Eight Jets Players new Brass Took Extra Time to see up Close

When Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey began their club’s on-field offseason program following the NFL draft, they used the opportunity to get a closer look at eight players during their team’s rookie mini camp.

As a new regime stepping in, Glenn and Mougey will have had no opportunities to evaluate any of their current players in person, but had some of their inexperienced veterans join their draft picks and undrafted rookie invites.

Who were those players and what could it tell us?

QB Adrian Martinez: Martinez will be competing with rookie signal caller Brady Cook for the team’s third quarterback (possibly practice squad) spot.  It would make sense for the Jets to put eyes on Cook, and it wouldn’t have hurt to have another arm at rookie camp to throw to the young receivers.  As is the case with Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, Martinez is a guy who can make plenty of plays with his legs which is clearly something Aaron Glenn values.

P Austin McNamara: As mentioned with Martinez, this could have just been the Jets wanting a punter in camp to see what their potential return guys could do, but with Thomas Morstead gone, it’s likely they wanted to get an early peek at McNamara who averaged 45.9 yards per punt at Texas Tech.

LB Jackson Sirmon: An undrafted free who didn’t see the field as  a rookie, Sirmon plays a position where the Jets don’t have proven depth.  Sirmon is a long shot to make the roster but can be a special teams candidate.

OG Kohl Levao: Levao was added prior to the start of last season and had some impressive reps in the preseason.  There were those who felt he had a shot at the 53-man roster, but instead he spent the season on the practice squad.  A former UFL standout, the Jets need some reinforcements on the interior O-Line and this gave Gang Green a chance to see a bit of what he can do.

OT Obinna Eze: A former international pathway player, Eze is an offensive tackle with prototypical size who played his college ball at TCU.  He landed with the Jets after a brief stint with the Chiefs.  With their starting tackles set, Eze could find himself in the running to land a spot on the 53 or practice squad.

WR Ontaria “Pokey” Wilson: Wilson is an interesting prospect whose production doesn’t really match what his workout numbers would suggest.  Having slogged through a 4.6 40 time, one might think little of Wilson’s ability to make big plays.  However, his 16.5 yards per catch average over his final two seasons at Florida state suggest otherwise.

TE Neal Johnson: Despite having drafted Mason Taylor in the second round of this year’s draft, the Jets tight end room leaves plenty to be desired.  There’s nobody on the roster who has been a productive pro so having an extra tight end (or two) come in to audition makes sense.

TE Zack Kuntz: Speaking of a second tight end to look at…Zack Kuntz.  The developmental athletic freak has spent two years under one of the most inept offensive coaching staffs in the NFL.  It’s no surprise that Glenn and company wanted to see for themselves what one of the most freakishly athletic tight ends in the history of the league is capable at 6′ 8”.