Dee Milliner will instantly be expected to contribute to a now-depleted secondary.
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The Jets gambled with the No. 9 pick in Thursday night’s NFL Draft, selecting Dee Milliner with their top selection. The move brings in a talented playmaker at cornerback after recently trading Darrelle Revis to the Buccaneers, but the move comes with a high level of risk.
There is no denying Milliner was the top cornerback in the draft, based off his play for Alabama last season, but he has a long list of injuries, including a reported five surgeries. Most recently, he had a shoulder surgery which has hampered his draft preparations.
Milliner told reporters Thursday night he will be ready and healthy for training camp in July.
“It’s nothing that kept me from playing on the field, never had any setbacks from it. They always managed it so it’s nothing big,” Milliner said on a conference call with the media. “You can see that if you watch the field when I’m out there playing.”
Whether fairly or not, Milliner will always be compared to Revis, who he will essentially replace in the perception of fans. But in the near term, he will compete with Kyle Wilson, who was the Jets’ first-round pick in 2010 and has been underwhelming.
“I’m just going to try and go out there and compete and do what I do best and that’s play football,” Milliner said. “I’m just going to come in there and compete for a job and play football and control what I can do.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
