You don’t know it yet, but Donovan Jackson already has you beat.

You’re making pre-snap adjustments from your linebacker position, trying to mask your impending move, and don’t even realize you’re sitting at a chess board with Magnus Carlsen at left tackle.

Jackson notices your feet. They’re pointed at him instead of a straight-forward alignment, which tells him you’re anticipating a run. Time to make adjustments along the line.

The five-star from Bellaire Episcopal is also scanning your eyes. If they’re locked on him it means you’re trying to decipher whether he’s going to kick back and block you or not. You better hope he’s not coming after you.

He sees you too, free safety. Jackson’s made a mental backlog of your pre-snap positions and knows that if you’re playing over the top like you are now, that linebacker is likely blitzing. Time for an audible.

“The majority of my success on the field comes pre-snap,” he said. “I look at the defense and notice the small things; if a linebacker is looking at me instead of the person he’s going against, if the safety is over the top, if someone’s feet are pointed at a different angle. Then I can decide what I’m going to do from there.

“My goal isn’t just to get the down-lineman, it’s to get to the second level and even the safety so our running back has less people to worry about.”