Jets 21-Year-Old Emerging As 'Early Sleeper'

It seems like things have been overwhelmingly positive out of New York Jets camp so far this offseason.

New York will continue organized team activities on Monday. The Jets kicked off OTAs on May 20th and held practices through the 22nd. They had a quick break and held three more practices from May 28-30. New York is kicking off its final stretch of four practices in a row before taking another break before mandatory minicamp gets here on June 10th.

The Jets have been implementing a new offense, new defense, and integrating all of the new faces into the franchise. At some point, there will surely be adversity, but the buzz out of camp has been positive so far.

Justin Fields has gotten a lot of praise, there's been reports that the team has made extension offers to Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, and the vibes are high. One guy who has stood out in camp and has been an "early sleeper" throughout OTAs to this point has been playmaker Jamaal Pritchett as well, as shared by ESPN's Rich Cimini.

"No. 8. Early sleeper: A rookie to watch is punt returner Jamaal Pritchett, an undrafted free agent from South Alabama," Cimini said. "He's 'doing a phenomenal job,' according to special teams coordinator Chris Banjo.

"Pritchett is 5-8, 175 pounds, but he has 4.42-second speed in the 40-yard dash. He scored once last season on a punt return. Incumbent Xavier Gipson is the favorite to win the job, but expect the rookie to push him."

In 2024, Pritchett racked up 91 catches for 1,127 yards at South Alabama at receiver. He was also electric as a punt returner. He made 12 returns for 183 yards, or 15.3 yards per punt return. Marvin Mims of the Denver Broncos led the league last year with 15.7 yards per punt return so that just goes to show the type of returner the Jets have on their hands right now.