Most New York Jets fans seem to be in agreement on certain positions. For example, the franchise could use more help at edge rusher and wide receiver. Cornerback on the other hand is much more polarizing.
Should the franchise target a top-tier talent like Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner? Is Derek Stingley Jr. a steal if he drops? How good can Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols become?
And of course, the overarching question — how early should general manager Joe Douglas draft a cornerback in 2022?
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Day 2 Could Provide First-Round Value
The Jets have two selections in the second round at No. 35 and 38. Assuming they stay put with those picks, one NFL draft expert believes a first-round talent could drop to them at cornerback and his name is Andrew Booth Jr.
During an exclusive interview with Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Heavy on Jets reporter Paul Esden Jr. asked the draft analyst about the Clemson product — who Brugler had New York selecting at No. 35. He responded:
First-round player who’s going to get knocked down a little bit because of durability questions — the injuries. He’s missed basically the entire pre-draft process because of a quad strain and then double hernia surgery so he’s going to be cleared here at some point coming up in May, but after the draft. Because of that, because we haven’t seen him work out before the actual draft, he could fall to that second round and right into the laps of a team like the Jets.
A name to watch for #Jets fans is @ClemsonFB CB Andrew Booth Jr (@andrewbooth21) who could fall to the 2nd round because of injuries says @dpbrugler of @TheAthletic, ‘he’s a first round player’ + ‘has all the physical ingredients’: #TakeFlight #NFLDraft #NFL
Brugler added a bit of scouting on the mysterious cornerback talent that has been sidelined the past couple of months.
“With Booth — I think when we boil down the corner position, you want a fluid athlete, a guy that’s aggressive, and you want a guy that can go get the football,” Brugler began. “Andrew Booth hits all of those things.”
Andrew Booth has no patience for your WR screens
He cautioned slightly: “There [is] some volatility to his tape a little bit with the way that he handles spacing and that’s something he’ll have to develop — especially for the Jets scheme — but you want a guy that’s a good athlete, you want a guy that has all the physical ingredients, Andrew Booth has it. I think he would be an interesting fit if he were to last to the second round and to the Jets pick.”
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Does a Lower CB Make More Sense for NYJ?
Hall was a fifth-round pick in 2020 and Echols was a sixth the following offseason. Although it would create great organizational depth to target a cornerback in the first two rounds, does it really make sense considering the potential that’s on the roster?
According to Pro Football Focus, Hall did not allow 100 yards in any game last season. Going one step further, he only allowed more than 55 yards in four outings — against Atlanta, Houston, Tampa Bay and Buffalo (Week 18).
Considering he was targeted a team-high 93 times, his reception percentage allowed was only 59.1%. Those statistics ranked 28th for all NFL cornerbacks with a minimum of 50% of snaps played.
Echols was slightly worse at 64.4% but did force more turnovers — something the Jets value. The rookie did not allow 100 yards in any 2021 game either but did come close in Week 10 against Buffalo and Week 7 against New England.
Hall also ranked third for the entire NFL in pass breakups behind Marshon Lattimore and Jalen Ramsey.
This secondary needed an upgrade in 2022, no doubt, but it got one in free agency when Douglas and Robert Saleh brought in D.J. Reed Jr. It’s now very debatable whether cornerback is still a major need for this roster.
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‘First-Round Player’ Could Fall Into Jets’ Lap on Day 2, Says Draft Expert