A single draft class can turn around the misfortunes of a franchise. The New York Jets are just the latest example.
In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in five Hall-of-Famers from the draft class. A record that has not been matched yet. In 1995 and 1996, two top picks from both Baltimore and Tampa Bay resulted in multiple Super Bowl wins for the Ravens and Buccaneers respectively.
The 2022 class for the New York Jets could certainly be on that path to matching the other greats in league history. Their top two selections won offensive and defensive Rookie of the Year, while several other players looked so good, that they are considered fast risers at their position.
But what does a sophomore season look like for the several drafted and undrafted second-year players for Gang Green? Can they live up to their already lofty expectations?
Today, we examine what the Jets need to get out of their sophomore class and if they can eventually be thought of as one of the greatest in NFL history.
Sauce Gardner
You don’t get much better than being the first rookie defensive back to be named a First-Team All-Pro since Ronnie Lott in 1981. Sauce was on another level last season while posting top marks in coverage grades and led the Jets defense to be a top-five unit.
Sauce is considered the face of Gang Green’s defense this season with Quinnen Williams and for good reason. He has said he wants to increase his interception total and I think that is certainly achievable for him. The only concern will be if he gets the Darrelle Revis treatment and opposing quarterbacks simply don’t even look his way. If that happens, he could still have a dominant season, it’s just that the numbers won’t necessarily show.
Garrett Wilson
You can’t have better than the Jets’ first two selections in the 2022 draft. Gardner became the face of the defense almost overnight and Wilson set offensive rookie records that may not be broken again for New York. Seriously, a
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