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Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds (5) celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. © Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The New York Jets came into the 2026 NFL Draft with four picks inside the top 44 selections, and after moving around a bit, they wound up making four picks inside the top 50 selections of the draft.
David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, and Omar Cooper Jr. were great additions in Round 1, but their Round 2 pick of Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds might be one of the more fun picks of their entire draft class.
The 5-foot-8 CB who's been compared to Aaron Glenn is a fun addition for the Jets. And according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, one college offensive coordinator who faced Ponds had some very high praise for the new Jets corner.
New Jets CB D'Angelo Ponds receives high praise from rival college OC
"I don't know if I've seen a corner that small who is that big of an impact player," one offensive coordinator who faced Ponds in 2025 said. "He's just so savvy and tough. Gosh, he's a good player."
Hearing a player's college coach praise someone is what fans will want to hear about their draft picks, but having a rival coach have such high praise is an even better sign of how good a pick it was.
This coach praising Ponds like this is a great sign for the new Jets cornerback. Despite being on the small side at 5-foot-8, 182 pounds, Ponds is one of the best rookie corners entering the NFL.
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And if there were a team that could figure out how to utilize him to his fullest, it would be the Jets, with their head coach and defensive play caller also being of similar size from his NFL playing days.
Ponds is a very fun pick for the Jets, and was the ballhawk that this defense needed after failing to secure a single interception the year prior.
With this college coach's high praise for Ponds, the Jets have to be feeling even better about their pick of Ponds at 50th overall. If he can reach his potential, this pick might end up as the Jets' best pick of this entire draft.
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