on the field in high school and college
His high school football coach at Texarkana Pleasant Grove, Josh Gibson, was quoted in 2020 by the publication Dave Campbell’s Texas Football saying of Jackson, “He’s a generational talent. He’s a guy that I think is going to get to the NFL because of his size, and his speed is uncanny. His pursuit and get-off is freakishly special. So he has the big frame going for him, he’s 6-6 and long and a kid that has his motor is always going to be sought after. But his effort – he doesn’t have the best gifts that God and his parents gave him – but he works harder than any kid I’ve been around.”
Gibson proved prophetic as Jackson went to LSU, transferred to Arkansas after one injury-plagued season and that work ethic helped him become a three-year stud for the Razorbacks, catching the eye of the Bills not only on tape, but with his showings at the Senior Bowl, the scouting combine, and his pro day, not to mention his maturity in their interview process.
After general manager Brandon Beane recouped a third-round pick, he used it to pick Jackson, and that led to a moment that went viral when Jackson, surrounded by family and friends, broke down in tears after hearing his name called.
“Yeah, I think it was more so not just hearing my name called, but the place, too,” he said. “I felt like Buffalo was the most interested throughout the whole process and I felt like I grew a great relationship with the staff and Mr. Beane as well. So it was just kind of a surreal moment.
“My phone said, ‘potential spam risk’ whenever they called. So, I thought I was getting pranked, to be honest with you. Then, my wife said, ‘Go ahead and pick it up. I think it’s somebody.’ And then I picked it up, and they said, ‘This is the Buffalo Bills.’ I said, ‘This is Landon Jackson. Thank y’all for calling.’ And at that point, I just kind of shut down, and started balling.”
Jackson comes to a team that needed to upgrade its pass rush off the edge, and on paper, it appears to have done that with the additions of Jackson, injury-plagued star Joey Bosa, and free agent Michael Hoecht.
“I think he’s got a versatile skill set, I really do,” Beane said the night Jackson was picked. “This guy was playing against guys (in the SEC) who are already in the NFL or were just drafted this weekend. It’s an easier projection to me to see Landon Jackson go into the NFL than maybe some other players or positions.”
Unlike the other players – a mix of draft picks, undrafted free agents and young veterans – who were being put through the paces Friday, Jackson’s Alopecia isn’t the only thing that makes him unique. The 22-year-old has already been married a year to his high school sweetheart, Grace.
So while he’s been grinding at One Bills Drive on the field, in the training room, or in the meeting room learning the playbook, she’s situating the AirBnB they’ve rented out, and has begun looking for a permanent home.
“I knew she was the one, I guess, at an early age, so I grabbed onto her, didn’t let her get too far,” Jackson said with a smile. “We got married a year ago, but we’ve been together since my junior year of high school. We started hanging out, had the same friend groups and everything, so, yeah, just been dating ever since then, and I guess after my junior year (college) season, I was like, ‘Man, it’s time to put a ring on it.’ I knew I’d want her down here throughout this month and throughout these moments and everything, so my mindset was go ahead and get my place and get everything settled.”
Landon Jackson looks to be role model for kids with Alopecia
Now that he has proven his high school coach correct and reached the NFL, his plan is to use his newly-increased platform to help kids who also deal with Alopecia. That’s what former NFL linebacker Ryan Shazier and former NBA power forward Charlie Villanueva – both of whom have Alopecia – did when they turned pro.
“Yeah, it means a lot,” Jackson said. “I want to be a role model to all those kids growing up with Alopecia. I always looked up to guys like Charlie Villanueva and Ryan Shazier growing up, so kind of being another one of those guys for those kids and be able to give back to them as much as possible because it seriously affects younger kids’ mental health and everything.”
And what’s the message he wants to convey?
“You’ve got to love yourself,” he said. “At the end of the day, God made you for a reason and made you in the way He wanted you to be. So, really just accept yourself.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills third-round draft pick turns childhood challenge into strength
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
