Getty Florida State pass rusher Jermaine Johnson sitting down for an interview at the 2022 NFL Combine.
Every once in a while you get lucky in life.
Something happens that wasn’t likely according to the odds but you simply take it in stride. The New York Jets were a recent beneficiary of this and we never found out why it happened.
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An Amazing Response
Every year a player seemingly slides in the NFL draft that we didn’t see coming. This year that player was Florida State pass rusher, Jermaine Johnson.
He was a player that some analysts had pegged as a top-five pick, instead, he fell all the way to the No. 26 overall pick in the first round.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, he was asked if he ever found out why he slid so far?
“I have no idea and to be quite honest I haven’t asked anyone because I simply don’t care. I’m not going to lie, I really don’t care. I’m extremely happy where I ended up and that’s not just a PR answer or whatever. To be honest, I’m surrounded by great players, and teammates and the staff are awesome. I have to give a shoutout to the vets in my room because not every room is like that. They are helping me in every way that they can and they’re teaching me the ropes. I’m extremely happy with how everything is playing out and I love the state of New Jersey and New York it is kind of right up my alley.”
.@richeisen asked #Jets DL Jermaine Johnson II (@ii_jermaine) why he slipped so far in the 2022 #NFLDraft? ‘I have no idea & to be quite honest I haven’t asked anyone because I simply don’t care. I’m extremely happy where I ended up’ 😤: 🎥@RichEisenShow #TakeFlight @FSUFootball
The Jets traded No. 35 overall in the second round, No. 69 overall in the third round, and No. 163 overall in the fifth round to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for No. 26 overall in the first round and No. 101 overall in the third round.
In the post-draft presser general manager, Joe Douglas revealed that Johnson was a player they strongly considered at No. 10 overall and was a top-10 player on their big board.
A Key Piece to the Puzzle
Jets fans have this saying burned into their minds and they’ve repeated it every offseason for the last 15 years:
“Gang Green hasn’t had a dynamic pass rusher since John Abraham.”
A player that struck fear into opposing offensive coordinators and had to be game-planned for or else he could hurt you.
Jets fans thought Carl Lawson was going to be that guy last year and he certainly looked the part during the offseason but a season-ending Achilles injury stopped the party before it started.
Now heading into 2022 the cabinet is overflowing with potential options that can pop. Johnson should be able to provide an immediate impact as a run defender, something he did very well in college.
Absolutely loved this answer from #Jets DL Jermaine Johnson (@ii_jermaine) on him & Ahmad Gardner (@iamSauceGardner), ‘lead by example, be seen & not really heard, you gotta earn that like I said we are rookies, gotta earn our stripes’: 🎥 @RichEisenShow, @richeisen #TakeFlight
Although where he’ll make his money and create buzz is by sacking the opposing quarterback.
Last year he popped with a solo season with the Seminoles racking up 11.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, and registered over 70 total tackles.
Will he be able to snap the double-digit sack drought (that hasn’t happened since 2015)? It’ll be hard for any of these guys to accomplish that feat because of the sheer quantity of guys in the rotation.
On top of having a lot of different guys, head coach Robert Saleh explained that each player will have a baseline of snaps and a ceiling they don’t want to go over.
In other words, the depth may muddy the individual results from a singular player, however, the overall team numbers are where things could really impress.
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