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As we continue our series on the Jets’ undrafted free agent class, today we look at the defensive players.
The Jets signed edge-rusher Ja’Markis Weston out of the University of Florida, but reading the tea leaves, it doesn’t seem like a defensive-driven move.
He didn’t play much defense for the Gators but was a standout on special teams, so this might have been a move driven by Jets special teams coach Chris Banjo.
Weston is a stud on special teams, and this is likely when he was signed, and that this where where he will need to shine in the spring and summer to make the team.
Aside from his special teams prowess, he’s a high-character guy who excelled in the class room actually playing last year as a grad student.
Speaking of high-character guys, that is certainly a good way to describe West Virginia defensive tackle Fatorma Mulbah.
He is an incredible young man. His family is from the war-torn African country of Liberia, and won a lottery to come to the United States, and settled in the Harrisburg area.
He attended Penn State for two years before transferring to West Virginia. While he didn’t play a ton for the Nittany Lions, he did earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors his two seasons in Happy Valley.
He transferred to West Virginia for more playing time and had his best season in Morgantown last year, registering 50 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for a loss and a sack last season.
While he’s a long shot to make the Jets, one thing is for sure – he will learn their playbook as fast as anybody.
He already has two college degrees.
Speaking of West Virginia, that is where linebacker Jared Bartlett spent most of his college career before transferring to Cincinnati for his final year of eligibility, and played well, leading the Bearcats in tackles (69), tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (7.5). He ran a 4.65 forty at his Cincinnati Pro Day. He has good bloodlines – his brother is Stephon Tuitt, who was a second-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2014 out of Notre Dame and played seven seasons for the Steelers.
Fresno State safety Dean Clark played well at two different schools during his six-year college career, first at Kent State and then out west. He played college football so long, he actually got his degree in 2022, and played the last two years as a grad student, and got his MBA at Fresno State.
He’s a prolific tackler, but must show he can hold up in coverage on the NFL level. He didn’t have to face a lot of NFL quality targets in the MAC and Mountain West.
The Jets signed another safety, Notre Dame’s Jordan Clark, the son of ESPN’s NFL and political analyst Ryan Clark.
He is certainly a long shot because he’s undersized (5-9, 184) and only ran 4.64 at his pro day. Usually, with undersized DBs, you want a little more speed than that, but he has good instincts and bloodlines, so don’t count him out.
May 6, 2025.
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