NY Jets film session: Can D’Angelo Ponds start from Day 1?

The New York Jets needed cornerback help in the 2026 offseason.

That much was obvious after their defense allowed a 36:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2025.

New York got to work in free agency by signing Nahshon Wright, who was a takeaway machine for the Bears last season.

The Jets’ biggest move, though, was the acquisition of a player whom many compare to New York head coach Aaron Glenn: second-round draft pick D’Angelo Ponds.

The Indiana product draws Glenn comparisons because of how he overcomes his small frame to be a dominant cover corner. Ponds is only 5-foot-8 and 182 pounds with 29⅜-inch arms, but that did not stop him from locking down most of the receivers who lined up across from him in college.

Ponds joins a crowded New York secondary that will feature plenty of intense competitions in the summer. The question is where Ponds will line up.

While Ponds’ frame screams “slot corner” at the NFL level, he almost exclusively played outside in college, and he was phenomenal in the role. Still, it will be much more challenging for him to hold up on the outside against NFL receivers.

On the outside, Ponds would compete against Wright and 2025 third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas for snaps. In the slot, Ponds may have a quicker path to playing time, where he’d compete against Jarvis Brownlee, a 2024 seventh-round pick whom the Jets acquired for a late-round pick swap.

So, which role is a better fit for Ponds in the NFL? Can the Jets expect him to start right away? What is his ceiling?

In the latest edition of Blewett’s Blitz, we answer all of those questions and more in a full-fledged breakdown of Ponds’ All-22 film.

Below is the full D’Angelo Ponds film review and scouting report (strengths and weaknesses).