For cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, the Jets' second-round selection (No. 50 overall), there's been a challenge every time he steps onto the football field.
"I have been doubted all my whole life," Ponds said after hearing from the Jets Friday night. "Basically, it's kind of like everything I got, I earned it. Nobody gave it to me, kind of how I've been doing it my whole life."
GM Darren Mougey, true to form, spun another trade in the second-round, sending pick No. 44 to Detroit for No. 50 and No. 128 in the fourth round.
Ponds (5-8, 182) is sticky and plays with a lot of energy, and his play has reminded some folks of his new head coach, Aaron Glenn. Glenn used his skill, guile and tenacity to stick around the NFL for 15 seasons.
"Definitely," Ponds said when asked if he's heard the comparison. "That's a testament to his game. In my game, I think we have some similarities, and that's definitely a compliment to me."
"D'Angelo is his own man," Glenn said. "And again, he's a guy that we love. Man, the traits speak for themselves, when it comes to height, weight and all of that. The physical characteristics of the player overcome a lot of the traits that he has, in terms of his height. I love the player. Tough, aggressive (and) comes from a winning program."
In his 15 starts, he led IU's defense with 10 pass breakups and added 61 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 INTs (one returned for a touchdown), a forced fumble and a blocked kick.
Ponds played the 2023 season with James Madison, then followed HC Curt Cignetti to Indiana, winning the National Championship this past January. Ponds who calls himself an "aggressive, scrappy corner" comfortable on the outside or in the slot inside, and moving to Bloomington, IN, put Ponds in the unique position of face two of his teammates, each who were first-round picks in Pittsburgh on Thursday night: QB Fernando Mendoza and WR Omar Cooper Jr. Talk about "iron sharpening iron."
"I feel like it helped me a lot," Ponds said about facing the Raiders' No. 1 overall selection every day in practice. "Just going against the elite caliber quarterback like Mendoza, a guy who's smart because they can he can break down your coverage based off before the play, pre snap. So it's taught me a lot how to disguise things and not let the quarterback know what you're doing pre-snap."
As he's about to embark on a new stage in his career, Ponds looked back at his opportunities, or lack thereof, coming out of Chaminade-Madonna HS in Hollywood, FL.
"Recruiting was really slow for me," he said. "I had mostly a group of five offers, Sun Belt offers. A lot of teams didn't want me because of my size. But like I said, I've always had to earn it. Nothing was given to me, and they kind of regretted it later."
