The Jets use the first of two first-round picks on LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. New York has upgraded the offensive line and can now turn attention to other premier positions.
6. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
Ikem Ekwonu is a polished run blocker that continues to improve in pass protection. New York selects their third first-round offensive lineman in as many years.
Possessing NFL bloodlines dating back to his grandfather ( WR - Darryl Stingley / New England Patriots ), Stingley is an athletic prodigy with game altering, playmaking skills beyond his years. Blessed with a body type engineered to play cornerback ( 6-1, 195 lbs), Stingley combines long speed and short area quickness to shadow receivers on any level of the gridiron. A former receiver himself (six career touchdown receptions - Dunham H.S / Baton Rouge, LA), Stingley's enhanced ability to track passes makes him difficult to beat in coverage.
Hamilton has uncommon size for a safety (6-4 , 219 lbs), and exceptional athleticism buoyed with an explosive fluidity. New York will have to decide if re-signing starting safety, Marcus Maye is cost effective, considering his current contract pays him over 10 million, he'll want an increase in salary. Taking into account Hamilton's eight career interceptions and 16 passes defended, he could possibly tandem with a re-signed Maye and provide the Jets with a dynamic back end to their secondary.
The Jets have a ton of needs, mainly on defense. Stingley is out for the season, but a player of this talent and athleticism (4.30 in the 40, 42-inch vertical) at a position of need would be foolish to overlook.
The Jets double up on secondary, tabbing the most versatile defensive player in the draft. Hamilton can tackle, he can cover, he excels wherever you put him on the field.
The New York Jets defense has struggled due to injury and being void of talent. With this pick, the Jets select Kayvon Thibodeaux, an edge rusher that has elite athleticism that is capable of wreaking havoc on every down.
Kyle Hamilton might be the pound-for-pound best football player in college football. His ability to play sideline to sideline against the pass and also being a formidable run defender makes him the best safety prospect coming out of college football in the past decade. The Jets take Hamilton with this pick and continue to add talented pieces to their defense.
Stingley just might be the best all-around athlete in this class. At The Opening event in high school, Stingley posted a 4.3-second 40-yard and 42.0-inch vertical. He's the owner of one of the best seasons PFF College has seen since its inception in 2014 as a true freshman in 2019. That year, Stingley earned a 91.7 PFF grade while allowing a minimal 38% catch rate and combining for 21 interceptions plus pass breakups. Stingley's last couple of seasons have, unfortunately, been derailed by injury (only 289 coverage snaps played as opposed to 589 played in 2019), but he still performed admirably, allowing under a yard per coverage snap in that span.
Stingley is CB1 and should be a top-three pick next April.
5. George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
Karlaftis -- who was born in Athens, Greece -- is the "Greek Freak" of college football. He is one of the most powerful defensive ends in the country and pairs that strength with arguably the best hand usage in the country and an explosive get-off that makes life tough on opposing offensive tackles. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Boilermaker showed a lot of promise as an underclassman and is now maximizing his full potential as a true junior, as evidenced by his 90.1 pass-rush grade this season.
After aiming to rebuild the offense during the first draft with Robert Saleh as the coach, general manager Joe Douglas and the Jets could invest on the other side of the ball this offseason. Stingley, who hasn't played since having foot surgery in early October, had six interceptions as a true freshman in 2019. He has a skill set and ceiling that is reminiscent of former Ohio State corner Marshon Lattimore, who was drafted No. 11 overall by the Saints in 2017. Stingley would be a clear improvement over New York's current corners.
Ojabo is the defensive prospect who has helped himself most this season, as he has 10 sacks and four forced fumbles in 10 games. It's just a one-year sample for the third-year sophomore, but he has starred on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson. Ojabo, a former high school teammate of 2021 first-rounder Odafe Oweh, is the exact type of prospect the Jets should covet to place alongside a healthy Carl Lawson in 2022. The Jets can fill both of their biggest need positions -- corner and edge -- with their two top-10 picks.