A Pirates legend is making his way to Revis Island
The New York Jets are riding a winning streak in Las Vegas as they return to the table for the second and third rounds of the NFL draft on Friday night. Hoping to stay on a heater, they’re bringing some of their friends from New Jersey to keep their good luck alive.
The draft’s list of alumni coming back to the draft stage to unveil the next generation includes Darrelle Revis, according to a list released by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Revis is set to announce the Jet’s second-round pick when it arrives in the 38th overall slot on Friday night.
Their third-round choice, a late arrival at 101st overall, is set to be called by an architect of a different kind of spring madness, Shaheen Holloway. The arrival of the newly-minuted Seton Hall men’s basketball head coach was confirmed by the program on Friday afternoon after being originally reported by NJ.com’s Adam Zagoria earlier this week.
Remember to tune into tonight’s NFL Draft to see @CoachSha10 announce the @nyjets selection #HALLin 🔵⚪️ | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/XEeDQkPrjC
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) April 29, 2022
The special guests come as the Jets seek to continue their streak of good luck in Las Vegas after their opening night haul (Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson) earned universal acclaim from fans and critics alike.
Revis needs little introduction amongst Jets fans, forever destined to be regarded as one of the top shutdown defenders in team, if not league, history. Over two separate tenures with the Jets (2007-12, 2015-16), Revis earned 25 interceptions and held some of the greatest receivers of the modern day in check. His metropolitan journey began at the 2007 NFL Draft when the Jets called upon him with the 14th overall selection out of Pittsburgh.
Though he retired after the 2017 season, Revis remains an integral part of Jets history and this offseason’s proceedings have taken on a Revis-centric flair: the Jets signed his cousin and fellow secondary defender Jordan Whitehead in March while Gardner’s first New York statements unveiled a desire to follow in Revis’ dominant footsteps.
“When I think about the Jets, I think about Darrelle Revis. He used to be just one of my favorite cornerbacks in the league. I still watch him to this day,” Gardner said shortly after the Jets named him the fourth overall pick, per team reporter Randy Lange. He recalled a particularly memorable from Revis in 2010, when he held Hall of Fame playmaker Calvin Johnson to a single 13-yard reception in an overtime win over the Detroit Lions.
“He was a competitor. I was just watching tape of him vs. Calvin Johnson. He was one of the only guys that was able to shut Calvin down. So that took a lot.”
Later on, the Jets’ latter Friday selection (obtained from Tennessee in the five-pick deal that allowed the Jets to select Johnson 26th overall on Thursday) will be unveiled by Holloway, who burst onto the national scene as the head coach of St. Peter University’s men’s basketball group. Holloway’s Peacocks, ranked 15th in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region, made an improbable run to the Elite Eight round, becoming the lowest-seeded school to make it that far.
Holloway was named the new head coach of the Pirates shortly after the Peacocks’ run ended. It marks a reunion between Holloway and the Pirates, as the Queens native played four seasons with the historic program (1996-2000) and remains its all-time leader in assists. In addition to the draft, Holloway is also slated to make an appearance at the New York Mets’ Sunday night contest against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field, where he will throw the ceremonial first pitch.
NFL teams have often called up alumni, celebrities, and community figures to announce their selections beyond the first round. Previous alumni to welcome in new Jets include Nick Mangold, Brad Smith, and Chad Pennington.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
