With the preseason on the books, it’s time for folks to see how rookies fared in their first NFL action. For some, it may be a confirmation bias of their favorite players, for better or for worse. For others, perhaps they saw something in the preseason that they didn’t expect from a player while watching him in college.
Maurice Moton over at Bleacher Report took a look at each team’s rookie performances this preseason and came away very impressed by the rookies for the Jets, giving them an “A” grade.
We didn’t see a lot from the New York Jets’ rookie class in the preseason, but the coaching staff spoke volumes about this group at the podium and with its roster decisions.
Clearly, head coach Robert Saleh trusts his top pick. He named Gardner a starter for Week 1, which isn’t a surprise to anyone. The 2021 AAC Defensive Player of the Year has great size (6’3”, 200 lbs) with the ball-tracking skills (nine interceptions at Cincinnati) to become an elite cornerback.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had an up-close look at Johnson and came away impressed with his speed off the edge.
“A lot of things have been promising about what he’s done in practice and the game,” Ulbrich said to reporters. “But what jumped out at thought was his speed. That is probably one of the biggest things that we coveted. He is a guy with a lot of size and length.”
Clemons could have a decent role at defensive end. While the Texas A&M product didn’t seem impressedwith himself, he had a strong preseason debut with four tackles and a sack (tackle for loss).
On the offensive side of the ball, Wilson can provide a spark to the passing attack. He’ll have to overcome a less-than-ideal quarterback situation with 37-year-old Joe Flacco in line to start while Zach Wilson recovers from knee surgery.
The Jets may lean on the run game early in the season with Michael Carter and Hall in the backfield. The rookie second-rounder didn’t have an efficient preseason, rushing for 29 yards on 14 carries. As the bigger back, Hall could take over short-yardage and goal-line touches though, but he’s going into the season as the backup, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Some early love for the Jets draft class of 2022. And that love should only continue to grow as these players build and develop. It should be a fun ride with this group.