Taking a look at a versatile Jets special teams prospect
The New York Jets recently signed former Florida special teams demon Ja’Markis Weston as an undrafted free agent. Today we break Weston down in detail.
The 24-year old Weston is listed at 6’2” and 235 pounds and established himself as a core special teamer with the Gators, while also seeing limited action on offense and defense.
Background
Weston was a three-star wide receiver recruit coming out of college but his career took an unusual path, as he ended up converting to safety, then defensive end and also took some reps at linebacker. He was also able to establish himself as a valuable contributor on special teams.
Weston opted to redshirt his first season in 2019 after playing three games and dropping his only target. In 2020, he contributed on special teams and caught his first pass in the first quarter of the team’s bowl game.
In 2021, it looked like Weston’s role might increase as he caught three passes for 44 yards in the season opener. However, he only caught another two passes all year. He didn’t catch any passes in 2022, at which point he had just three special teams tackles in the past three seasons but also got some work in the return game.
2023 saw him making more of an impact on special teams as he had four tackles in five games. However, he missed the rest of the season due to injuries. He had converted to safety during the offseason but didn’t see any playing time there.
In 2024, Weston’s impact grew as he had nine tackles, including two in his new role as an edge defender. One of these was a strip sack.
Weston had actually considered entering the draft after the 2023 season, but opted to return for the 2024 season. However, the chances of him being selected in either year were always slim.
After Weston went undrafted, the Jets signed him to an undrafted free agent deal with $200K of guaranteed money.
Let’s move on to some more in-depth analysis of what Weston brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Weston, who was 6’4” and 190 pounds as a high school recruit, has built himself up with a powerful, athletic frame, adding almost 50 pounds since then.
He can apparently bench 525 pounds, squat 605 and power clean 315. Perhaps even more impressively, he was clocked at 4.44 in the 40-yard dash in 2024, with chip data suggesting he got up to 22.6 miles per hour.
In this context, his pro day numbers were a little underwhelming, as he only ran 4.65 and managed 20 bench press reps. His agility numbers were average for his size and his broad jump was good but his vertical poor.
His coaches raved about his athleticism constantly though, and it jumps out on film.
Usage
As a high school player, Weston played on both sides of the ball. He was a wide receiver who generated plenty of production on short passes because he was tough to bring down and contributed in the blocking game. On defense, he was an edge defender, capable of shooting gaps, fighting off blocks and covering ground in pursuit.
In college, he got a chance to revisit both roles as he played 151 snaps as a wide receiver, primarily lined up outside. He’s now listed as a defensive end by the Jets, although he actually only played 14 defensive snaps in his college career.
It’s obviously on special teams where he will be looking to make his mark so we will have to wait and see whether he actually gets work on offense or defense in practice and preseason.
Receiving Skills
Although the Jets don’t even list Weston as a receiver, it’s still worth reviewing his performance there, if only to get a better idea of the kind of athlete he is.
He ultimately caught six passes on 10 targets in his college career, for 81 yards. Three of the four he didn’t catch were contested catches and one was a drop. This was his longest play.
This is a rare look at some hints of route running ability from Weston as he released clean and got some separation coming back to the ball. The catch isn’t particularly natural looking but he shows good enough concentration to hang on.
He didn’t show much elusiveness after the catch in college but, as noted, he established himself as a physical runner who is tough to bring down during his high school career.
Weston’s size and physicality was an obvious asset as a blocker, both on special teams and on offense.
Using him regularly as a blocker on receiver screens was obviously a tendency they developed with Weston and they exploited it on this play, where he did a good job of finding the open area and holding on for the only touchdown of his career.
Defense
The plan for Weston on defense, having moved him from safety to edge, was for him to be a designated pass rusher and lean on some of the skills he developed in high school. It didn’t really work out that way, though, as only three of his 14 defensive snaps actually had him rushing the quarterback. He did make one play though:
He also made one good play against the run so maybe there is some untapped potential in his defensive game too.
Special Teams
Weston was a big-time contributor on special teams, playing full-time in kick and punt coverage, rushing punts and blocking on the kick return unit.
He impressed with 11 tackles in 18 games while playing kick and punt coverage over the past two seasons. This wasn’t just falling on a pile at the 30-yard line after a kickoff return to pad his stats, either, as a high number of these saw him blowing up punt returns at the source.
He beat his man downfield constantly and routinely but also had a good awareness of where the ball was so he didn’t overshoot, although he did have one penalty for fair catch interference.
Weston also had a handful of missed tackles but, as we often point out, these are often good plays rather than bad plays if made by a primary gunner, because it often means you forced him to change direction or otherwise slowed him down so the next wave could clean up. He does appear to break down well in space, as a general rule.
He also downed a number of punts near the goal line when playing the primary gunner role.
In terms of his blocking, Weston also contributed well there, albeit that he had two holding penalties and an illegal block during his career.
The return game was less encouraging in limited reps. Weston’s longest kickoff return was 20 yards and his average just 14. And while he was credited with a punt return of 14 yards, this was actually a muff that rolled 14 yards down the field before he recovered it.
He didn’t play on the placekicking unit and only had three career snaps on the field goal rush unit.
Instincts and Intelligence
With his versatility and ability to contribute in a variety of ways, Weston seems to have a good idea what he’s doing, especially on special teams. However, he did look a little out of his depth when called upon to make decisions in the return game.
Weston graduated with a degree in 2023 and was a member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll that year.
Attitude/Demeanor
Weston is obviously a hard worker based on his athletic numbers, although he credits this partly to genetics, noting that his mother once benched an incredible 350 pounds.
Coaches and teammates lauded him for being the ultimate team player and always willing to change his role for the benefit of the team. He was also commended for his loyalty in remaining with the program when he easily could have transferred to somewhere else to get better exposure.
Injuries
Injuries were only really an issue for Weston in 2023 as he was limited to just five games. This was apparently an “upper body injury”.
Scheme Fit
As noted, Weston might just be in the mix exclusively on special teams, although it’s worth noting that players like Justin Hardee and Irv Charles did still work with their position groups on offense and defense even though their chances of getting any playing time were slim. In Charles’ case he does get offensive reps here and there.
It’s worth noting that Charles’ college career began in 2015 but he didn’t register his first catch until he transferred to a lower level and caught 39 passes in 2019. Weston did at least have a few catches in his first few years and feasibly could have transferred to a low-level school and put up that kind of production due to his size and athleticism at the end of his career, but opted to move to defense and stay in the SEC instead. So, actually, their respective résumés as receivers are not that different.
Whether Weston will be an edge, a receiver or neither of these at training camp remains to be seen.
Conclusions
Weston’s guaranteed money is a good sign that the Jets will keep him around this year, if only for a practice squad role. While the team did bring in Kris Boyd in free agency, the fact that Charles is still recovering from a torn ACL could mean the Jets need cover at the primary gunner spot early in the season and that could be Weston’s best chance to impress.
There are no highlight reels available for a player like Weston, but it wasn’t hard to find examples of him showing off what he does well. Weston’s rare combination of size, strength and speed is likely something that special teams coordinator Chris Banjo will be eager to work with and he has a realistic shot at making a career for himself if he can carve a niche.