NY Jets rookie power rankings: How the young players stack up heading into Patriots game

FLORHAM PARK — The New York Jets will try to get things headed in the right direction Sunday, as they return from the bye week with a trip to New England to face the Patriots.

It has been a rough start to the season for the Jets, who dropped four of their first five games. But one reason for encouragement is the play of their rookies. The Jets led the NFL in rookie snaps played through their first five games. And several young Jets have exceeded expectations playing major roles in the opening weeks of their career.

The Jets' rookies, starting with No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, are the most important players on the field this season. How they fare will go the longest way toward determining the Jets' fate in the final 12 games.

So every week, we'll continue charting their overall progress and ranking their impact to this point of the season.

Here is the latest installment of our Jets rookie power rankings.

1. CB Michael Carter II

Before the season there was some hand-wringing about the Jets moving on from Brian Poole, their previous starting cornerback and the only proven player at the position on last year's team. Carter II has made the Jets look smart for their decision to roll with young players. Carter has been the Jets' most consistent and best rookie since Week 1. He's reliable in coverage, a solid tackler and graded out as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL through his first five games: Pro Football Focus had him ranked in the top 25 out of more than 100 cornerbacks after the loss to the Falcons two earlier this month.

2. LG Alijah Vera-Tucker

The Jets' other first-round pick struggled in his first game after missing the preseason. But since then, Vera-Tucker has shown steady improvement — especially in pass protection, he was a strong run blocker even in his debut. Vera-Tucker comes out of the bye looking to build on his best game of the season — PFF graded him as the best offensive lineman in the entire NFL in Week 5. It's still early, but Vera-Tucker has been exactly the player the Jets thought they were getting, and needed desperately, when they traded up to get him in April. And with Mekhi Becton due back in the next month or so, the left side of the Jets' offensive line will be one of the most intriguing spots to watch in the second half of the season.

3. QB Zach Wilson

Wilson played poorly early in the loss to the Falcons, missing a huge opportunity to build on his best game of the season. But he's still showing some signs of progress: he's thrown only two interceptions since that nightmare game against the Patriots and he bounced back from an early mistake against the Falcons to help give his team a chance to win in the second half. Consistency should be the priority moving forward. Wilson has made a ton of big plays this season, with 17 completions of at least 20 yards — but only three have come before halftime.

4. RB Michael Carter

He's clearly emerged as the Jets' best running back in 2021, using his speed and elusiveness to be a weapon as a runner and a receiver. He's had at least 10 carries in three of the past four games and has a catch in every game the Jets have played this season. He's been relatively quiet since a big game Week 2 against the Patriots — he's averaging 33.3 yards per game in the past three — but a lot of that is based on the overall struggles of the offense. If the Jets can get into a rhythm, Carter has already shown that he's more than capable of making big plays.

5. LB Jamien Sherwood

Sherwood has established himself as the third linebacker in the Jets' base defense and has done an impressive job making the abrupt shift from college safety to professional linebacker. He was one of the Jets' top-five graded players against the Falcons, according to PFF. Sherwood might get fewer opportunities starting Sunday with Jarrad Davis trending toward making his debut, but it's not the worst problem for the team to have — the Jets are now unexpectedly deep at linebacker, in part, because Sherwood has exceeded expectations.

6. CB Brandin Echols

Echols was back on the field after suffering a concussion against the Titans, and the Falcons clearly made a point of going after the rookie. The Falcons targeted Echols nine times in London, completing seven passes for 94 yards — it's the first time Echols has given up more than three catches or 50 yards to opposing pass catchers. Echols had a pass breakup and did a solid job tackling — and he passes the eye test as a starting corner in this league — but expect him to get tested again after the Falcons' success.

7. WR Elijah Moore

No Jets' rookie stood out more during the offseason program and the early days of training camp. But Moore missed the end of training camp and all three preseason games with a quad injury and hasn't been able to make an impact with just eight catches for 66 yards in his first four NFL games — he missed half the Denver game and the Titans win with a concussion. However, Moore made a big play against the Falcons, drawing a late, long pass interference call. Perhaps a sign that things are starting to trend up?

Work to do

These rookies aren't making enough of an impact on game day to be ranked on our list, but we're still watching how things are trending.

Cornerback Jason Pinnock didn't play a defensive snap but played 15 snaps on special teams — one of only six Jets players to hit that mark against the Falcons. ... Two Jets rookies were inactive against the Falcons: sixth-round defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall, and undrafted rookie corner Isaiah Dunn. Linebacker Hamsah Nasirildeen, a sixth-round pick, is on injured reserve with an unspecified injury.

Andy Vasquez is the Jets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Jets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @andy_vasquez