Dolphins

The Dolphins used the 27th pick in round one on CB Chris Johnson as someone who can be atop their corner depth chart for years to come. Despite being a first-round pick, Johnson plans to bring the work ethic and respect of an undrafted player, becoming a player the organization will never forget. 

“I’m brand new here, I’m a rookie. I gotta earn everybody’s respect the same way as if I was undrafted or drafted in the seventh-round, you know, it’s all the same, we’re all here to work,” Johnson said, via Jason Sarney of the Dolphins Wire.

“I want, you know, the Dolphins to remember me, you know, as a great player, someone that came in, did whatever they had to do to get on the field and help the franchise.”

Johnson is just the third cornerback the Dolphins have taken in round one since 1992. He is embracing the expectations that come with being a rare first-round corner in Miami, and he expressed his desire to be part of the change in the organization.

“This speaks volumes of what the staff thinks of me, you know, they brought me here for a reason, and like somebody mentioned, you know, the pressure, it’s not really pressure for me,” Johnson said. “I love expectations, I love high expectations, I hold myself to those, so you know, just coming in here and hopefully being able to be a foundational piece for the Dolphins.”

“We brought in a lot of draft picks to change some things around here, and that’s what we all plan to do.”

Jets

The Jets used the 50th overall pick in the draft on CB D’Angelo Ponds, who received some criticism for his size at five-foot-eight, 182 pounds. Ponds has been compared to Jets HC Aaron Glenn because of his size, to which Jets DC Brian Duker can understand, just on the physical similarities.

“First, in regard to the comparison to AG, certainly find it as amusing as everyone else,” Duker said, via the team’s website. “I can’t say I watched AG’s tape coming out, so I’m not too qualified to compare the two tapes, but I understand why they say that from a measurables standpoint. That’s all I can say about the comparison. In terms of the player, for D’Angelo, been super impressed by his ability just as a football player and has shown that he can get the ball back, has shown he can be a lockdown corner.”

Glenn didn’t elaborate much on the comparisons but praised Ponds because of his toughness and competitive spirit.

“D’Angelo is his own man,” Glenn said. “And again, he’s a guy that we love. Man, the traits speak for themselves, when it comes to height, weight and all of that. The physical characteristics of the player overcome a lot of the traits that he has, in terms of his height. I love the player. Tough, aggressive [and] comes from a winning program.”

Jets

The Jets added S Dane Belton in free agency as someone who has a strong reputation for his special teams skills. New York ST coordinator Chris Banjo loves what they have in that unit already, but he feels it was a no-brainer to bring in someone with Belton’s resume.

“I think he adds a different dynamic, another dynamic I should say,” Banjo said, via the team’s website. “I think the guys we have in the room already have been doing a great job in terms of their attention to detail and their process, but I think we also know it’s no secret the type of player Dane has been able to be throughout his first couple of years in the league. So, we look forward to him using his skillset to be able to show some of those same things. I also look forward to the opportunity to hopefully help him raise his floor so he can continue to be the dynamic special teams player he has been.”