The New York Jets are entering the 2020 NFL season with one of the youngest rosters in the league. There are many solid players on the New York Jets who are not household names but are one good season away from being recognized as someone of the top players in their positions. I have devised a list of three under the radar players on the Jets who are about to break out in 2020.
Nathan Shepherd
Shepherd was taken with the 72nd overall pick back in the 2018 NFL draft. His career got off to a slow start with an underwhelming rookie year and a 6-game suspension to start his second year in the league. At the time many fans were upset with Shepherd and did not expect him to be on the roster for 2020 until he came back from suspension and made an immediate impact. Shepherd came back into the lineup and disrupted opposing offensive lines. His stats may not show it but on tape Shepherd flashed his pass-rushing ability during the last two months of the season. If Shepherd can take the next step do not be surprised to see him in the green and white for a long time.
Marcus Maye
Ever since his rookie year Marcus Maye has been one of the most overlooked players on the Jets. Marcus Maye is the Robin to Jamal Adam’s Batman; he constantly does what is asked of him and occasionally makes a game-breaking play. Maye is in the final year of his rookie contract and has been the subject of trade over the past year. Maye will most likely want a big contract in free agency, and it is unlikely the Jets will offer him one. Expect a career year for the ball-hawking free safety as he tries to impress potential employers for the 2021 season.
Braden Mann
Arguably the Jets’ second-best pick of the 2020 draft Braden Mann is going to show why he was selected in the fifth round of the draft. Mann was the best punter in college last year and one of the best punting prospects to come out in recent years. Mann is a good directional punter and has a cannon for a leg averaging 51.1 yards per kick in 2019. The Jets lost Lachlan Edwards this year in free agency, but they may have added a future all-pro punter as his replacement. If Mann can do half of what he did in college he will be just as good as Lachlan Edwards and with Adam Gase running the offense, he will have plenty of opportunities to show off.