NFL reporter Peter Schrager has claimed that the New York Jets managed to pick up a ‘gem’ during the 2022 NFL Draft with the pick of Jermaine Johnson II.

The New York Jets were certainly one of the busiest teams on the first night of the draft, as they already had two picks to work with on the opening night, one that they got themselves through finishing 4-13 last season, the other coming from the Seahawks from the Jamal Adams trade back in 2020.

But they also added to the drama on the first night by making a trade with the Tennessee Titans that saw them move back in to the 1st round with pick #26.

Having finished with just one winning season since the 2011 campaign, it’s fair to say that the New York Jets have been trying to ‘rebuild’ things for some time to try and put a competitive team on the field, but so far it’s yet to come.

However, things could very well change this year as a result of what they were able to do in Las Vegas. 

Making a number of splashes

With the Jets giving up the 3rd most passing yards last season with 4,409 and having made the fewest interceptions in the league with seven, corner was one area that needed to be addressed immediately, and they did just that with their first pick Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner out of Cincinatti with pick #4.

And with Zach Wilson having thrown for just 2,334 passing yards last season, a new target for him to aim for that can dominate opposing defenders was also going to be crucial, which is what they got with Garrett Wilson out of Ohio State with pick #10.

One more big fish

However it was their third pick of the first night, Jermaine Johnson II out of Florida State with pick #26 that appears to have impressed Schrager. 

With just 33 sacks last year, pressuring the QB was a severe problem, and not only did they appear to fix it, but speaking on The Herd, Schrager thinks it might have been the best pick in the draft: 

“The real gem of this draft is at 26. Because I can tell you that Jermaine Johnson II was not only one of the top players on their board, he was a top 8 player on their board.And though I don’t have it on confirmed status, he was in the same conversation as [Kayvon] Thibodeaux, so they liked both those guys as the top two pass rushers.”

So it appears as though praise needs to go to the Jets for how they managed to in effect steal what appears to be a top talent much later in the draft than some might have expected him to go. 

Let’s just hope players like Johnson, as well as Wilson and Gardner end up being productive for them and can help move the team forward, otherwise all of this praise will have been for nothing.