The 2022 NFL draft may go down as the best draft in New York Jets history. With two selections in the Top 10 thanks to a savvy trade with the Seattle Seahawks, the Jets first selected cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner 4th overall before taking receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 10. Since then, Gardner has won two All-Pro awards and been selected to two Pro Bowls while Wilson has never finished a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards. Their dominance at their respective positions is why the Jets wasted no time in getting them signed to contract extensions, keeping their superstars locked in and happy (unlike some other teams).
Getting two bona fide superstars in the same draft is huge for an NFL franchise, and it’s why Gardner and Wilson have been named a top young, homegrown duo in the NFL. Nick Shook, a writer for NFL.com, picked the five best duos in the NFL who are 27 years old or younger and are both playing for the team that drafted them. Gardner and Wilson check in at the No. 4 spot.
“Gang Green had many needs to address [in the 2022 NFL draft],” Shook writes, “and decided to use the first two first-rounders on premier perimeter talents covering both sides of the ball… draft dreams are made of the results the Jets have received from those two selections.”
Shook is exactly right on that last part. For one thing, getting two selections in the first ten picks of the NFL draft is a dream in and of itself, but landing two legit superstars with those picks is taking it to a whole new level. The Texans and the Bears both did it in the two subsequent drafts, though the jury is still out on whether their duos are legit superstars, pending a dominant 2025 season from their young quarterbacks.
But there’s no ‘prove it’ year coming for the Jets’ duo. They’ve already proven it, and their historic new contracts are conclusive proof. They’re going to be Jets for a very long time and, hopefully, will soon be seen in their NFL playoff debuts.