WATCH: Todd McShay reveals who won round one of 2022 NFL Draft
ESPN analyst Todd McShay believes there is a very clear winner from the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday. The New York Jets were the only team that had three selections on the first day, the last of which they acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
The Jets then used that pick — the No. 26 overall — to select Florida State edge defender Jermaine Johnson. They also added Cincinnati cornerback Sauce Gardner (No. 4) and Ohio State receiver Garrett Wilson (No. 10). Several experts were impressed with their haul, including McShay.
“I think the Jets stole the show last night,” Todd McShay said in a recent appearance on College GameDay ahead of the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft. “The New York Jets, to me, were the story and they needed it. Let’s face it: Joe Douglas took over an organization that was kind of a mess from a personnel standpoint. They drafted a quarterback last year in Zach Wilson and listen, it was a struggle his first year, but they have all the confidence in the world in him. They knew they had to land on these picks.
“They come out with four picks in the top 38 and they wind up taking the best cornerback in the draft in Sauce Gardner from Cincinnati, (and) the best wide receiver — who was the second receiver off the board — in Garrett Wilson from Ohio State. Then they trade back in with all that draft capital and get one of the best top pass rushers in Jermain Johnson from Florida State, who I thought was gonna be a top 10-15 pick.”
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.
Gardner finished his college career with 99 tackles, nine interceptions and 16 pass deflections. Although he did not see great volume due to his reputation, he held receivers to just 6.6 yards per reception as a junior. This past season, Wilson caught 70 passes for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding four rushing attempts for 76 yards and one more touchdown.
Those talented rookies will hope to prove experts right and improve a Jets squad that finished just 4-13 this past season.