In the next few weeks, I am going to try to name a few guys I think could be surprise contributors to the Jets in 2010. The first is second year defender Jamaal Westerman.
Westerman made the final roster in 2009 as an undrafted free agent. He was the talk of camp. Here's a direct Rex Ryan quote:
''I'll tell you, Westerman, the kid from Rutgers, I'll be shocked if he doesn't make a name for himself this year,
He recorded his first career sack in garbage time of the opener against the Texans. As the year progressed, he spent most of his time working on special teams.
Here's what we know about the guy. He worked as a defensive end, outside linebacker, and inside linebacker. Rex loves versatile guys he can move around. He also made the defensive calls on the second unit in practice near the end of camp, displaying an uncanny command of the scheme for a rookie.
Westerman had 26 sacks in his career at Rutgers. He is very athletic and has a knack for getting into the backfield. He now has a year under his belt working on new aspects of his game playing standing up , working in space, and dropping into coverage.
The Rutgers product hasn't gotten much publicity lately, but I could see him becoming a valuable sub and situational pass rusher this year.