Leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, newyorkjets.com will examine some of this year’s “Perfect Fits” for the Green & White, according to draft analysts on “the Now Boarding” draft show.
NBC’s Connor Rogers’ choice: Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds
The Player
D’Angelo Ponds was one of his conference’s most productive players in the Sun Belt and the Big Ten despite his size (5-8, 182). Ponds, a freshman All-American, followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana where Ponds became a two-time All-American and a national champion.
He led his team in pass defenses each of his three years in college (39 PDs and 7 INT in 41 games) and accounted for 4 touchdowns — 2 interception returns and 2 blocked punt returns.
“He’s sub-6-feet ‘0″ tall, he plays on the outside, he takes away the football,” Rogers said. “He will absolutely knock you on your butt. He doesn’t care how big you are or how small he is. He’s so smart, so well prepared, passed the adversity test. He transferred up from JMU and plays on an Indiana team where his coach, who people respect for the right reasons, said he was the guy on the team.”
Ponds, who was flagged once in the 2025 season, ran a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in Bloomington, IN.
“That fiery, intense personality, he’s the guy in this class whose playstyle resembles Aaron Glenn’s the most,” Rogers said. “I think Aaron Glenn would see that on tape.”