There aren’t many cornerbacks in the NFL listed at 5-foot-8. The league is just too big and fast for that to be common.

The New York Jets have had plenty of success with that status, though. Head coach Aaron Glenn was a Pro Bowl player for the team during the late 1990s despite being listed at 5-foot-8.

In 2026, Gang Green drafted Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds with the same height, hoping for similar results.

During the process of scouting him, they asked his opponents for help.

“We asked wide receivers that we interviewed, whether it’s combine, all-star games, guys we bring in for visits, we often ask them like, ‘Who’s the best corner you go against?’” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said. “Numerous guys, if they faced Ponds, all of them, Ponds.”

New York spoke to plenty of receivers during the pre-draft process. Two of those pass-catchers ended up being first-round picks for the team.

So, what do Ponds’ fellow rookies have to say about him?

Jets speak out on Ponds

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. saw plenty of Ponds throughout their college careers. They understand the prowess the cornerback brought to the Hoosiers and why he was good enough to be taken by the Jets in the second round.

“As you see him, you’re like, ‘This isn’t somebody you have to worry about,'” Cooper said of his college teammate. “After going against him, I was like, ‘This isn’t what it looks like.'”

Ponds picked off seven passes throughout his college career. That also included one of the biggest interceptions in Indiana football history.

To begin the College Football Playoff Semifinals, Ponds picked off Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and returned it for a touchdown. That play opened the floodgates for the Hoosiers, who ended up routing the Ducks 56-22.

Sadiq was on the opposite end of that blowout. And while that loss obviously still stings, the tight end is still amazed by Ponds’ dominance despite his short stature.

“Of course it has,” Sadiq said, regarding whether Ponds’ pick-six has come up in conversation since the two were drafted by New York. “I was talking to Omar [Cooper] about it last night, and we were talking five minutes ago on the field about their defense and how well they played. It’s crazy, you’re playing against him, prepping against him, scouting him four months ago, and now you’re on the same team.”

Cooper and Sadiq have both seen firsthand how talented Ponds is. And he’s already proving his worth at Jets rookie camp.

Ponds’ 2026 outlook

New York has a bevy of veteran cornerbacks on the roster heading into 2026. Ponds will not be handed a clear path to a starting spot in his rookie season. But if the Indiana cornerback has proven anything, it’s that he should never be counted out.

“I’ve been proving people wrong my whole life,” Ponds said. “At this point, I just feel like I’m proving myself right.”

Ponds is extremely physical for his size, and he has the unique ability to operate both in the slot and on the boundary. That kind of versatility is something the Jets covet in all of their players.

While he may not be seen as a favorite to start on the outside over players like Brandon Stephens and Azareye’h Thomas, the slot competition with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is up in the air.

It seems like the Jets’ rookie weapons already know who is about to win that one.