Add The New York Post on Google The Jets used two of their top four draft picks on D’Angelo Ponds and Kenyon Sadiq, hoping the two would make an immediate impact.
Expectations have been scaled back after the duo missed almost all of training camp. But as the regular season opener against the Titans nears, the two are making progress.
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Sadiq returned to practice last week, and Ponds practiced Tuesday for the first time in over a month, positive news for the tandem.
Sadiq, a gifted tight end out of Oregon, probably has a better chance to play Sunday against the Titans than Ponds, a cornerback from Indiana.
“I feel really good,” Sadiq told The Post. “I think I’ll be involved for sure [Sunday].”
The 16th overall pick in April’s draft, Sadiq took part in the first three practices of training camp.
He then missed nearly a month due to a setback from a spring hernia operation.
Last year at Oregon, he caught 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns.
Jets corner back D’Angelo Ponds practiced Tuesday for the first time in over a month. Bill Kostroun for New York Post During the first practice of training camp July 29, Ponds suffered a calf strain.
He felt it grab while running sprints. It wasn’t thought to be serious at the time — coach Aaron Glenn said he would be “just fine” that day — but Ponds missed the rest of camp.
“It’s been tough, I can’t lie to you on that,” said Ponds, a second-round pick (50th overall). “The longest I’ve ever been out. … I didn’t think it was going to be this long. But I’m ready now, ready to get back to it.”
It hasn’t diminished his self-belief, though. He’s just eager to get up to speed.
“I’m a confident guy,” he said. “Playing that position, you have to be confident.”
One positive is that the two had each other to lean on, as highly drafted players missing most of training camp. They went through rehab together, and now they are back on the practice field.
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“Obviously we’re behind, but there’s no pressure,” Sadiq said. “We’re trying to go out there and do what we’ve done our whole lives, which has gotten us to this point.”
