Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis took time after Friday's practice to reflect on the passing of his former Alabama teammate, Khyree Jackson.
A fourth-round pick with the Minnesota Vikings in this year's draft, Jackson was killed in a car accident and his funeral was held Friday in his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Md. Armour-Davis and Jackson were teammates at Alabama in 2021 and spent many hours together at practices and in the cornerback meeting room.
Jackson was 24 years old, the same age as Armour-Davis. It's hard for Armour-Davis to comprehend that Jackson won't get to realize his dream of playing in the NFL.
"It's super tough, man," Armour-Davis said. "It's just something that you don't want to believe. Spending time with Khyree at Alabama man, he was just a great dude. He was a great teammate, a lot of energy and had an extremely bright future.
"I always tell people he's a unicorn of a player, 6-foot-4 and can run with anybody, move like he's a slot corner. I truly believe he was going to be a starter and contributor for the Vikings this year. I'm very heartbroken by it. My condolences to his family."
Armour-Davis arrived at Alabama three years before Jackson and enjoyed being a mentor to him.
"When I was at 'Bama I was considered an old head, just because I had a daughter and I was married," Armour-Davis said. "Guys just kind of looked at me in that way, a calm, cool, collected guy.
"He was more outgoing than me, so he would come to me at times to just get a different perspective on life. And I would always try to pour that into him. That's the type of relationship we had, like we would have those type of talks."
Armour-Davis said that his priorities have been reaffirmed by Jackson's passing.
"You've got to be grateful for every moment in your life, because things can happen even when it's not in your control," Armour-Davis said. "In his situation, he didn't do anything wrong. It's just so unfortunate to just be at that time and place. He couldn't control that.
"Every day you wake up, be thankful that you're able to do what you want to do. Live out your blessings. Keep trusting God. I know he's in a good place right now."
