On a Friday night in October, Ahmad "Sauce"Gardner introduced himself to college football, when he scored on a 16-yard intercept return that changed everything for him and Cincinnati's program. Facing 18th-ranked Central Florida, the freshman backup played off the left corner, baiting the quarterback into throwing a hitch. With his 33 1/2-inch arms, Gardner broke quickly, reached up with his first pick and ran into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. The team started a streak of 29 straight games as a ranked team after the upset. The New York Jets studied that play and others like it, marveling at the guile, chutzpah and physical skills of the player. He was the highest-drafted corner in the history of the team. The images on his screen conjured up memories of a corner he coached with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers -- former All Pro Richard Sherman. He is an outside-the-box thinker, he has a great vision of the field, and he can diagnose a play before it ever snaps. He is playing a different game. Sauce has a mental makeup that allows him to see the game differently than most players. The seven-man draft class is being hailed as one of the best in the league. The Jets have four players who should be major contributors immediately, but time will tell. Let's take a closer look at their projected roles. He will start on the outside with D.J. Reed. Why the Ravens think Hamilton is a steal.
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When a defensive back is drafted highly, he has to be on the field. The only top-four corners in the last 24 years have been Jeff Okudah, Jeff Gardner, and Denzel Ward. The two players who combined for only two turnovers last season are looking at backup roles.
The transition from man-to-man to zone is a big question. He played the most snaps in press coverage at Cincinnati. On first and second downs, the Jets play it an awful lot, even though they are not a true zone team. Their zone usage goes down on third down.
Football becomes a one-on-one game on third down, and he asks his corners to win their individual battles. It will be important to tackle with theAFC North on the schedule. They like to attack the perimeter.
At last weekend's rookies camp, Gardner said that he likes playing zone. I enjoy it a lot. I like to know what everyone else is doing. I know where to be and when to be there. I think I am a great zone player.
If his anticipation and field vision are as good as he thinks, he shouldn&t have any problems adjusting.
If Wilson doesn't join the starting three, it will be a big deal. Last year, Mike LaFleur threw rookies into prominent roles, like he did with Moore.
Where will Wilson line up most of the time? He played outside at Ohio State. He ran most of his routes outside. He was in the slot for most of his routes in 2020. Wilson and Moore have chess pieces that are versatile.
There is a void at the slot receiver position because he wasn't re-signed. Wilson is better suited to the outside because of his ability to stretch a defense, which is why LaFleur can opt for the committee approach. He can win contested catches on the perimeter.
Wilson is a shade under 6-foot, but receiver come in all shapes and sizes. I think that he has a lot of body control and range with regards to his length. He plays bigger than he is measured to be.
Wilson is the top-rated wideout on the Jets' board, and they believe he can reverse the trend of drafting receiver over the decades. Ja'Marr Chase will be a star in 2021.
Wilson said that he thinks he can have an impact.
Johnson's ability to play the run is what distinguishes him from the other edge rushers and what could lead to a Day 1 starting job. The best attribute of Johnson is his physical nature in the run game, according to Florida State's defensive coach.
Johnson said that there is no pretty-boy work in the trenches.
He was an all-around player in the base defense, as he racked up 5.5 of his 12 sacks on first down.
The Jets can start him at defensive end in the base. He wants to get more work for Franklin-Myers. He rushed 49 times from the interior, recording two sacks, which is a better ratio than outside.
Johnson can play a prominent role in sub packages if he isn't ready to start. They do a lot of rotating. There were no defensive linemen who played more than 70% of the snaps last season.
Hall will move ahead at some point because of his quick feet, but Michael Carter will share the carries. He can take it there at any time. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, second-fastest among running backs at the college level.
Carter was the team's leading running back but he only ran for three 20 or more yard runs. The Jets need more lightning. Hall was the 18th-rated player on their board and they expect him to bring it. He ran an outside-zone scheme at Iowa State. He expects to make a difference.
Hall, who rushed for 1,472 yards and 20 touchdown last season, said that he is an impact player.
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