FLORHAM PARK (N.J.) — The New York JetsThursday night was a historic night. Both sides were quicker. The Jets selected Cincinnati cornerback with two top-10 picks, a first for the common draft era. Ahmad “Sauce” GardnerWith the fourth pick of the first round, followed by six picks with Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
The Wilson pick shows that the Jets have abandoned the idea to trade for disgruntled San Francisco 49ersWide receiver Deebo Samuel. The Samuel speculation created a lot of drama. But the Jets decided not to trade their draft picks, and instead continued the draft.
Gardner will be joining the revamped secondary which also includes cornerback and two additional free-agents D.J. ReedSafety and security Jordan Whitehead. Last season, the secondary was a problem. The Jets finished 30th in pass defense. They also managed just two interceptions from cornerback.
AFC East is loaded with fast receivers, such as the Miami Dolphins“New addition” Tyreek HillThe Jets were keen to improve their backend. Since Darrelle Revis, a first round pick in 2007, the Jets have not had a true shutdown corner. Dee Milliner (2010 and 2013 first-round picks) was one of their investments. However, neither investment met expectations.
Gardner is an impressive addition to the Jets’ roster. He is an all-American and has the unique distinction of having never allowed a touchdown pass at college. This includes three seasons and over 1,000 snaps of coverage. He was so terrorized that he was only targeted once per game last season. He had nine interceptions, 27 passes defended, and three sacks in his career.
He also has unusual size (6-foot-3) and long arms (33½), traits that will help against bigger receivers. Gardner’s role in college was as a corner press man. The Jets, however, have a zone-based defense.
New York’s headline writers will be fond of Gardner’s nickname. At six years old, a youth coach gave him the nickname “Sauce”. Original version: “A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner” was given to him because of his love for fast-food dip sauces.
Gardner was the third ex-player from Cincinnati to be selected in the first round of the common-draft era. He joins defensive tackle Bob Bell (1971), and quarterback Greg Cook (1969).
Although the Jets did not acquire Samuel, Wilson offers plenty of potential.
Wilson was chosen with the draft selection the Jets obtained from the Seattle SeahawksFor Jamal AdamsJets quarterback acclamated. Zach Wilson.
Wilson tweeted “What’s more than one Wilson? 2 Wilsons. Let’s gooooooooo!!!!!!!”
Is there anything better than one Wilson? 2 Wilsons. Let’s gooooooooo!!!!!!! https://t.co/KAjJbDJp5u
— Zachary Wilson (@ZachWilson) April 29, 2022
Ohio State’s home-run threat, he averaged 15.1 yards a reception last season — 70 catches totalling 1,058 yards. Of his 12 touchdowns, six came on vertical routes, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He dropped six balls, which is the only problem.
Wilson’s draft stock improved with a strong finish. He recorded six touchdowns and averaged 124 yards per contest over his last three. He chose not to participate in the Rose Bowl. He strengthened his NFL standing by running 4.38 seconds in the 40 yard dash.
Wilson, who is a shade shorter than 6 feet tall and 183 lbs, is quite slim for his position. Wilson joins a receiving corp that is not over-sized, except for Corey Davis (6-foot-3). Other receivers are Elijah Moore(5-foot-10) Braxton Berrios (5-foot-9). The Jets’ main goal for this offseason is to improve Zach Wilson’s talent, who was a struggling rookie. Wilson is the marquee signing. They signed tight ends during free agency C.J. Uzomah Tyler ConklinGuard Laken Tomlinson.
The Jets were hurt by the lack of explosive plays and finished 28th in scoring.