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It’s taking a little bit longer for one New York Jets rookie to make the jump from the collegiate to the NFL level.
First-year center Joe Tippmann was incredibly candid when asked during his media availability if the mental game has been overwhelming for him.
“I’d say yeah there have been times where it was,” Tippmann said on Monday, July 31. “I think that is what was good about OTAs kind of getting there to where we were able to kind of get a base-level understanding of the whole offense. Then starting in camp we were able to kind of dive in deeper and kind of really take the next turn.”
Fans on social media were not pleased with that answer considering he was the No. 43 overall pick in the second round of April’s draft.
One fan said, “Redshirt season for a high 2nd round pick, where someone at his same position taken later in the same round, in the same city, is outperforming you.”
Tippmann Will Have to ‘Earn’ First-Team Reps With Jets
Most players that are taken in the second round are immediate starters at the NFL level, especially that high in the second round.
However, there is no guarantee that will be the path for Tippmann in year No. 1.
“We’ll see [on if Tippmann will get first-team reps], he’s got to earn it but we definitely got to see if he can hold up,” head coach Robert Saleh told the media on Monday, July 31.
Saleh said the center competition is going to be an “ongoing battle” that won’t be decided until at least the second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, August 12.
He wants to see how they play in the joint practices and that’ll be a measuring stick for the depth chart battle.
At this point, it appears the starting job is between Connor McGovern and Wes Schweitzer.
Connor Hughes of SNY tweeted this after being at Saleh’s presser on Monday:
“It does not sound like Joe Tippmann is a legitimate option to start in 2023.”
Top Jets Social Media Reactions to Tippmann’s Response
I mentioned earlier that fans weren’t happy with Tippmann’s answer during his presser and the reactions poured in on social media.
“Seriously? Is Tippmann to JMS like Becton is to Wirfs? The wrong pick?”
A fan compared the Jets’ decision to draft Tippmann over John Michael Schmitz to the decision the Jets made back in 2020 picking Mekhi Becton over Tristan Wirfs.
Wirfs went on to become an All-Pro and Becton has struggled to stay on the field. Early in camp, JMS has looked good for the Giants according to reports while Tippmann has struggled early.
Another fan called Tippmann a “terrible pick” despite the fact it is August and we haven’t seen him play a snap yet.
“Well this is a bummer,” another social media user said.
I think a lot of people are overreacting to the clip. It isn’t easy to go from playing college ball to the pros.
Especially when you have the talent and depth that the Jets do on the defensive line. Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah said this offseason that they were in the same class as the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers who are typically considered the best in the league.
It is still incredibly early in the offseason and we haven’t played any regular season or preseason games for that matter.
In the wise words of Aaron Rodgers, R-E-L-A-X.
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