The New York Jets needed multiple hits in the 2022 NFL Draft, especially considering the plethora of duds they acquired in 2020 and 2021.
General manager Joe Douglas found himself in a bind in April 2022, but he got his wish. The Jets selected four players in the top 36, and Douglas hit a grand slam.
New York secured four starters with their first four picks.
The Jets drafted cornerback Sauce Gardner fourth overall before selecting WR1 Garrett Wilson six spots down. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, a Pro Bowl nominee in 2023, was Gang Green’s third first-round pick, and dynamic running back Breece Hall was selected early in the second round.
The Jets’ 2022 draft class is already being viewed as a coup and could ultimately reach historic levels, with the latest praise for the star-studded quartet coming from Bleacher Report.
Writer Brent Sobleski ranked the top eight NFL draft teams of the past decade, with New York ranked fifth, led by the New Orleans Saints’ 2017 class.
“With Aaron Rodgers returning from an Achilles injury this season, these young players who are already off to great starts in their careers should have an opportunity to get even more exposure,” Sobleski said.
It’s also worth noting that the Jets took current TE2 Jeremy Ruckert late in the third round. Their two fourth-round picks, offensive lineman Max Mitchell and defensive lineman Michael Clemons, have been reserve players over the past two seasons.
Jets’ top draft picks in 2022
CB Sauce Gardner, 4th overall (1st round)
Gardner, who turns 24 before the regular season, is already a two-time first-team All-Pro selection in his two NFL seasons. Arguably the best cornerback in the league, Gardner has started 33 games in his career and recorded 31 passes defensed.
Quarterbacks are already hesitant to throw passes to Gardner, who has limited opposing receivers to under six yards per target.
WR Garrett Wilson, 10th overall (1st round)
Wilson has recorded 1,000 yards receiving in back-to-back seasons and should see his numbers improve with Rodgers at quarterback, and the two appear to have a strong rapport with each other dating back to 2023 OTAs.
“When Aaron Rodgers throws a pass to Garrett Wilson, the ball never hits the ground,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said after observing a Jets overtime practice earlier this spring.
DE Jermaine Johnson, 26th overall (first round)
Johnson got off to a slow start as a rookie but improved immensely in Year 2, becoming an everyday starter and earning a Pro Bowl selection. The 6-foot-5 player started all 17 games in 2023 and recorded 7.5 sacks and seven pass deflections.
The energetic edge rusher has more than doubled his defensive snaps from his rookie season.
RB Breece Hall, 36th overall (2nd round)
Hall showed game-changing acceleration as both a ball carrier and receiver last year. He was second among NFL running backs in scrimmage yards (1,585) and first in receptions (76). After topping 20.5 mph on an 83-yard sprint in Week 1, Hall said he’s in even better shape for the 2024 season.
“I feel a lot leaner, my health is a lot better, my knee is a lot better,” Hall said during mandatory minicamp. “I feel like my old self again.”
