The New York Jets loved Aaron Glenn so much as a player that they drafted his clone in the second round this year.

New York selected D’Angelo Ponds with the 50th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Ponds is only 5-foot-8 but is considered one of the most athletic and aggressive players in this year’s cornerback class.

His former teammates speak highly of the skills he brings to the table.

“The best corner I’ve played or played against,” first overall pick Fernando Mendoza told ESPN regarding Ponds. “He is the top of the totem pole… he gave me a lot of trouble. He picked off a couple of times….Game-changer.”

But what entices the Jets more than anything about the smaller corner isn’t how competitive he is, or his seven interceptions.

It’s the comparison to their current head coach.

Jets look inward

Whether it was Daniel Jeremiah screaming, “Aaron Glenn just drafted himself!” or fans making easy comparisons to their former first-round corner turned head coach, Ponds is entering a Jets team that knows exactly what to do with his skill set.

And he’s honored to have his game compared to his head coach.

“It’s a testament to his game and my game,” Ponds said. “I think we have some similarities and that’s definitely a compliment to me.”

Glenn was taken with the 12th overall pick in the 1994 draft as an undersized corner out of Texas A&M. What Glenn lacked in size, he made up for with ball skills and physicality.

That physicality is something Ponds is known for as well.

“I’m an aggressive, scrappy corner,” he said. “I can play inside, outside, cover in man and zone. I’m a player that can do it all.”

New York addressed their secondary in droves this offseason. They acquired All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and signed Nahshon Wright at cornerback after he led the position in interceptions last year. Ponds is expected to have a chance to immediately compete for reps in either the slot or on the outside.

Despite his size, Ponds comes with a championship pedigree and plenty of intangibles that excite the organization heading into his rookie year.

Championship background

It should not be considered an afterthought that the Jets have used two of their first four selections this year to draft players from the defending National Champion Indiana Hoosiers.

New York wanted to bring winners into the organization. They have done just that, following the selections of Ponds and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. with the 30th overall pick in the first round on Thursday.

Ponds couldn’t be happier he gets to keep competing with his former teammate going forward.

“I think it’s going to be great,” he said. “We had great battles at Indiana and we’ll have great battles in New York. He’s a great teammate and we’re going to win a lot of games.”

New York hasn’t won many games over the last 10 years. Choosing to target players from the program that was the unquestioned best in college football is a smart decision for the team this year.

Add in the second overall pick in David Bailey and Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon, two players who also competed in 2025’s College Football Playoff, and the Jets have built a draft class predicated solely on winning.

“Here’s what’s also critical about those players: they come from winning programs,” Glenn said. “So, when you get the chance to bring that into your locker room, man, it speaks volumes.”

Glenn won plenty when he was a player. Not so much as a head coach.

Perhaps his clone as a player could get the team back to those winning ways.