Here’s an early look at some of the corners expected to go in the first four rounds:
Patrick Surtain II, Alabama (6-2, 202)
A big, physical, durable, shutdown cornerback with great bloodlines, as the son of a terrific NFL cornerback of the same name, who was also his high school coach in South Florida. Surtain II is very good in press coverage.
Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech (6-2, 207)
Tall, physical cornerback with great ball skills, who had 4 picks and 12 PD’s in 2019. He opted out of the 2020 season, so teams will have to go off 2019 film, which was excellent. He’s terrific in press coverage.
Jaycee Horn, South Carolina (6-1, 205)
The son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, he had 2 picks and 6 PD’s in seven games this year, before opting out mid-season. He has a nice combination of size and athleticism and does a terrific job in man-to-man coverage.
Shaun Wade, Ohio State (6-1, 195)
Played in 27 of 28 games over the last two seasons with 57 career tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 19 PD’s. A five-star recruit out of Jacksonville, Fla., he played this year as a graduate student.
Derion Kendrick, Clemson (6-0, 195)
This story is from the January 2021 edition of NY Jets Confidential.
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This story is from the January 2021 edition of NY Jets Confidential.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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FIRST DOWN- A lot of potential, but a lot to learn
There is a lyric in an old song by the rock group Chicago that sums up where Zach Wilson is right now:
IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH - Ulbrich breaks down Jets' defensive personnel
(Marcus Maye) can do it all. I would feel comfortable with him (at free or strong safety). He’s a guy that, to me, he can play deep, he can play the half field, he can play the middle third, he can do that and you feel comfortable with it. I think he’s got range, speed and athleticism. I think he’s got ball skills and instincts to be a deep safety. But I think he’s got enough size and girth and want-to and courage to play in the box. It’ll be fun to utilize all the things that he does. He can cover tight ends; he can cover some of the wide receivers in this league.
Dan's Minicamp Diary
Becton bombarded with weighty questions
Saleh calls Wilson ‘relentless' as a worker
QUESTION SESSION WITH QB ZACH WILSON
Jets hope initiatives will increase winning edge
Aside from adding as many good players as possible to help the Jets improve, coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are trying to turn over every stone to find extra ways to give their team a winning edge, and two examples of this were announced over the course of the offseason, with the additions of a game management coach (Matt Burke) and the installation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department. Let’s take a closer look at these two moves and how they might help the Jets:
Dan's Spring Camp Diary
This time of year for learning, experimenting, not stats
AUDIBLES-Saleh doesn't cave on offseason work
Tom Brady might be wrong about this one.
SAFETIES
Justin Simmons, Broncos 6-2 • 202 pounds • 27 years old
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Trent Williams, 49ers 6-5 • 320 pounds • 32 years old
LINEBACKERS
Lavonte David, Buccaneers 6-0 • 226 pounds • 26 years old
