Of the Jets' four Day 3 selections in the draft, NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler believes sixth-round corner Parry Nickerson could have an immediate impact.
"I'd look at Nickerson because he's played a lot of football," Brugler said on The Official Jets Podcast. "He's not going to be put into a situation where he's not going to understand what's going on. We see so many sub packages now like nickel and dime coverages. All it takes is one injury and he's going to see the field pretty quickly."
Nickerson was a four-year starter for Tulane and recorded 188 tackles, 11 for loss, 16 interceptions and 47 pass defenses in 46 games. While college stats don't necessarily translate to success at the next level, Brugler believes Nickerson's INT and PD numbers are an indication he could make an early impact for the Green & White.
"If you're able to get your hands on the ball as a defensive back, that plays well at the next level. You're going to be able to do that in the NFL," Brugler said. "He had 10 interceptions the last two years, so the production is off the charts. Again, he's just a little undersized. That'll show against bigger, more physical receivers and run support. As long as he's able to not allow that to be too much of an issue in the NFL, he's going to be a solid pro, probably in that nickel."
Brugler said Nickerson (5'10", 182) reminds him of Browns corner Briean Boddy-Calhoun (5'9", 193), who's played in 27 games (13 starts) and tallied 17 PDs and three picks after going undrafted in 2016.
Nickerson is familiar with the Green & White's defensive scheme and said the Jets run a similar defense to Tulane albeit with a different vernacular.
"Just understanding the playbook and understanding where your help is will help play faster," he said at last week's rookie minicamp. "I know everybody in the league is fast, but just knowing the playbook, understanding the defense will give you an edge."
Nickerson has burners as he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the Combine and is a twitchy athlete, which Brugler said allows him to mirror routes off the line of scrimmage and stay with receivers down the field, even if he loses a step.
"There might be some bumps in the road because of his size," Brugler said. "But if he has a chance to make a play, he's not going to let that opportunity be wasted."
Although Nickerson played most of his time on the outside in college, he said he's willing to play wherever the coaches need him, which includes special teams. During his time with the Green Wave, he lined up on the kickoff, punt return, punt team and field goal block units.
"He's going to practice outside and inside," head coach Todd Bowles said. "Obviously, he's going to come in behind Buster (Skrine) when he comes inside and then he's going to work outside. He had a lot of production in school and there are a lot of things we like about him to get him where we got him and we're going to bring him along."
