Douglas Covers Three Bases For Jets In Impressive First-Round Haul
The prevailing wisdom amongst many in the media has been that Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh doesn’t value cornerbacks, that he’s of the school that a great pass rush negates the need for excellence on the back end.
If that nonsensical stance really was accurate, at least Jets General Manager Joe Douglas proved he knows better. While I viewed Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux as the best option for Gang Green’s No. 4 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night, I can’t quibble over Douglas’ selection of Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner in that slot.
Jets fans are beyond tired of watching corners play “bend but don’t break”—and then break anyway. It was well past time that the team invested a high pick on a cornerback—nine years since their last Round 1 corner, and that was on Dee Milliner, who was way more fragile than Gardner (one missed game in three seasons).
Douglas may have made it up to Saleh by trading into the end of the first round, surrendering to Tennessee a second-rounder (No. 35), a third-rounder (No. 69) and a fifth rounder (No. 163) for the right to select Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, a player the team fell in love with while coaching him at the Senior Bowl, with the No. 26 overall pick. The Jets also received a late third-rounder (No. 101) from the Titans.
Johnson, 23, is a bit of a late bloomer, which could be why a player ranked by many experts in the top 10 of this Draft class fell so precipitously. Though there are legitimate questions over how productive Johnson will be at getting to QBs at this level, he certainly flourished after transferring from Georgia prior to last season, registering 12 sacks while dominant against the run.
Pressure from the front four is obviously huge for a defense, but so too is the ability to stick with receivers in the first couple of seconds after the snap—per ESPN, NFL quarterbacks averaged 2.77 seconds before getting the ball out last season. Today’s game is loaded with three-step drops and quick hitches to get all these elite athletes the ball in space. If you can find players who are adept at closing down that space, you can make QBs hold onto the ball that much longer to possibly give the pass rushers enough time to get home.
By all accounts, Gardner is such a shutdown prospect. There’s some discrepancy between ESPN and Pro Football Focus on his coverage numbers last season, but both were outstanding (8-for-30 as the targeted defender per ESPN, 20-for-40 per PFF). The longest gain allowed was a mere 13 yards and he did not surrender a single touchdown pass in over 1,000 coverage snaps during his three collegiate seasons. In the Bearcats’ college football playoff game versus Alabama on New Year’s Eve, he held the explosive Tide receivers to 14 yards when targeted four times.
Gardner can be a little handsy (9 penalties—7 pass interference or holding fouls over the last two seasons, according to The Athletic) and will learn what he can get away with as a pro, but he’s an ideal press cover man with his size (6-foot 3) and wingspan (over 6-foot 7). His 4.41 40-yard dash time at March’s NFL Combine notwithstanding, he won’t have it easy with the speedsters on the Jets schedule this season, most notably Stefon Diggs in Buffalo and Tyreek Hill in Miami. The scouting reports suggest he wins more with his physicality.
Adding Gardner ensures that the Jets will have a little depth at the position for a change. Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols, starters last season, will likely both come off the bench in favor of Gardner and free agent acquisition D.J. Reed, with Michael Carter II in the lead to keep his slot corner job.
That’s a heck of a lot better situation than the last few seasons, when the Jets were struggling to find guys off the street to insert into games as replacements for injured players, which is why I can get behind Douglas’ preference for a top cornerback over the third-best edge rusher who came into the Draft with question marks.
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Lost a bit in the shuffle related to the refurbishing of the Jets’ last-place defense was their second selection in the first round. At No. 10, Douglas went with the consensus (and my) pick by taking Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Who knows if the pick will pan out, but no one can argue that Douglas went rogue.
USC’s Drake London was off the board, chosen by Atlanta at No. 8, so the choice came down to Wilson versus Alabama’s Jameson Williams, whose prospect of a lengthy rehab lasting well into the season following an ACL tear in the National Championship Game could have swung the debate.
Douglas was in desperate need of an immediate playmaker for sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson and, after all Douglas’ attempts at obtaining a star in the trade market came up empty, he settled on a player who should be an excellent fit in Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur’s schemes.
Wilson may not have the size NFL teams covet in their outside receivers, but his insane athleticism allows him to “play bigger.” He’s terrific along the sidelines and has the elusiveness to make him a home run threat when catching the ball in space.
Overall, it was quite an evening at One Jets Drive. They came away with three starters at high-premium positions of need with players Douglas said were in the top eight on his board. And they still have a high (No. 38 overall) pick in Round 2 on Friday.
Hard to believe, but no Jets fan should be dissatisfied.