With one of the best rookie draft classes in recent memory, the Jets rookies were involved early and often. Three first round picks, a gem in the second round, and solid depth/impact players in the 4th. This class did not disappoint. Here is my rating on each of the rookie players that saw action this year, including our UDFA players.
1st rd Pick 4: CB Sauce Gardner (Grade A) – Sauce entered the league with a lot of eyes on him. Coming out of Cincinnati he famously had not allowed a TD reception. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep that streak alive, but he still played so well that he was named a starter in the Pro-Bowl in just his rookie season, is a front-runner for defensive rookie of the year, and arguably an All-Pro. Sauce became the 1st Jets rookie CB in franchise history to record 10+ Pass breakups and snag 2 INTs in only nine games. The pairing of Sauce and Reed was arguably the best in the league and often showed outside dominance that Jets fans had not seen since the Revis and Cromartie days. Sauce was target 73 times and allowed 33 receptions. Sauce led the league with 20 pass breakups and tallied 2 INTs on the season. He also had the big hit on Teddy B to open the Miami game early in the season resulting in a safety. Gardner has all the tools to be a dominant DB for years to come.
1st Rd Pick 10: WR Garrett Wilson (Grade A)- Garrett Wilson was a player that I was not too sold on coming into the season. To me he looked like a undersized outside guy or slot player. Wilson took off this season showing toughness I haven’t seen out of a Jets WR since Jeremy Kerley. Wilson was so good at finding open space and bouncing off of would-be tackles. Wilson finished the year with three 100-yard games and led all rookie receivers in both targets (147, T-7 in the league) and receiving yards (1,103, 15th in the league). Wilson added 4 TDs to his rookie season. Wilson also set a franchise rookie record for yards and receptions in a season. Wilson and fellow rookie Chris Olave from the Saints became the first set of rookie WRs from the same college to post 1000k yard rookie seasons. Like his defensive counterpart in Sauce, Wilson is in strong contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
1st Rnd Pick 26: DE Jermaine Johnson (Grade C)- This pick dipped a bit in production compared to other Jets draft picks from the last class, but what you have to remember is that snaps on the defensive line in Saleh’s scheme are ever changing. When rotating out 10 guys on the defensive line, stats won’t really pop for many guys on the year. Still, Johnson showed flashes this season and finished with 29 total tackles and 2.5 sacks in 14 games played. With other players like Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers potentially being cap casualties this coming offseason, we could see production improvement from Jermaine in year 2.
2nd Rnd Pick 36: RB Breece Hall (Grade A)- Now look. I know that Hall didn’t have a full season, but in just seven games, Hall looked like a future All-Pro RB. Hall was shifty, found open holes, and burst with acceleration in the open field. Hall posted up 463 yards on 80 attempts with 4 TDs and had 19 catches for 216 yards before a brutal injury ended his season in Week 7. Even so, Hall was the leading rusher for the Jets this year. It is undetermined how he will bounce back from his torn ACL but reports are that he is recovering faster than expected and could be ready to go by training camp. If Hall can come back at 100%, we may be looking at the best back the Jets have had since Curtis Martin.
3rd Round pick 101: TE Jeremy Ruckert (Grade D)- I have to give Ruckert a low grade here. Ruckert got behind the 8-ball early by missing most of the off-season programs due to injuries. Still Ruckert appeared in 9 games but was mostly utilized on special teams where he did play well. Finally in the last game of the year, Ruckert got his 1st and only reception on the year. Ruckert seems to be a favorite amongst coaches and could see improvement going into year two, but with Conklin and Uzomah returning and Kenny Yeboah hanging around, Ruckert has to have a strong off-season to get more reps.
4th Rnd Pick 111: OT Max Mitchell (Grade B)- Max was one of the more underrated players this season for the Jets in my opinion. He got thrown into the starting lineup early in his rookie season due to the constant offensive line injury issues that the Jets faced this year and played quite well. On 341 snaps, Mitchell allowed only 3 sacks and was only penalized one time, which is a good season for a 4th round pick from a non-power 5 conference school. Mitchell came in a little undersized for a tackle but played well. His best game: Week 2 against Cleveland where he held All-Pro Myles Garrett to ZERO sacks. Injuries and an unfortunate blood-clot issue ended his season after only 6 games played and it is unclear what the future holds for him, but if cleared to return to action, I think he could serve as a replacement for the injury plagued Becton.
4th Rnd pick 117: DE Michael Clemons (Grade B)- Again, this may be a stretch, but Clemons impressed me Week in and week out. He instantly became a fan-favorite in the pre-season with his interview prowess and on field performance. Clemons, like Johnson, saw a lot of rotation on the D-Line, but actually out-played the fore-mentioned Johnson statistically. Clemons was a huge disruption on special teams, recording a blocked punt against Green Bay, and finished the year with 36 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 4 TFL. Clemons may be the most intimidating d-lineman on the roster, and if he continues to improve on his technique and mechanics? Look out.
UDFA Zonovan “Bam” Knight (Grade B)- Bam Knight got his opportunity when fellow rookie Breece Hall went down and beat out RB James Robinson for playing time quickly. Bam finished the year with 300 yards on 85 attempts and 1 TD, and arguably was the 2nd best back on the roster down the stretch. With Michael Carter regressing horribly in year 2, Knight could be a nice one-two punch with Hall moving forward.
UDFA S Tony Adams (Grade D)- The Jets organization seems high on Adams, but when he was on the field, all I seen was a safety getting beaten in coverage and sloppy tackling. One of the most puzzling moves last offseason to me was the decision to keep Adams over 2nd year DB turned Safety Jason Pinnock who would up playing quite well with the Giants this year. Safety has to be a position that we upgrade this season, as Adams in my opinion, is not a long term option to replace Lamarcus Joyner.
Overall grade for this rookie class: (B-)
For the first time in decades, the Jets fans have a lot to be hopeful for moving forward and this rookie class has a lot to do with it. JetUp!
-Dylan Simpson