Tag: Jarrick Bernard-Converse

Sauce Gardner, DJ Reed & the No. 1 ranked New York Jets pass defense

Having practice reps versus Aaron Rodgers during training camp has only made Sauce Gardner and the New York Jets pass defense better.

Last season the New York Jets led the entire NFL in opponent pass yards allowed per game. Sure, defensive back Sauce Gardner and D.J Reed didn’t tally up a bunch of interceptions but they did combine for 21 pass deflections.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be afforded the opportunity to blitz opponents often knowing he has a group of stellar defensive backs. Jarrick Bernard-Converse also had a good preseason and will likely see reps as the slot defensive back when Ulbrich goes to his nickel personnel.

 

Reed, Gardner, and Bernard-Converse all have the ability to play man coverage and will allow safety Chuck Clark to cheat inside to help with run stop support. Opponents weren’t forced to throw the ball a lot versus the Jets last season because the Jets were horrific on offense but that’s likely to change.

The 2024 Jets’ offensive attack will lead to more scoring and game leads this year forcing opponents into passing the ball at higher volumes.

There isn’t a wide receiver in the NFL that does not respect Gardner as an elite defender. Having been afforded the opportunity to get practice reps versus Aaron Rodgers during training camp, the Jets’ pass defense will only become more potent as the season progresses.

Jets part ways with safety Adrian Amos

The Jets moved on from safety Adrian Amos Saturday which should allow more playing time for Ashtyn Davis and Jarrick Bernard-Converse.

In a surprising move, the Jets released safety Adrian Amos. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported it as a mutual parting.

Amos joined the Jets in April following Chuck Clark’s season-ending knee injury. He signed a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Amos was initially expected to start alongside Jordan Whitehead but Tony Adams overtook Amos and won the starting job in training camp, relegating Amos to the No. 3 safety.

Amos’ release could allow for more playing time for Ashtyn Davis and rookie Jarrick Bernard-Converse in the season’s final six weeks. Davis has been a key special-teams player and Bernard-Converse, the Jets’ sixth-round pick in 2023, provides versatility in the secondary.

Amos recorded 23 tackles in 11 games, including three starts.

Jets Week 10 inactives: Will McDonald out, makes room for Carl Lawson

Jets Week 10 inactives: Will McDonald out, makes room for Carl Lawson

The inactives are out for the New York Jets in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was already known that Billy Turner would be due to his injured finger. Duane Brown was ruled out as well, but he hasn’t been activated from injured reserve yet.

The player that was the biggest question mark this week was defensive end Will McDonald. The first-round pick suffered an ankle injury this week and missed practice Friday. He was listed as questionable and was officially deemed inactive for Sunday. As a result, Carl Lawson is back in the rotation.

Here are your inactives for the Jets for Week 10.

Jets add Jarrick Bernard-Converse to active roster

Rookie sixth-round defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse was added to the active roster, the team announced Tuesday.

Rookie sixth-round defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse was added to the active roster, the team announced Tuesday.

Bernard-Converse started the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. The team activated his 21-day practice window on October 4. He is now officially on the active roster. The team had an open roster spot following last week’s trade of wide receiver Mecole Hardman to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bernard-Converse is listed as a safety but can play both safety and cornerback. He may get some cornerback work with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed both still in the concussion protocol. The team returns to practice Wednesday following their bye week and should have more information on the status of their top two cornerbacks then.

The Jets also made moves on the practice squad. New York added wide receiver Lance McCutcheon and released safety Tyreque Jones. McCutcheon was recently on the Texans’ practice squad. He initially came into the NFL in 2022, signing with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State.

2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 12 JK Johnson

JK Johnson started five of the 13 games he appeared in as a redshirt freshman for Ohio State last fall.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

After losing a lot of production in the secondary from the 2022 team, the Tigers went heavy to the transfer portal to plug the holes. One of the top additions is cornerback [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], who was a rotational player with Ohio State as a redshirt freshman last fall but is expected to take a step forward this fall.

JK Johnson Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Ht: 6-1

Wt: 180

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 1 in Missouri | No. 3 Cornerback

Class in 2022: Redshirt Freshman

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2021 (Ohio State) 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
2022 (Ohio State) 13 20 16 0 0 0 0 0


Depth Chart Overview

A former top-50 recruit coming out of high school and the top prospect in the state of Missouri, Johnson redshirted his first season at Ohio State after appearing in just two games.

He saw a much bigger role as a redshirt freshman last fall, appearing in 13 games and making five starts. He had minimal production, making 20 tackles while not breaking up or intercepting any passes.

He hit the transfer portal after the season, and he lands with an LSU team that has to replace [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag]. Johnson will likely be in the mix to earn a starting spot on the outside this season alongside transfers [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], as well as returning contributor [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag].

JK Johnson’s Photo Gallery

LSU boasts one of college football’s top defenses entering 2023

Despite losing several key pieces, this defense has a lot of potential this fall.

As the offseason hype grows around LSU, much of the discussion has had to do with the offense.

Indeed, the Tigers bring back perhaps the SEC’s top returning quarterback/receiver duo in [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag]. Pair that with a young, promising offensive line and a running back room with plenty of options, and you have the makings of a great unit.

But defensively, the Tigers have a lot of potential, as well. There are players to replace, certainly, such as edge defenders [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Mike Jones Jr.[/autotag] and secondary starters [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag].

Still, LSU returns a lot of promising players. [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] is widely expected to become one of the best players in the country, while [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] returns after a breakout season on the defensive line. He’ll be paired up inside with the player he replaced in [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag], who many expect to have a huge season, as well, as he returns from an ACL tear.

While the secondary will feature a lot of new faces, LSU will get veterans [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag] back,

That’s not even mentioning the transfers who will see immediate action like defensive linemen [autotag]Paris Shand[/autotag] and [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag].

This group has a lot of talent, and ESPN ranked it as the No. 8 defensive unit entering 2023.

It always starts right up front with any defense, and getting back a healthyMaason Smithat tackle is a huge boost for an LSU unit that finished fifth in the SEC last season in scoring defense (22.5 points per game) and sixth in total defense (354.6 yards per game). Smith earned Freshman All-America honors in 2021, but tore his ACL in the opener last season against Florida State while celebrating a tackle. The 6-6, 310-pound Smith is a force in the middle of that defense, andMekhi Wingoshowed a year ago he was also capable of being a dominant interior defender. Throw in one of the best pass-rushers in the SEC, outside linebackerHarold Perkins Jr., and the Tigers will be a load for any opposing offensive line trying to block them. Perkins had 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles as a freshman last season.

LSU will also benefit from having defensive coordinator Matt House and his staff back for another season. The continuity and carryover from 2022 should allow the Tigers to play even faster and more instinctively, and one of the keys will be how well several transfers fit on defense.

LinebackerOmar Speightstransferred in fromOregon State, where he was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection last season. There are some question marks in the secondary, although veteran safetyGreg Brooks Jr. is back. A number of transfers will get chances to win cornerback jobs. Among them:JK Johnson(Ohio State),Duce Chestnut(Syracuse),Denver Harris(Texas A&M) andZy Alexander(Southeastern Louisiana).

[autotag]Matt House[/autotag] is viewed as one of the top up-and-coming defensive minds in the game, and he’ll have a lot to work with as LSU has the makings of a potential College Football Playoff team this fall.

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Jets announce signing of sixth-round pick Jarrick Bernard-Converse

Jets get JBC under contract, their first 2023 draft pick signed

The Jets have their first 2023 draft pick under contract. The team announced the signing of sixth-round pick defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse.

The Jets took the LSU cornerback with the No. 204 pick in last weekend’s draft. Bernard-Converse started nine games in 2022 for LSU after transferring following four years at Oklahoma State. He brings versatility to the back end of the Jets defense. As general manager Joe Douglas said, “He can play safety, he can play nickel, he can play outside. He’s played a lot of football and obviously, the talent speaks for itself.”

JBC will also compete for a role on special teams, especially early on, while also providing a good depth piece across the board.

Meet the Jets draft class for 2023

Your 2023 Jets picks

The New York Jets have wrapped up their 2023 NFL Draft and wound up with seven picks overall after a couple of trades on Day 3. The Jets added help along the offensive line, getting after the quarterback and a big target late. Here’s the Jets’ draft class for 2023.

Jets pick LSU CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse

Bernard-Converse became the sixth LSU player selected this weekend and the fifth on Day 3.

[autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] has found a home in New York.

The Jets selected the LSU corner in the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. Bernard-Converse transferred to LSU after four years at Oklahoma State. He was all-conference in 2021 and impressed in Baton Rouge last year.

He’s a tall and physical corner that also played safety last year.

His biggest moment as a Tiger came against Alabama: He intercepted Bryce Young on the opening drive to shift momentum in LSU’s favor.

LSU needed corners entering last year and Bernard-Converse proved a valuable asset from the portal. Bernard-Converse was the sixth LSU player drafted this weekend and the fifth on Saturday.

Bernard-Converse benefited from a strong draft process that saw him play in the Hula Bowl and impress at LSU pro day.

He’ll join a good secondary that features Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. It’s unlikely he’ll get a chance to start early in his career, but he has the talent to battle for time down the road.

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Instant analysis to Jets selecting LSU CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse at No. 204

Thoughts on JBC?

The Jets added to their secondary group with their selection of LSU CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse with the 204th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Bernard-Converse brings speed and length to the Jets’ defensive backfield. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash with a 4.29 short-shuttle and a very nice 6.94 three-cone at his Pro Day. He was not invited to the Scouting Combine.

However, as The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt noted, his numbers would have stacked up very nicely to those that did work out in Indianapolis.

Bernard-Converse (six feet, 196 pounds) put up solid numbers over his five-year college career which includes four years at Oklahoma State and one year at LSU.

He totaled 228 career tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, 29 passes defended and four interceptions. He also can play both safety and cornerback. He moved to corner for the 2020 season.

Bernard-Converse played 64 career college games with 56 starts. He also just turned 23 years old on the day he was drafted, so the Jets gave him a nice birthday present.

It will be interesting to see where he fits for the Jets and where the team wants to work him. This is an interesting and intriguing pick for the Jets.