Three first-rounders take on Jets and NY
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – The past decade of New York Jets football has been defined by misery and misfortune. But there was a different vibe around this franchise during the NFL draft.
Instead of angry tweets from fans, there was almost universal praise for the way GM Joe Douglas attacked the critical moment in his plan to build the roster back to respectability.
Douglas added three potential game-changing players in the span of a few hours: cornerback Sauce Gardner with the No. 4 pick, wide receiver Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 pick, and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson with the No. 26 pick after a trade-up.
Less than 24 hours later, those three men were introduced together at the team’s facility in a moment that will be remembered. It’s up to them if it will be for changing the course of the franchise, or for providing false hope.
The new guys know what they’re walking into – understandably, Jets fans haven’t been great at hiding their frustration as their team has missed the playoffs in 11 straight years, the longest drought in the NFL by five seasons.
They know what’s expected of them. And they’re not shying away from it.
“We come here to be the best teammates we can be and sacrifice whatever it takes so we can win and turn our program around,” Gardner said. “No matter what it takes, we’re going to do whatever it takes.”
“I’m here to give the Jets everything I have,” Johnson said. “That’s definitely on the list. If (turning this around) comes with me giving everything I got and these guys giving everything they’ve got, we’ll gladly embrace that.”
It starts with Sauce
Gardner knows what it’s like to be an underdog and counted out. From a personal standpoint and a team standpoint. A few years ago, no one was viewing the Cincinnati Bearcats as a national football power. And the idea of a Group of Five school cracking the College Football Playoff seemed like a pipe dream.
By the time Gardner left Cincinnati for the NFL draft, both of those things had changed.
Cincinnati spent most of the fall ranked as one of the top five teams in the country. And at the end of the season, the Bearcats found themselves as one of the final four teams playing for a national championship.
Gardner says that experience gives him confidence as he arrives in another place where it has been hard to see a bright future in recent times.
“I feel like that’s what makes this so special for me to be able to be here,” Gardner said. “I feel like I know what it takes, so I’m willing to ... sacrifice whatever it takes so that way we can get the ball rolling.”
Gardner also knows what it’s like to be overlooked from a personal standpoint. The Detroit native started his high school career as a 5-foot-8 receiver but got an opportunity at cornerback because of an early-season injury to a teammate and made the most of it and became a star at the position.
Still, he wasn’t highly recruited heading into college. And in October of 2019, early in his first year at Cincinnati, he was known as the young defensive back who went by his strange childhood nickname.
And then, against No. 18 UCF, the freshman took a risk in the third quarter, baiting quarterback Dillon Gabriel into a short throw, jumping the route and intercepting it for a pick-6 that sparked an upset, secured a starting job and set his course to becoming arguably the top cornerback in college football.
“I’ve always been at the bottom of the barrel,” Gardner said, but credited his faith, in a higher power and himself, for getting him to where he is now. “I feel like that’s just me keeping a strong relationship with God, that’s the main reason why I’m in the position that I’m in because he’ll present me with an opportunity and I always make the most out of it.”
Gardner knows that things are different now. Many viewed him as the best cornerback in college football and with the Jets picking him fourth overall no one views him as an underdog anymore. But he’s confident nothing will change.
“Through it all, I always put a lot of work in, so I always stayed true to myself and knew I’m the best,” Gardner said. “At the same time, you can’t forget what all you went through, so that keeps me going, all the intrinsic motivation and just knowing my mom was proud of me. That’s the main thing that keeps me going.”
‘Iron sharpens iron’
One of the most exciting things about the three pieces coming in together is that they’ll get to build chemistry and make each other better on the practice field.
Especially Garrett and Wilson, who certainly will be matching up frequently on the grass outside the Jets facility in the years to come.
“He’s going to push me to be my best and I’m going to try to push him to be his best,” Wilson said. “That’s where greatness
comes from and that’s what we’re going to try to bring out of each other, for sure.”
Gardner, who prides himself on his competitiveness – he didn’t allow a touchdown in more than 1,000 college snaps – is looking forward to the opportunity, too.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got the same goal,” Gardner said. “We want to win, but we’re going to make sure we battle. Iron sharpens iron, we’re going to keep making everybody better.”
Ready for the spotlight
One thing that stood out during the introductory press conference is that none of these players seemed overwhelmed by the moment.
And it’s probably no coincidence that all three of them are used to being on a big stage.
Johnson had a breakout final college season at Florida State, one of the best-known college football programs in the country.
Wilson was the top target at Ohio State, which made two appearances in the College Football Playoff in his three seasons there.
And Gardner became one of the most high-profile college football players in the country thanks to his nickname and stellar play.
There’s a responsibility that comes with being in that position – from a personal and a team standpoint – and they all know what it takes to uphold their end of the bargain.
“We come from the limelight, it ain’t nothing new to us,” Johnson said. “We’ve been leaned on before as those guys on the team. I think we’re going to attack it. And, again, we’re not going to do anything else but be ourselves and the best teammates we can be. What comes of that it’s going to come of it.
“I’m extremely excited because not only what these guys can do on the field but the men they are off the field. That’s important to this culture and to this organization. Me, myself, I’m just excited to be here and to pour everything I can into it.”