The 2022 NFL Draft could go down as the best draft in New York Jets’ history. New York made three selections in the first round, coming away with cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and defensive end Jermaine Johnson II. In the second round, general manager Joe Douglas made a trade to move up and select running back Breece Hall.
That quartet has a chance to be the foundation for the Jets for years to come. Hall was playing great before his knee injury and Gardner is already a star, winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Wilson is on a similar path.
The Ohio State product won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, playing in all 17 games and starting 12 of them. He was targeted 147 times, catching 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns.
Those are very strong numbers for any pass catcher to record, let alone a rookie. When you take into account just how poor the quarterback performance was for the Jets in 2022 at points in the season, it makes Wilson’s production that much more impressive.
With Aaron Rodgers now in place as the starting quarterback, we could see Wilson’s game go to another level. A rival executive is expecting big things from the former Buckeye in 2023, as he believes Wilson will find himself in the discussion as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
“Wilson will be a top-3 receiver in the league this year. Extremely smart, has great hands, and is an amazing route runner. We will see Davante Adams-like production from Wilson with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.”
That is some high praise from the anonymous NFL executive to give to Wilson. Davante Adams is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL and has been extremely productive over the last few seasons. The gap between him and second place for receiving touchdowns since 2016 is truly eye-popping.
If Wilson gets close to the numbers that Adams was producing with Rodgers, the Jets are going to be in a position to win a lot of games. Year 2 could provide plenty of fireworks for Wilson, who is only scratching the surface of his potential.
