The New York Jets’ Three First-Round Picks Have Signed. Here’s What Is Expected Of Them

SportsMoney The New York Jets’ Three First-Round Picks Have Signed. Here’s What Is Expected Of Them J.P. Pelzman Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. May 20, 2022, 11:25am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (right) lines up to play press man coverage against … [+] Indiana’s Ty Fryfogle last season while with Cincinnati. Will the Jets use that style more often with him or stick with their zone concepts? Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Rookie New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was asked recently about potential future practice battles against fellow first-rounder Garrett Wilson, the star Ohio State wide receiver. “Iron sharpens iron,” Gardner said. Instead, it was fairly dull in their introduction to pro football. The Jets’ prized rookies were limited to conditioning work in rookie mini-camp earlier this month as the team’s hierarchy mostly chose to keep them in bubble wrap. Head coach Robert Saleh explained, saying, “This was just an introduction. There’s a level of conditioning that they still have to catch up on. … Their schedules over the last month have been rigorous with regards to travel and the lack of working out that they’ve been able to fit in. (It) wasn’t worth bringing them in here and injuring them or risking injury.” However, eventually the Jets will have to push all of their draft picks much harder because they will be needed to improve upon a 4-13 record of 2021. That process began this week when they returned to the team’s Florham Park, N.J. complex for voluntary practices with veteran players. But of course, no prospect is without flaws. Thus, it’s important to look at what the Jets’ three first-rounders and must improve upon as they enter the NFL, especially now that they all have signed their rookie contracts. MORE FOR YOU WWE Extreme Rules 2021 Results: Winners, News And Notes As Roman Reigns Beats The Demon The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2021: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo Reclaims Top Spot From PSG’s Lionel Messi The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers’ Win Over The San Francisco 49ers Also, it’s illuminating to note how these players may affect the team’s strategies on the field, and who are the winners and losers from each pick. The University of Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner , who went at No. 4, signed for $33.45 million over four years, all fully guaranteed, per overthecap.com , as always, the source for this information. His 2022 cap figure is $6.081 million. Gardner was a lockdown corner who didn’t allow a touchdown catch during his three years as a Bearcat. But his one flaw was a tendency to commit penalties early in his career, a total of seven as a freshman, when he didn’t enter the starting lineup until November. But he trusted and improved his technique and was able to cut down on penalties as he went along, and had only one pass interference penalty last season. It was against Navy’s Mychal Cooper, and it led directly to a touchdown. (Strangely, in Gardner’s two seasons as a full-time starter, three of his four pass interference infractions came in games against teams with run-oriented option offenses. He also had two such penalties versus Army in 2020.) “Everybody says they look at (the receiver’s) waist,” he said of his technique, “but I have something different that I look at. But I don’t want the receivers to (know) that or they’ll be trying to do stuff different.” Can he change New York’s on-field approach? Saleh and coordinator Jeff Ulbrich have favored zone mostly, but Gardner specializes in press man-to-man. Gardner said, “However, they want to use me, I’m willing to be versatile and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win. If they want to play zone, if they want to play man, if they want to blitz me, if they want to put me at linebacker—I don’t think that’s going to happen—but I’m willing to whatever it takes, however they want to use me.” Saleh deflected the question, obviously not wanting to tip his hand before September. “Sauce can do everything,” he said. “He can play zone. He can play man. He can win in crunch time. He can run with the fastest guys. He can defend the biggest guys.” Winner: Left tackle Mekhi Becton (for now). The Jets could have selected North Carolina State’s Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu here, which would have put further heat on the embattled Becton. Instead, Ekwonu was selected by Carolina at No. 6 overall. “Nothing has changed there,” general manager Joe Douglas said in regards to his feelings about Becton, who has been away from the Jets working on his own with a personal coach during voluntary training and practice sessions. “Again, this was really how the board fell,” Douglas added. “We had several different positions in our top 10, top eight and, really, we just went with the best available player at each of those picks.” Losers: Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols, the starting cornerbacks in 2021, have been pushed further down the depth chart. Gardner will almost certainly be the opening-day starter. Ohio State wideout Garrett Wilson went at No. 10 and signed for $20.554 million over four years, all fully guaranteed, was considered by many draft experts to be the top available wide receiver, even above USC’s Drake London, selected two spots earlier at No. 8 by Atlanta. (Wilson’s 2022 cap figure is $3.737 million.) However, NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein questioned some of Wilson’s route-running in his pre-draft scouting report on NFL.com, saying that his “route-running is raw and segmented” and that he has “sloppy footwork in and out of intermediate break points.” Wilson said of his route-running, “I feel like when you’re matching up against good players, you’ve got to go to the line of scrimmage with a plan. You can’t just go out there and try to run around somebody or not get on shoulders and stuff like that. “So, I try to get on (the defender’s) shoulders and make the DB uncomfortable,” he added. “I don’t want to be right in front of them, making moves and stuff like that. There’s a lot of nuances to running routes and I’m excited to keep learning under coach (Mike) LaFleur, the offensive coordinator, and coach (Miles) Austin as the receivers coach.” Winner: Zach Wilson, perhaps. With Garrett Wilson adding his ability to get vertical, it will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur tries more deep shots going forward. That was a strategy the Jets rarely employed last season, despite the quarterback’s cannon-like right arm. It was the football equivalent of having a European sports car and using it to go to the train station and the grocery store. Some deep completions would make the intermediate passing game—and the yards after catch that go with it—that much easier to attain. Opponents no longer would be able to sit on Zach Wilson’s short throws, and it is clear he has the arm strength to throw long. That is why the Jets drafted him, after all. Losers: Anyone hoping the Jets would make a blockbuster deal for a veteran receiver. Also, 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims, who had only eight receptions for 133 yards last season, has been pushed further down the depth chart. Mims, who does not play special teams, could be a salary-cap casualty because of the numbers game, both on the field and on the cap. His 2022 figure is $1.481 million. Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II was selected at No. 26 after New York traded back into the first round. Johnson registered 12 sacks in 2021 and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. But of Johnson’s 12 sacks last season, three came in a loss against FCS team Jacksonville State, which finished 5-6. He had none against North Carolina State, in a game in which he spent part of the day matched up against star NC State left tackle Ekwonu, the sixth overall pick. Versus Ekwonu, Johnson managed one of his three quarterback hurries on the day, but Ekwonu also managed to handle him one-on-one on thee of Devin Leary’s four touchdown passes. There is no shame in that, considering that Ekwonu was the first offensive lineman off the board this year, but is interesting. Johnson obviously will be seeing players of Ekwonu’s caliber on a regular basis in the NFL. Winner: The Jets, possibly, if this move works out for them. They gave up a fifth-round pick to select Johnson. Loser: Johnson’s bank account. He signed for $13.087 million, fully guaranteed, over four years. Consider that 15th overall pick, Houston left guard Kenyon Green, got $15.953 over four years. Johnson’s cap figure this season is $2.379 million. Follow me on Twitter . J.P. Pelzman Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions