How Jets' Omar Cooper Jr. and D'Angelo Ponds are staying positive despite setbacks to start their NFL careers

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — They became Jets one day apart, 20 picks apart and three months removed from helping Indiana win the national championship.

Receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds couldn’t wait to start their NFL careers. Now Cooper’s rookie year is on hold and Ponds’ season is barely off the ground.

Both were expected to be in the rotation at their respective positions, if not starters. Injuries have kept them from having an impact.

Cooper, a first-round pick, started in the Jets’ opener and made a big play on their first drive. The physical receiver known for bullying his way to yards after the catch broke tackles for a 30-yard gain. It was Cooper’s last play. He sprained his ankle and was placed on injured reserve, knocking him out for the last two games and at least two more.

“It was really tough,” Cooper told Newsday. “But after a couple days, I started thinking a little bit and I just imagine God probably saved me from something that could have been worse. I’m just always grateful that I'm here and then the fact that I got to play. I just try and think of the positives and keep my head up.”

Ponds, taken in the second round, missed all of training camp and the preseason with a calf injury. He started fully participating in practice two weeks ago. Ponds made his NFL debut in Sunday’s loss in Detroit, playing two snaps on defense and two on special teams.

“It's been tough for me,” Ponds told Newsday. “Can't sit here and act like it hasn't been tough. Just me wanting to be out there and competing through training camp, it wasn't easy for me, missing so much time like that. That's been the tough part.

“But when I was out, I was making sure I was in the playbook and making sure I'm up to date on the mental things, taking mental reps, so now that I'm back healthy, I'm ready to go and I know what I'm doing.”

The Jets have been impressed with how the former Hoosiers handle themselves, their eagerness to learn and the work they put in to make sure they’re as prepared as possible.

Cooper would stay after practice catching balls and pick the brains of receivers Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams on routes and how to attack certain coverages.

There wasn’t much that Ponds could do while rehabbing, so he relied heavily on his mental reps and film study. A self-proclaimed “film junkie,” Ponds said he’s brought that with him from college to the NFL. He learned from seeing what other Jets defensive backs did well and from their mistakes.

Ponds talked to Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Andre Cisco and Jarvis Brownlee about being a professional, studying the playbook and the importance of stretching and warming up properly to try and limit injuries.

Now, it’s about proving himself in practice and getting as many reps as possible to make up for all that lost time.

“Very happy with how he's picking things up, feel good about where he is,” defensive coordinator Brian Duker said. “You're just trying to get him up to full-speed reps at this point, and he has some of those. But now it's a matter of: What does that look like? [That’s] kind of that next jump for him.”

Ponds is 5-8, but he plays much bigger. Duker said Ponds’ coverage, ball skills, speed, quickness, ability to change direction and awareness have all stood out. The Jets plan to use him at nickelback and outside corner.

“I would do anything to help this team win,” Ponds said. “Wherever they need me, I feel like I'll be there and dominate at it.”

The two defensive snaps Ponds played were when Detroit was in the red zone. He was in on Jahmyr Gibbs’ game-winning touchdown and blitzed from the opposite side of where the ball was thrown.

“He's getting better and better and understanding exactly what we're doing,” Aaron Glenn said. “We had a couple of packages for him to be in there. Obviously, those packages didn't really come to life as much as we probably wanted to. But each week and every day, he's getting better and better for us.”

Cooper and Ponds talk, but not much about their early career setbacks. Cooper is focused on getting healthy and Ponds on making sure he’s ready when and where he’s needed.

“Me and Omar, we’re really close,” Ponds said. “We both know that it comes with the game. It's adversity. We know how to face it and how to know how to get through it.”

Their time to make an impact for the Jets is coming.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.