Rookie Class Limited to Conditioning

[Official Jets]

If you wanted to spot any of the Jets' seven-player 2022 NFL Draft class during camp, your best bet was to find the team's head strength & conditioning coach, Mike Nicolini. During most of the two workouts including 7-on-7 action, Nicolini had a group of rookies working on footwork, change of direction and speed drills.

"The reason being for it all is their schedules over the last month have been rigorous with regards to travel and the lack of working out that they've been able to fit in, very spotted, wasn't worth bringing them in here and injuring them or risking injury," head coach Robert Saleh said. "Let them go off to the side, let's get a great weekend of work in for them and it also gives us a better chance to get eyes on the tryout guys rather than the entire organization being fixated on the new draft picks."

WR Garrett Wilson, the second of the Jets' three-first round picks, added: "I love playing and being out there. But not competing and not being hurt, not doing the competitive stuff, it's hard for me to watch, being the way I am. But just putting on the threads, it's starting to sink in a little bit, finally."

Saleh, admittedly, remains scarred from his Dante Fowler experience in Jacksonville. While serving as the Jaguars linebackers coach in 2015, Saleh watched Fowler, a University of Florida product who was taken with the No. 3 overall selection, tear his ACL on the first day of minicamp and subsequently miss his entire rookie year.

"It's just not worth it," Saleh said. "With those draft picks, they're not in any danger. There's nothing to learn, they can go through the process without going through it and then to get them that extra work. Again, just one person's opinion, a million ways to do it. They're still getting in great work, they're still going through all the meetings, they're still going through all the walk-throughs, so they're getting in good work."

newyorkjets.com Eric Allen & Ethan Greenberg