Former Jets OL Willie Colon raves about “one of the best drafts in Jets history” – Reading Eagle

Willie Colon didn’t like the 2022 NFL Jets draft. He liked it.

“Man, they dominated. I honestly think that if not [the]one of the best checkers in Jets history, ”said Colon, 39, a former Steeler and Jet Super Cup champion, on Monday at his eighth annual charity event to raise money for the Lupus Research Alliance.

“They needed to consider the talent, depth and overall speed of the team,” Colon added before playing at the Canoe Brook Country Club at the summit, New Jersey. “They beat everyone. And they set it up for the future. “

Former great Jets midfielder David Harris, a resident of Michigan, said Ohio receiver Gareth Wilson is a special talent.

“I went to Michigan. This guy is a really good player, ”said Harris, 38. “If he can do the same thing he did in Ohio at this level, it will be a great addition to our crime.”

Harris said Jets coach Robert Saleh was “very tense” and that he was undoubtedly grandmaster Joe Douglas “choosing guys who fit his face”.

This is one thing that distinguished this draft for Colon: he didn’t just like it Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Wilson chooses at the top of the first round. He also liked how Douglas completed the draft to complement Saleh’s system and style in defense.

“To get Jermaine Johnson at 26 and get a baby in the next rounds [Micheal] Clemons from Texas A&M, the animal itself, ”said Colon, host of Mad Sports Radio’s“ The Morning Men ”program for SiriusXM Radio. “Now in Saleh’s defense you have two operational rashers that you need to make that defense effective. You need guys to get after the defender. So that you have two young guys who could grow up together and have that kind of talent? That’s huge. “

However, on Monday Colon did not think about football. Raising money for the Lupus Research Alliance through its Willy Colon Foundation is a matter close to his heart.

His mother Gene Davis, who died in July 2020 at the age of 70, suffered from lupus and struggled with it throughout her son’s life.

“She was diagnosed when I was in about first grade,” Colon said Monday. “But in her time on Earth, she always put our family above herself and never succumbed to it. She was pretty tough. And between my gaming days and being on this platform and what I have, I always try to find a cure for lupus and work closely with the LRA. I will never stop fighting lupus. “

LRA Executive Director Andrea O’Neill said the event on Monday raised more than $ 350,000, with 61 of the four taking two Canoe Brook courses.

“It’s for a big deal,” O’Neill said. “Our research is progressing. There is a great promise. In the last two years since the pandemic, there have been three new treatments. It continues to grow. And the more we can get more research, the better the treatment and hopefully the cure. ”

Max Starks, a two-time Steelers Super Cup champion and former teammate, said one of his best childhood friends had battled lupus most of his life. So he is always close to the colon and fighting for medicine.

“It was very important for me to deal with this on a personal level in the family, to see that he started here with the Lupus Research Alliance, to work on helping people fight lupus and live with lupus,” Starks said.

Knicks legend Alan Houston, excellent Steelers midfielder James Farrier, former Jets defender Ryan Fitzpatick and Titans star Jeffrey Simmons were among the many high-profile names present to support Colon and the Lupus case.

It also brought a smile to Colon’s face, however, to see the Jets possibly turn the corner.

“I think all of their draft choices make sense,” he said. “Sometimes in the Jets in the past, you said, ‘Man, this guy, there’s always something in him,’ or you’re chasing a defender,” he said. “Everyone who has been called, they make sense.

“It simply came to our notice then [Iowa State running back] Bryce Hall, the fact that you got Gareth Wilson, ”he continued. “You say that now Elijah Moore can play outdoors, it frees him up to play anything, he doesn’t have to be the dominant slot. It just reveals the crime. I thought they did a phenomenal job. “

()