FLORHAM PARK, NJ – The play took place in the next-to-last rehearsal of the New York Jets. During the 7-on-7 period, Rookie Wide receiver Garrett Wilson drove a central crossing and caught a catch on a pass from quarterback Zack Wilson behind him. It wasn’t Wilson’s textbook excerpt, which was a bit out of place, but he showed so much concentration and body control that he could adjust and play a big game.
Drama that could serve as a forerunner of the Balihood class of 22: their top four drafts, learned on the fly, can sometimes spoil the script, but they can compensate with pure talent. .
“Playmakers, baby,” said General Manager Joe Douglas on the night of the draft.
Douglas’s remarks, captured in Jet’s new, in-house documentary “Flight 2022: New Heights”, came after he was selected to run in the second round of Bryce Hall. The Jets believe they found a playmaker in Hall and Wilson, along with cornerback Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner and two dynamic defenders in defensive end Jermaine Johnson II. All four are expected to play key roles as risk takers, which will lay the groundwork for last year’s draft class.
After four weeks of non-contact practice last Wednesday, each threat has impressed his teammates and coaches on their starting field.
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Gardner (Round 1, 4th overall)
With DJ Reed and Brandin Echols sidelined due to injuries, Gardner got plenty of repetition with an early defense. Permanent promotion is only a matter of time.
According to trainers, beyond the obvious physical features, Gardner impresses with his abstraction. He loves his football skills and his desire to learn. When he makes a mistake he immediately goes to his location coach for an explanation. In the open exercise, he wore puffy gloves – picture oversized oven mittens – to improve hand position and prevent grip. He started that practice in college, where he accumulated nine penalties in his last two seasons.
“They tell a lot in the league,” Gardner said. “I thought it would be the other way around, but it wasn’t.”
Safety Jordan Whitehead said Gardner reminded him of former NFL star Richard Sherman because of his similar build. Gardner is 6-foot-3, with 33 1/2-inch sides. When he blocked Zac Wilson’s pass in the last zone, he reached the top and snatched it from the air.
Despite his inexperience, Gardner has enough raw talent to survive on top receivers in man-to-man coverage. Like any rookie, he may be confused by specific route combinations and formations, but he demonstrated an amazing ability in practice, adjusting the midplay in situations where the offender deliberately tried to throw him.
“He’ll have his lumps and his flamboyant moments, which they all do, but at the same time there won’t be a lot of them,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrik. “Maybe at least.”
Garrett Wilson (1st, 10th overall)
The Jets made an offer for the San Francisco 49ers star Debo Samuel and saw AJ Brown, who was dealing with the Tennessee Titans to the Philadelphia Eagles, before selecting Wilson – the top receiver on their draft board. In the long run, if Wilson reaches his full potential, this could be the best of the two.
The Jets love its versatility because it can play in and out, a big plus in a plan that requires the receiver to dominate in more than one position. Wilson sticky hands are smooth and fast.
Trainers love the focus shown in the meeting room. The pre-draft inspection process is in-depth, but you don’t really know it unless it’s in your building. Wilson has exceeded his expectations in this regard. In fact, he plans to stay in Florham Park to work with conditioning staff during a six-week break.
The big question: How will he react when the game is over? There were no interruptions in the off-season methods, providing easy release for the receiver. It’s a different world when you have the back of the corner on your face, looking out of your way. At 6 feet, 183 pounds, Wilson is not the largest receiver.
Offensive coordinator Mike Laflour said, “He has to keep learning how physical this level is, and this happens especially when we put on pads and you go through that daily ringer that goes against our secondary level.”
Apart from injuries, Wilson will have a big role to play in reaching the core.
Johnson (Round 1, 26th overall)
Since the off-season is basically a passing camp – no run games, no live pass-rushing exercises – it’s hard to read well on Johnson. All we know is:
On the deep defensive line, he worked primarily with the second and third teams, often as the Wide-9 defensive end. This is an important pass-rushing position among the four-men in front of the Jets, and its size (6-foot-5, 254 lbs), explosiveness and motor make it ideal for that position.
Nearly two months after the draft, the Jets still can’t believe Johnson is ranked 26th. In the documentary, Douglas reveals that Johnson told him before the draft, “Trade me to get it.” And he did.
“He has the blast, he has the speed, he’s bent – all the stuff that runners need from a physical point of view,” Ulbrich said. “Now just learning my game, learning the intricacies of the position, learning how to reduce the daily stress, is all that is needed to succeed on this path.”
Hall (Round 2, 36th in total)
Even if he goes to the second round, Hall is still viewed by the organization at the same level as his first three selections. The only difference is that it plays a depreciating position in recent years. From his point of view, he is a big talent, a three-down runner and can make an immediate impact as a receiver.
Hall didn’t get a chance to show his running skills in practice, but he excelled as a pass-catcher. He felt comfortable swinging out of the backfield or running through the steep slopes in the middle. He was such a prolific runner in the state of Iowa that his acquired skills were overshadowed (36 receptions last season).
The Jets love their domestic ability, a dimension that their running game lacks. Hall is 220 pounds, so there’s also a power factor in his sport. He and Michael Carter have a couple of punches for offensive play that rely heavily on the ground game.
“It’s a fluid mover,” Laflour said. “It simply came to our notice then. When you’re there in person, it’s just a different style of movement that people are not used to, I think you can say. “
Playmaker, baby.
