Over the next few months, we’ll be breaking down all of the rookies added by the Jets during the draft and as undrafted free agents. We continue today with cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.
The 21-year old Ponds is listed at 5’8” and 182 pounds and was the 50th overall pick in the second round out of Indiana. Ponds, who intercepted seven passes in his three-year college career, was an all-Big Ten first-teamer in 2024 and 2025 and an all-American.
Background
Ponds was a three-star high school recruit, whose
college career began at James Madison under head coach Curt Cignetti.
After three games in a reserve role with the Dukes, Ponds made his first career start and then remained in the starting line-up for the last 10 games of the year. He ended the season with 51 tackles, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions to earn all-Sun Belt Conference second team honors.
When Cignetti was hired by Indiana, Ponds was one of a number of players to transfer along with him and remained a key part of his defense as he racked up a career high three interceptions to go along with 57 tackles and nine pass breakups. He was named as an all-Big Ten first-teamer and second team all-American.
In 2025, Ponds had another excellent season as he was named as a first team all-American and once again earned all-Big Ten first team honors. He had a career-high 61 tackles and the first forced fumble of his career to go along with 11 pass breakups and two interceptions.
Ponds announced he was going to enter the 2026 draft at the end of the season and was widely regarded as a possible day two pick. Ultimately, the Jets selected Ponds in the second round with the 50th overall pick, having moved back from 44.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Ponds brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Ponds’ lack of size is a genuine concern as he is only 5’8⅝” and his arm length is closer to 29 inches than 30 inches. It’s virtually unprecedented for a player in this era to play cornerback at the NFL level at that size, let alone in a man-to-man role on the outside.
He does, however, have some excellent athletic numbers. He posted an outstanding 43.5-inch vertical at the scouting combine, which represented the third-highest vertical ever recorded there. He then went on to run a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash and also posted a 4.27 in the short shuttle at his pro day.
Usage
Despite his lack of size, Ponds played exclusively in an outside cornerback role during his college career. He only generally lined up in the slot if someone motioned to the outside or his man motioned into the slot and he stayed on him. He would also drop into a safety position when there were no receivers on his side of the field.
The Jets have already said he will get work both outside and in the slot during training camp.
Towards the end of last season, Ponds also showed up on offense on one play. The Hoosiers lined him up in the slot and threw to him behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd-and-3. He took the pass upfield for a gain of six yards to move the chains.
Coverage
Ponds posted excellent coverage numbers in college, as he gave up a catch on less than half of his targets. He only gave up four touchdowns in his career, three of which were while he was still at JMU. He also only gave up one 40-yard play in his two seasons with the Hoosiers.
He has natural technique and is smooth and balanced as he moves through his transitions, giving him the ability to mirror his opponent effectively.
His sub-4.4 speed usually means that he can run stride for stride and stay with any receiver on a deep route, although he can be slow to flip his hips occasionally.
Ball Skills
Ponds had outstanding on-ball production throughout his college career as he was 11th in the nation in passes defensed in 2023 and led the Big Ten in 2025.
He has elite tracking skills and is competitive at the catch-point with excellent closing speed and timing.
There are some examples on film of plays where he fails to get his head turned and instead relies on his natural instincts to disrupt the receiver’s attempt to catch the ball. This could be something he has less success with when he’s constantly facing NFL-caliber receivers.
Ponds’ seven career interceptions, including a pick-six on the first play of the College Football Playoff game against Oregon, showcase an ability to jump routes and good concentration and body control when reacting to tipped or inaccurate throws.
Tackling
You would expect Ponds to struggle as a tackler with his lack of size, but his missed tackle percentages have been extremely low. You can probably expect NFL players to fall forward for a few extra yards when he’s bringing them down in space, though.
Two of his rare mistakes as a tackler came against Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who beat Ponds to the outside for a 98-yard touchdown on a play where he took a bad angle in 2024. He also broke this tackle against Ponds last season.
Generally, though, Ponds does a good job of limiting yards after the catch, helped by the fact he’s usually in close proximity to any receiver who makes a catch against him.
He had just one forced fumble in his college career.
Run Defense
Ponds is a willing contributor against the run, who is not afraid to take on much bigger blockers and comes downhill with aggression, but also plays with discipline.
Since he plays on the outside, he doesn’t get a chance to make too many plays against the run but he generally grades out well and did rack up 10.5 tackles for loss in his three year career.
Blitzing
Ponds rarely blitzed in college, and did not record a sack during his college career, although he did record several pressures. He also run blitzed at times.
Special Teams
Ponds has been a useful contributor on special teams, especially when rushing punts. He blocked this punt and returned it for a touchdown last season.
In previous seasons, he also recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and blocked another one that the opposing punter shovelled out of the end zone for a safety.
He has also contributed in other areas, including covering kicks, where he had a couple of tackles as a freshman.
Physicality
Ponds has the typical characteristic of an undersized defensive back in that he is tenacious and competitive, perhaps getting away with more contact than a larger player might in some situations.
The concern about his lack of size can be dispelled somewhat by how well he held up against future NFL stars such as Jeremiah Smith, Kenyon Sadiq and Denzel Boston.
Ponds had seven penalties in 2024 but only had one last season – a red zone pass interference call. He can make some big hits in coverage, but his timing is good and the hits are usually clean.
He also displays physicality when disrupting his man’s route and has the ability to fight off blockers.
Instincts
Ponds has good eye discipline and can diagnose running plays, short passes and coverages well.
He has a good understanding of zone coverages and has the ability to come off his assignment to jump a route.
Attitude/Demeanor
Ponds is a confident player whose leadership role increased last season at Indiana. He led by example and also became more vocal as the year went along.
As noted, his on-field discipline is solid. In all, he had just 11 penalties in 41 college appearances.
Injuries
Ponds missed one game in 2025, the only one of his college career, with what was called a lower body injury. He also tweaked his ankle prior to the season.
Scheme Fit
Some analysts suggested that Ponds is just a zone corner but, while there are some good plays on his highlight reel that were made in zone coverage, he was isolated in man-to-man coverage on a regular basis and often against the opposing team’s best player.
He played on both sides of the field and, at times, was relied upon to cover on an island, to good effect.
He was a teammate of fellow Jets draft pick Omar Cooper Jr. at Indiana.
Conclusions
Ponds faces an uphill struggle in terms of being able to convince some experts that any player of his size can succeed at the NFL level without being limited in terms of who he can cover or how he is deployed schematically.
However, his talent level and competitiveness gives him a chance to do just that. A lot of experts and analysts believe in him and his film is impressive.
The degree of difficulty in terms of being able to hold his own at the NFL level will increase significantly for Ponds, especially if he is used in a similar manner. However with Aaron Glenn – a rare example of an elite corner that is similarly-sized to Ponds – as a mentor, you can’t bet against him.
As noted, the Jets will start off by also giving him some reps in the slot to see where he can earn a chance to contribute. It may not happen immediately, but New York’s coaching staff will look to develop Ponds as effectively as they can with a view to him hopefully proving he can handle those outside duties just fine.
