In the 2011 NFL Draft, the Jets saw an opportunity to fill a few holes on the team. The Vernon Gholston project finally ended in failure and Kris Jenkins was on the path to retirement. Enter Muhammad Wilkerson, a defensive end from Temple University, and Kenrick Ellis, a Jamaican nose tackle that played at Hampton University.
Wilkerson and Ellis are both stepping into a defense that has been among the league’s best over the past couple seasons. Led by head coach and defensive guru Rex Ryan, the pressure is high for both rookies, as they will be thrust into the professional game early in their careers.
In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Jets selected Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston with the sixth overall selection. Dubbed an athletic freak by the media and experts, there were very high expectations for Gholston even as a rookie, but the defensive end didn’t record one sack through three seasons with the Jets. He was released this offseason, leaving an opening for a new pass rusher to complement linebacker Calvin Pace.
As Gholston was supposed to be the pass rusher of the future for the team, there was a need for a young presence to replace him after he was cut, leading the way for Muhammad Wilkerson to be the Jets’ first round selection at 30th overall. Wilkerson grew up locally in New Jersey and went on to play three seasons at Temple, recording 10 sacks and 68 tackles in his Junior year which earned him a first team All-MAC selection.
Wilkerson has been impressing already at camp, enough so that Rex Ryan has penciled him as the starter and replacement for longtime Jet defensive end Shaun Ellis, who recently signed with the Patriots. With a lot of athletic ability and a great résumé from his time at Temple, Wilkerson was the perfect candidate. “Mo is just a freak,” Jets DE Mike DeVito said with a laugh. “He’s got everything it takes.”
Having the coach on your side early can’t hurt either, as Wilkerson is the man to compete with in training camp. Rex Ryan said: “He belongs. He’s the starting defensive end right now, the day he walked in here. That’s why we drafted him, not to be a backup. We need him to be a player.”
“Right now, I can’t even think about starting,” Wilkerson said. “I just have to worry about trying to do my best to try and help out the defense. Coming into the games, if I’m truly the starter, then so be it, but I’m definitely going to work hard to be the starter.”
Three-time All Pro nose tackle Kris Jenkins decided to retire this offseason after spending his last two seasons in New York. The big man leaves a big hole at tackle and very big shoes to fill, but Kenrick Ellis is about as gargantuan as they come. Weighing a daunting 346 pounds, Ellis will be a nightmare for offensive lines to handle.
“Camp has been really good, you know it’s a learning experience.” Ellis said, “I’m just out here trying to make the club, you know, learn from the vets and just try to absorb as much knowledge as I can right now. The speed of the game is a lot faster than college and it’s a little bit more physical, but that comes with the territory. I just got to keep on working and try and get better.”
Mike DeVito said of Ellis: “When he gets going straight ahead, I don’t think there’s anybody in this league who can stop him. He kind of reminds me of [Kris] Jenkins a little bit, the way he plays. Just a powerful, straight-ahead guy.” If Ellis is anywhere near as powerful as Jenkins was, he will be a nearly unstoppable force.
Both players have been working hard in camp and their humbleness combined with an eagerness to learn has made them favorites amongst other defensive players already. Wilkerson and Ellis are hard workers that have plenty of veterans that will be more than willing to teach them as much as they can. Expect to see plenty of these guys during the coming season.
