Pre-Season Week 2 Rookie Report

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Preseason Week Two Jets Rookie Report

 

ZACK PATRAW

32 MINUTES A

Update on the New York Jets rookies in preseason

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This weekend, the Jets were in Green Bay to take on the Packers in their second dress rehearsal as the regular season approaches. Rookies saw plenty of action in Saturday's game, and they will play a huge role on this very young football team. Coach Saleh said before the game that six to nine rookies are going to play a lot, and several of them could potentially even start. First-round offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, and second-round receiver Elijah Moore did not suit up in Green Bay due to nagging injuries, but let's break down how the rest of the rooks looked in their first trips to Lambeau. 

Zach Wilson, Quarterback (First-round draft pick

 

 

The Jets rookie quarterback strung together another very sharp performance in his second taste of preseason action. With the first-team offense, Wilson played the majority of the first half and put up an impressive statline, completing nine of 11 passes for 128 yards and two passing touchdowns, with a nearly perfect passer rating of 154.7. The only blemish on Wilson's performance was a ball delivered on the run that was thrown behind an open Corey Davis. Zach bounced back on the next two plays; however, converting a third and short and then delivering a gorgeous ball on the run about 30 yards down the sideline to Davis. Wilson ended up capping the drive off with an 18-yard touchdown strike over the middle to his tight end Tyler Kroft. Other noteworthy Wilson plays included a 24-yard strike to Davis between two defensive backs on the first drive of the game and a second 18-yard touchdown pass to Kroft. The rookie has done a great job of quickly getting the ball out of his hands, as he has yet to take a sack this preseason. He has done so without forcing the ball and has done a fine job of checking the ball down when he needs to. Zach has looked very poised in the pocket, there do not appear to be any jitters with him, and his timing with receivers has been pretty much spot on. While he has yet to face a first-team defense, the Jets' new quarterback certainly looks like he belongs through two games of preseason football. 

Michael Carter, Running Back (Fourth-round draft pick, North Carolina) 

 

 

The Jets' fourth-rounder figures to play a role in a very crowded backfield this season, and he has shown some promise early on this preseason. Carter was fed ten carries in Green Bay on Saturday and notched the ground. Carter is only 5'8", but he plays much bigger and is tough to bring down. Carter had an impressive 18 yard run on Saturday where he broke multiple tackles to get to the second level. Carter also did a nice job in a couple of instances where he was able to pick up tough yards on third and short. Carter has a really nice burst, changes directions very quickly, and can be thought of as a home run hitter in addition to a bruiser. At his size, he can sneak under arm tackles as well. We have yet to really see what Carter can do in the passing game, as he only has two catches for eight yards in the preseason, but the Jets have to be very encouraged with what they saw in Green Bay from their young back. 

Jamien Sherwood, Linebacker (Fifth-round draft pick, Auburn) 

Jamien Sherwood has been showing he can make the move to linebacker at the next level.

 

Sherwood got to play a lot on Saturday following an injury to starting inside linebacker Jarrad Davis, and he impressed in his first preseason showing. Sherwood had a fumble recovery in the second half, as well as making two tackles. On one of those tackles, Sherwood came knifing through the line of scrimmage to blow up the ball carrier in the backfield for a tackle for a loss. Sherwood has great speed for a linebacker and ended up making multiple plays behind the line of scrimmage in Saturday's game. Sherwood was mostly used as a safety at Auburn, but his size and ability to fly downhill gives him the ability to play linebacker in the NFL. With the Jets being very thin at the position, Sherwood figures to see a decent amount of run at linebacker in his rookie season for Robert Saleh's defense. 

Brandin Echols, Cornerback (Sixth-round draft pick, Kentucky) 

 

Brandin Echols is looking to break into the Jets defensive back room.

The Jets were thin at cornerback heading into this offseason, and rather than addressing that in free agency, the Jets chose to spend three of their ten draft picks on cornerbacks. Echols was the only one of those three draft picks to see significant playing time in Saturday's game, and he put together a nice performance. Echols was able to secure an interception off of a deflected pass in the second half. He also is a decent tackler and made a big third-down tackle of a receiver late in the fourth quarter. Echols has reportedly been having an impressive training camp and figures to see some significant playing time at a very young CB position for the Jets this year. 

Hamsah Nasirildeen, Linebacker (Sixth-round draft pick, Florida State) 

 

Hamsah Nasirildeen is looking solid in his new role with the Jets.

Like Sherwood, Nasirildeen was primarily used as a safety in college but has the size and athleticism to be an NFL linebacker. Nasirildeen figures to get a lot of playing time or even start at outside linebacker for Coach Saleh. Nasirildeen has great speed for a linebacker and was used in coverage several times in Saturday's game. Nasirildeen notched three tackles and did not allow any completions in coverage, although he did not play a ton. 

Isaiah Dunn, Cornerback (UDFA, Oklahoma State) 

 

Isaiah Dunn is getting a lot of time to make an impact on the Jets coaching staff.

It was surprising to see undrafted free agent Isaiah Dunn get the majority of the reps at corner on Saturday over fifth-round draft picks Michael Carter II and Jason Pinnock, both of whom barely played. Dunn got some run with the 1s, and he really got picked on by Packers' third-string quarterback Kurt Benkert. Dunn gave up a first down reception on a fourth down and two, right after he missed a tackle on the third downplay. Dunn then proceeded to give up a bomb down the sideline for a huge gain. Dunn gave up several more receptions before finally breaking up a pass on a third-down later in the game. While there had to be a reason why Dunn was out there over two guys the team actually drafted, it was clear that he was struggling out there. Given that it was against a third-string quarterback and backup receivers, Dunn's hopes of making the team as an undrafted free agent are likely in jeopardy. 

Other Notes: 

As mentioned before, first and second-round picks Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Elijah Moore have yet to play a game this preseason due to nagging injuries. Moore has been a standout in camp. It was surprising to see Isaiah Dunn getting reps with the ones, and it was even more surprising to see two fifth-round picks (Carter II and Pinnock) barely get in the game. seventh-round defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall hardly saw the field and did not record any stats. Undrafted free agent defensive end Hamilcar Rasheed Jr., who has stood out in camp, saw a lot of playing time and recorded four tackles on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how the rooks perform in their final preseason tilt on Friday against the Eagles, and it will be fascinating to see the rotation of the rookie cornerbacks. Perhaps Carter II and Pinnock get a lot more time against Philly.

[CTJetsFan]

seventh-round defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall hardly saw the field

That statement is very incorrect. He was on the field most of the 2nd half and was actually quite disruptive when blocked 1 on 1 and held his own when double teamed. He was getting pressure. I was impressed even though he may not have recorded a stat (would need to go back and watch to see if that is correct). I came away thinking he was making the 53.

[Sarge4Tide]

6 minutes ago, CTJetsFan said:

seventh-round defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall hardly saw the field

That statement is very incorrect. He was on the field most of the 2nd half and was actually quite disruptive when blocked 1 on 1 and held his own when double teamed. He was getting pressure. I was impressed even though he may not have recorded a stat (would need to go back and watch to see if that is correct). I came away thinking he was making the 53.

I was about to say the same thing!

[thshadow]

Is it possible that Dunn was out there early so they could get some tape on him against people that wouldn't necessarily be bagging groceries in a few weeks?  IOW, he's probably on the wrong side of the bubble, and they wanted to give him a chance to prove them wrong.  There's no 4th preseason game, so they have to give these bubble guys a chance so they can make a decision.

I think it would be surprising to cut 5th round picks, so assuming they're showing enough in practices (and don't look like major mistakes), they're probably pretty safe.

[CTJetsFan]

Hamilcar Rasheed Jr didn't impress me even though he registered stats. He did come out with an injury at one point so that may have slowed him up but he wasn't exactly flying around. Seemed slow to come off the ball and was easily blocked 1 on 1. Had hoped to see more from him.