Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Sauce Gardner address turning Jets around together
Jermaine Johnson is confident he, along with his new rookie teammates, can turn around the New York Jets. The Florida State defensive end was taken 26th overall Thursday, with the Jets trading up to land him.
Prior to that, the team took Ohio State receiver Garrett Wilson (No. 10) and Cincinnati cornerback Sauce Gardner (No. 4) with picks it already owned. Although the Jets haven’t made an appearance in the playoffs since 2010, there is hope that this talented trio of rookies could be part of the class that leads them there.
They appeared together at their introductory press conference on Friday, where they were asked if they think they’re up to the task.
“I’m here to give that Jets everything I have, and that’s definitely on the list,” Johnson told reporters. “That comes with me giving everything I’ve got and these others guys giving everything they’ve got. We’ll gladly embrace that.”
Sitting in between Johnson and Wilson, Gardener chimed in as well, agreeing with his new teammate.
“We came here to be the best teammates we can be,” the cornerback said. “We’ll sacrifice whatever it takes just so we can win and turn the program around. No matter what it takes, we’re gonna do whatever it takes.”
The move to select Johnson was praised by many draft analysts who had the Florida State product ranked inside their top 10. In spite of this, he went undrafted through the first 25 picks, causing the Jets to jump at the chance to trade up to take him. Johnson played a significant role on the defensive side of the ball for the Seminoles last season, recording 70 total tackles, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles. He transferred to Florida State after spending the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Georgia, where he tallied 34 tackles, 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Although making the transition from college to the NFL certainly isn’t easy, Jermaine Johnson believes the experience from college will help him, Wilson and Gardner come ready to make an impact with the Jets.
“We come from the limelight,” Johnson said. “It ain’t nothing new to us. We’ve been leaned on before as those guys on the team. So I think we’re gonna attack it and we ain’t gonna do nothing else but be ourselves and be the best teammates we can be. Whatever comes of that is gonna come of it. I’m extremely excited because of not only what these guys can do on the field, but the men they are off the field. That’s important to this culture and this organization. I’m excited to be here and pour everything I can into it.”