Jets take Jermaine Johnson after 2022 NFL Draft trade

The Jets have been searching for an elite edge rusher for 16 years. Now, they hope they have found one.

The team took Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson II after trading back into the first round to select him at No. 26 overall on Thursday night. Johnson was projected as a top-10 pick, possibly by the Jets. Instead, he slipped in the draft, and general manager Joe Douglas pounced.

The Jets traded a second-round pick (No 35 overall), a third-round pick (69) and a fifth-round pick (163) to the Titans in exchange for the 26th pick and a third-round pick (101).

The move gave the Jets three first-round picks. They selected Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner at No. 4 and Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 10 before taking Johnson.

The Jets can now pair Johnson with Carl Lawson, who is working his way back from the torn Achilles tendon that ended his season last year in training camp, to give the defense a strong set of edge rushers. The Jets have not drafted a true edge rusher since Vernon Gholston in 2008 and have not had an elite edge rusher since trading John Abraham after the 2005 season.

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Johnson is 6-foot-4, 254 pounds and was only a one-year starter for the Seminoles after transferring from Georgia. He had 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in that one year at Florida State.

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Johnson began his collegiate career at Independence Community College after not having the grades to go to a four-year college out of high school. Johnson was featured in the Netflix series, ”Last Chance U” at Independence. He had 12.5 sacks in two seasons there then chose Georgia over Oregon, Texas and USC. He transferred to Florida State to get more playing time in 2021. His win rate was just 14.1 percent in 2021, which may be a concern.

The Jets had the worst defense in the NFL last year in points and yards allowed, and coach Robert Saleh’s unit needs an infusion of talent this year. Johnson will be expected to contribute immediately off the edge.