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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Super sleeper: Most NFL prospects are discovered on Saturday afternoons in the fall, before massive crowds and national TV audiences. On rare occasions, there’s a hidden gem such as cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers. For him, it took a random find on Facebook, a recommendation from one of former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie’s old coaches, a life-changing email and a shrewd scouting department north of the border.
This is how Stiggers wound up on the NFL radar, eventually drafted by the Jets in the fifth round — only the third player in the common draft era (since 1967) to be selected without having attended college.
“It’s still surreal for me,” he said Friday at rookie minicamp. “Never thought I’d be here.”
He was supposed to attend Lane College, a Division II school in Jackson, Tennessee, but he paused his football career and returned home to Atlanta to help support his family (13 siblings) when his father died after several months in a coma because of injuries from a car crash. When Stiggers was ready to resume, his mother searched the internet for playing opportunities, eventually signing him up for Fan Controlled Football, a 7-on-7 indoor league that operated on the premise that fans called plays on their phone.
John Jenkins, a coach in the league, was impressed by Stiggers’ potential. Jenkins, who was the offensive coordinator with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 1997 when Flutie was the quarterback, was on a routine visit with the Argos in 2022 when he told them about Stiggers.
“[He] told us about this young, 20-year-old phenom kid,” Argos assistant general manager Vince Magri said in a phone interview.
“Honestly, it all sounded a little out of left field.”
But, what the heck, they took his name and filed it away. Eventually, they tracked down game film — which wasn’t easy. It was difficult to track his games on YouTube because FCF rosters reset every week. The FCF streamlined things by emailing video links to the Argos, who were able to study every play that directly involved Stiggers.
Magri was impressed. Soon, the videos made the rounds with Toronto staffers and coaches taking looks. They were blown away. Magri said the consensus was, “Am I crazy with what I’m seeing?” He added, “Everyone thought there’s a potential gem here.”
They interviewed Stiggers, now 22, by phone and offered him a contract. Not only did he make the team, but he recorded five interceptions and became the first defensive back in 25 years to win the CFL’s rookie of the year. Some NFL teams wanted to sign him as a free agent, but he was ineligible because he didn’t attend college. The rules required him to go through the draft process.
Magri reached out to a friend, Eric Galko, the director of operations and player personnel for the East-West Shrine Bowl. He offered a roster spot to Stiggers, who dazzled NFL scouts at the all-star game with his size (6-foot, 204 pounds), speed (4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and sticky pass coverage.
“A man among boys as a man-coverage corner,” Galko said by phone, adding that Stiggers impressed so many with his maturity and desire to learn.
By now, Stiggers was no longer a scouting secret, although he didn’t get an invite to the scouting combine. The Jets’ pro scouts had eyes on him in the CFL, with the college scouts taking over during the pre-draft process. Drew Morris, a former CFL scout, did a lot of the legwork.
Stiggers said he’s grateful to the CFL for the opportunity, adding, “Everybody that missed out on me, now they have to pay.”
He made $73,000 Canadian during his lone season with the Argos, which equates to $54,000 in current U.S. dollars. His four-year contract with the Jets will average about $1.1 million per year.
2. Mission: Super Bowl. The 2023 offseason was dominated by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The hype has died down, and it’s all about football, according to captain C.J. Mosley.
“I feel like we’re in a position now where we’re not even thinking about that stuff anymore,” Mosley said. “Once we get on the field, once we all get together as a team, we should be on a mission and one mission only — and that’s to win a Super Bowl. If anyone is still starstruck when they see Aaron, get that out of the way. If not, he’s going to throw the ball and light you up anyway. All that’s stuff that’s not about winning, we’re not worried about that anymore.”
3. Tough losses: The front four is the bellwether of the defensive unit, and it took some big hits this offseason. Gone are starters John Franklin-Myers and Quinton Jefferson and team sack leader Bryce Huff. It’s fair to wonder if the Jets erred in not keeping one or two.
Huff, Franklin-Myers and Jefferson combined for 134 quarterback pressures last season — 44% of the defensive line’s total, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. They combined for 78 run stops — 34% of the total. Jefferson was their second-best run stuffer, based on run-stop percentage.
“The guys that are coming in to replace them, they have big shoes to fill,” Mosley said.
The replacements are Haason Reddick, Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu, who combined for 97 quarterback pressures and 66 run stops with their respective teams last season.
Reddick, one of the NFL’s most prolific pass rushers, will be a three-down player at end, with Kinlaw and Fotu likely to split time alongside Quinnen Williams at tackle. Will McDonald IV and Micheal Clemons will have to step into bigger backup roles on the outside. They’re counting on Clemons to replace Franklin-Myers as the so-called enforcer, but it will be hard to duplicate his third-down rushing from the inside.
4. Idol chatter: First-round pick Olu Fashanu started studying Tyron Smith video as a sophomore at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. It was only his second year in football, his first on the line, so he figured the guy to emulate was Smith, a perennial Pro Bowl selection with the Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Jets in March.
“He’s truly my football idol,” Fashanu said.
5. Keeping busy: While Fashanu isn’t slated to start, the Jets expect him to get plenty of valuable reps through the spring and summer because Smith, 33, will be on a modified practice program. Ditto, right tackle Morgan Moses, 33, which should create reps for others. Fashanu was limited in rookie camp because of a quadriceps strain from the combine.
6. Handy: In this age of draft-information overload, a player’s hand size can become a talking point. Such is the case with Fashanu, who has unusually small hands for a person his size — 8 ½ inches, easily the smallest among the 70 offensive linemen at this year’s combine. The last offensive lineman with 8 ½-inch hands was Isaiah Wynn, according to nflcombineresults.com. Wynn was a New England Patriots first-round pick in 2018. 7. A story for the ages: Rookie running back Braelon Allen (fourth round), who doesn’t turn 21 until January, was the youngest player in the draft. Rodgers, 40, was the NFL’s oldest player in 2023. Now the Jets could have the youngest and oldest player. Allen was a 1-year-old when Rodgers was drafted in 2005. 8. ‘Jot’ this down: Every offseason has a theme. This year, the coaches are preaching J.O.T. — Just One Thing. They want each player to focus on one area of improvement. Linebacker Quincy Williams revealed his J.O.T. — ball skills. He said he dropped too many would-be interceptions last season. 9. A name to watch: Quarterback PeeWee Jarrett, an undrafted rookie from Division II West Florida, has the kind of arm strength that will open some eyes. He amazed some scouts by launching 70-yard passes at West Florida, where he threw 65 touchdowns in two seasons. 10. Big investment: Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option ($15.3 million) was exercised despite having played only 28 games — unusual, but not unprecedented. Of the 18 first-round picks in 2021 whose options were picked up, one has logged fewer games than Vera-Tucker — Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (21).