2020 NFL Draft: Grading each New York Jets draft pick

3.79: Jabari Zuniga, DE, Florida

Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, pass rusher was a big need for the New York Jets and they got some nice potential in Florida defensive end Jabari Zuniga. They also needed to get more athletic up front and off the edge, which Zuniga certainly provides.

There will be some mixed reports on Zuniga whether or not he can be an affecting pass rusher, but with his power and athleticism, I don’t see why he can’t develop into a consistent pass rusher. If you turn on the tape Zuniga gets into the backfield a ton stuffing runners as well as quarterbacks behind the line.

He showed some real promise in his 2019 season before suffering a high ankle sprain. He finished with three sacks and 12 total tackles in just five games played. However, in 12 games in 2018, Zuniga totaled 6.5 sacks and 45 tackles including 11.5 for loss.

Zuniga has “twitch” which was echoed on ESPN by Booger McFarland. He’s fast off the ball and can win with his first step. He’ll need to develop into more of a pass rusher before we see respectable numbers. I think he could be a very well rounded defender early on. He understands his assignments and will do his job. Due to addressing a team need this will get a good grade, but there may have been better prospects still available on the board.

Grade: B+