Analyzing how Jermaine Johnson fits on the NY Jets defense

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the NY Jets selected Jermaine Johnson after trading back up to the 26th overall pick in the first round. Jets fans were thrilled about this, as the team was able to trade up with the Titans to pick the talented Florida State pass rusher.

So who exactly is Jermaine Johnson? Johnson was always a standout football player, even in high school. Johnson, who grew up in Minnesota, would be named All-Metro when he recorded 37 tackles and seven sacks. However, he was academically ineligible to play in NCAA Division I football due to a 1.9 overall GPA.

As a result, Johnson would go on to begin his college career at Independence Community College in Kansas. As a freshman, Johnson picked up 58 tackles, eight sacks, and three forced fumbles. Following his freshman season, Johnson transferred to the University of Georgia.

Johnson played every game as a sophomore, recording 20 tackles and 2.5 sacks. These numbers dropped, but that was obviously because of the jump he made from Independence to Georgia.

Fast forward to his senior year, Johnson finished third at Georgia with four sacks and 16 tackles. He also picked up 11 quarterback hurries as well. Johnson would transfer to Florida State for his final season of eligibility.

In his first game at Florida State, Johnson would pick up seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. With this performance, Johnson was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

Johnson finished the season with 70 tackles and he'd go on to lead the ACC with 18 tackles for a loss, and 12 sacks. With these stats, Johnson would be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-ACC.

Jermaine Johnson is an incredible talent and will be a major addition to the Jets' defense this season. So how does he fit in?

How does Jermaine Johnson fit in with the NY Jets?

With the addition of Johnson II to the Jets' roster, the defense looks brighter. The path to being a starter on the team, won't be easy, however. Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers are holding on to that starting position, and after missing all of last year, Lawson is back with something to prove.

However, Johnson should get plenty of rotational opportunities this year. Jets head coach Robert Saleh has also said that adding Johnson will be beneficial to the Jets' running some pash rush packages that the team has on deck.

With these packages, Saleh hopes to have Johnson, Lawson, and Franklin-Myers in the game together, with Franklin-Myers rushing from the interior.

We don't know exactly how this will all play out. However, one thing we do know for sure is that it's shaping up to be an exciting year for the Jets.

With a lot of NFL analysts predicting the Jets to take a significant leap forward, will we see that start to become a reality this year? Jets fans have a lot to be happy about and a lot to look forward to.