NY Jets Week 4 Rookie Stock Report: Breece Hall, Jermaine Johnson provide a boost

The NY Jets rookie class once again showed up in Week 4, with each player in the 2022 NFL Draft class making a difference in a comeback win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Through four games, it's pretty incredible to see how much the team is relying on the rookie class and just as impressive as how all of the players are performing.

With Zach Wilson back at the helm, fans were able to see the top players from back-to-back draft classes which look as though they will shape the core of the franchise for years to come.

Let's take a look at the Week-over-Week (WoW) for the 2022 rookie class based on their performance in Pittsburgh.

Stock up 20% WoW:  Sauce Gardner, CB, NY Jets ($SAUCE)

• Stats: 3 tackles, 1 PD, 100% snap count

Sauce Gardner is a joy to watch. On a day when a lot of big plays took place in the Jets' secondary, Gardner didn't see much action simply due to how good of a cornerback he already is.

When Gardner does get targeted every so often, it usually doesn't end well for the pass-catcher guarding him. He was targeted seven times while allowing only nine yards in Pittsburgh.

The other great part about Gardner's game is that he will oftentimes celebrate and talk trash to his opponent. Players at the cornerback position usually possess cockiness, but Gardner has backed it up with his play more than most in his first few games in the league.

The Jets haven't had a building block with his type of swagger in a long time and it shouldn't be taken for granted.

Stock up 40% WoW:  Breece Hall, RB, NY Jets ($BREECE)

• Stats: 17 rushes for 66 yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 2 catches for 16 yards, 66% snap count

Breece Hall is the Jets' RB1. This doesn't take away from fellow running back Michael Carter's talent or ability, but this seemed like a foregone conclusion.

The Jets clearly made it an emphasis of their game plan to establish the run game through Hall. This was capped off with Hall being the main back on the field for the final touchdown drive as he crossed the goal line to give the Jets the lead with a few seconds left on the clock.

Hall showed blends of burst and power against Pittsburgh as he was able to gain extra yards with his aggressive running style in Week 4. He's averaging an impressive 4.7 yards per carry through his first four weeks of the season but has yet to break off a run longer than 23 yards.

It bears repeating every week, but it feels like it will be sooner than later for Hall to break off a few game-changing runs with his vision improving each game.

He also had a very entertaining postgame interview where he gave a big compliment to his quarterback.

Stock down 10% WoW: Garrett Wilson, WR, NY Jets ($GDUB)

• Stats: 6 targets, 2 catches for 41 yards, 77% snap count

For Zach Wilson's first start of the 2022 season, it was interesting to see where most of his targets went considering the number of viable weapons he has compared to his rookie year.

As much of the offense ran through rookie Garrett Wilson in Weeks 2 and 3, the Jets didn't use him quite as much in Week 4. In an "uglier" game that saw a more balanced script, Wilson only came up with two catches although he was open quite a bit as he has a tendency to be.

Wilson also did have two drops in a row on the opening drive of the second half. While he made up for it with two crucial catches in the fourth quarter to help spark the comeback win, it was a bit of an off game for the rookie receiver.

The Wilson-to-Wilson connection will surely improve as the season goes on, but as Zach has a comfort with Corey Davis, Tyler Conklin, and others, it could be a crowd when it comes to Jets pass catchers.

Stock up 25% WoW: Jermaine Johnson, DE, NY Jets ($JJ)

• Stats: 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB Hit, 34% snap count

Jermaine Johnson needs to be on the field more. His stat line above, considering he was on the field for a third of the game, is eye-popping.

Johnson recorded his first solo sack of the season in a span of plays where the defensive line stepped up to get pressure on the quarterback early in the game for the first time all season.

Not only did the first-round pick out of Florida State get after the quarterback, but he also was effective against the run as he has been through his first four games of the year.

Ideally, the Jets begin to ramp up Johnson's snap count so that by the end of the season they will be able to see if he and Lawson can become a lethal edge duo to create consistent pressure against the run and the pass.

Stock down 50% WoW: Max Mitchell, OT, NY Jets ($MM)

Unfortunately, the most surprising rookie performer from the 2022 class went down with an injury that will cost him at least a few games.

Max Mitchell went down in the middle of the game after being one of the most consistent offensive linemen on the team. What was already a disastrous situation at tackle has now become even more of a headache.

Luckily the injury is not season-ending, but it does put the team in a situation where they'll be picking the best of a bad situation. Alijah-Vera Tucker did an incredible job filling in as the left tackle and will likely need to continue to do so until Duane Brown is back.

One of Conor McDermott, Mike Remmers, or Cedric Ogbuehi is likely going to have to fill in at right tackle in the meanwhile. Mitchell and George Fant could end up coming back around the same time which would make for an interesting dilemma if both of them and Brown are all healthy.

Flat WoW: Micheal Clemons, DE, NY Jets ($DEEBO) - 25% snap count, 1 tackle, 1 QB Hit

Flat WoW: Jeremy Ruckert, TE, NY Jets ($LIJR) - 1% snap count