Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner give take on Jermaine Johnson's path to NFL

Jermaine Johnson had quite a path to the NFL, landing with the New York Jets as the No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. During their introductory press conference last month, fellow Jets draftees Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Garrett Wilson discussed Johnson’s journey.

Johnson started his career at Independence Community College after he was ruled academically ineligible for NCAA athletics out of high school. Independence ended up getting featured on the fourth season of “Last Chance U” on Netflix and after his freshman year, Johnson transferred to Georgia. With the Bulldogs, he started every game as a sophomore and played in seven games as a junior in 2020. After that season, he entered the transfer portal and finished his career at Florida State, where he became the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

But “Last Chance U” helped put his name on the map. At least, it did for Gardner, the former Cincinnati star who was the No. 4 overall pick in the draft.

“I feel like that’s what makes me like him even more,” Gardner said. “Knowing he’s been through so much and he kept going. I used to watch the show on Netflix, ‘Last Chance U,’ I remember I [saw] him. Then I heard he was at Georgia and I’m like, ‘The guy that’s from Last Chance U? He’s at Georgia now.’ Then, for me to be able to play with him, I feel like that’s what makes it so special because a lot of people that have been through that, they would’ve been giving up. I feel like he’s just blessed, he’s just very strong. Keep going.”

Garrett Wilson: Jermaine Johnson is a ‘great person’

Wilson, the former Ohio State star receiver who was drafted No. 10 overall, nodded his head as Gardner talked about Johnson’s journey from “Last Chance U” to the NFL. He spoke about Johnson as a person, saying his dedication to his craft is the reason he was sitting at the podium alongside Wilson and Gardner — two top-10 NFL Draft picks.

“That says a lot about how he approaches his work,” Wilson said. “He knows his work. He’s a great person. … If [he doesn’t] get out of the shadows, that doesn’t happen. He always rose to the top of the team and that says a lot about him and how he goes about his business.”

After the Jets drafted him, Johnson signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $13.3 million deal with a $6.6 million signing bonus.