It's not all about Aaron Rodgers for the New York Jets in 2024, so it's OK to talk about a pair of underrated sleepers who could break out. On the shortlist are a pair of offensive players who have enough potential to make a splash. The main choice is running back Isaiah Davis while a wild card is cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers.
Davis, a fifth-round pick out of South Dakota State, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 220 pounds and will have to prove his lack of foot speed isn't his defining factor. But if his game translates statistically to the next level, he will be a superstar (yes, that's hyperbole, but he absolutely crushed it in college).
Meanwhile, Stiggers is the epitome of a project. With no college football on his resume, the saving grace came in the form of an impressive 2023 Canadian Football League season. However, his size (5-11, 203 pounds) and speed (4.45 in the 40) are NFL caliber.
Jets RB Isaiah Davis must emerge from crowded backfield
It didn't take long for Davis to bleed green. He told nypost.com that the Jets fulfilled his lifelong hopes.
“It’s a dream come true being here,” Davis said after the draft. “I always had a goal in mind to play in the NFL. I never (had) doubt in myself. Part of this whole journey, I feel like the reason why I’ve come as far as I have is I’ve always had (doubters) that made me be so much hungrier.”
Davis showed plenty of need to feed in college. In his days with the Jackrabbits, he rushed for 4,548 yards and scored a massive 50 touchdowns. Last season he led the FCS with 1,578 yards rushing and 18 scores.
But transitioning to the next level means beating out people who are simply faster. The 6-foot, 218-pound Davis runs only a 4.57 in the 40. That's a plodder against the professional Jackrabbits.
Therefore, Davis said he'll hang his hat on the rack of physicality.
“That’s the standard you’ve got to live by, play the game by,” he said. “I’ve always played the game with physicality. Running back, special teams, whatever it may, asserting dominance and being physical.”
At the head of the Jets' running back room is NFL star Breece Hall. Rookie Braelon Allen out of Wisconsin came aboard via a fourth-round selection, so he also stands in front of Davis on the depth chart.
Davis has good size and hands and is known for his strength, putting up good bench press numbers at the NFL Combine.
CB Stiggers is unknown quantity for Jets' secondary
It's unlikely the Jets tried to truly measure what Stiggers did with the Toronto Argonauts in 2023 — even with his selection as that league's most outstanding rookie. And they certainly can't draw any meaningful football information from his recent job of washing cars in Florham Park, New Jersey.
But all of that stuff doesn't matter now. Stiggers has his big-time shot.
“It was almost surreal for me,” Stiggers said of being drafted. “I came up to the Jets on a top-30 visit. Me and Coach TO built a great relationship. I just feel like home, honestly. I might not have gone in the round I wanted to go in, but at the end of the day I love that the Jets selected me. I'm going to make them pay. They're going to have to pay all year.”
It's a great situation from a learning standpoint as Stiggers will be working daily with All-Pro Sauce Gardner, a no-doubt NFL elite cornerback.
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