The Jets feel they not only acquired a quality player in this spring’s NFL Draft, but also a player with a particular style.
They wanted to add more athletic players to their team.
They felt they accomplished that by selecting wide receiver Malachi Corey in the third round, running back Braylon Allen in the fourth and Isaiah Davis in the fifth.
On Saturday, the Jets will get their first real look at that physicality when they face the Commanders in their preseason opener at MetLife Stadium.
All three have already been impressive in training camp, but a lack of tackling in practice has prevented them from playing to their full potential.
Most of the Jets’ veterans are not expected to play in this game, but their rookies should have ample playing time.
Allen was one of the Jets’ most impressive players in training camp.
He’s a big guy (235 pounds) but moves like a much smaller man.
Davis is 20 pounds lighter than Allen, but he also looks to make contact.
These two are sure to show off their strong running against the Commanders.
“I’m interested to see how they play,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “Braylon Allen looks heavy, he’s looked heavy in practice, so I’m excited to see how he plays in the game. Same with Isaiah, I’m excited to see how they play on the defensive end on third downs, moving in and out of the defense and getting out of the backfield as route runners. So I’m looking forward to seeing their overall play, and if what they’ve been doing in practice pays off on game day, I think they’ll play pretty good.”
Allen is the player most likely to surprise fans on Saturday.
He looks so big coming out of the backfield and has already taken a few hits despite supposedly barely any contact in practice.
One criticism of Allen, coming out of the University of Wisconsin, is that he hasn’t taken full advantage of his size, but the Jets have been happy with his play and Allen said he knows he needs to be physical.
“At this level, the expectations are on me to be more powerful, run with the pads lower and impose my will on the other guy,” Allen said, “so I think as I’ve developed over the years there’s been more of an emphasis on that.”
Another area where Allen and Davis have already impressed is catching the ball out of the backfield.
Both were explosive receivers.
“I feel like I’ve always been underestimated in that sense,” Davis said. “In college, I didn’t get many opportunities to catch the ball. I tried a little bit my senior year, but I didn’t get the opportunities I wanted.”
“Just coming here and showing it off [Aaron Rodgers] Tyrod and the players in the running back room [Taylor] “If I can catch balls that I can catch, I’ll gain their trust. That’ll help me develop my role and put me in a position to be successful.”
Corey was known as the “YAC King” at Western Kentucky because of how tough he was to bring down.
He’s had some good moments catching the ball in training camp, but he’s not been seen stomping or dragging defenders around in practice.
Now he’ll have a chance to fully demonstrate his skills.
“You can see the intensity he has when he’s running with the ball,” Saleh said. “And when you’re trying to get a touchoff on him or when he gets to you in the run game and he’s blocking. He’s going to be an interesting player. Obviously, you can’t see everything, but we can see that. You can see the intensity he has when he has the ball in his hands. I think on behalf of everybody, we’re excited to see how he moves in the game.”
