Vernon Gholston arrived at Jets mini-camp Friday morning and coach Eric Mangini gave him his first test immediately – name all 84 of his teammates that were sitting with him in the team’s auditorium.
“The biggest part of being a team is knowing your teammates and with me it’s really just my first time meeting a lot of these guys,” Gholston said. “I really haven’t worked the names with faces. Coach put me to the test and I had to name the guys. I did OK on it. Some guys you haven’t seen so you have to grunt through it.”
It was the first test of many for Gholston, whom the Jets selected with the No. 6 pick of the NFL Draft in April. He is behind the rest of the rookies because of an NCAA/NFL rule that prevents rookies from participating in pro camps before their class has graduated from college. Gholston went to Ohio State, which operates on a trimester system, making its graduation date later than most schools.
The rule is intended to keep kids in school longer, but Gholston has not been enrolled since January, when he opted to concentrate on draft preparation. Instead, he has been in Columbus for the last six weeks studying the Jets’ playbook, working out and looking for a place to live in New Jersey.
Gholston looked a bit lost at times Friday, especially in pass coverage. He’s moving from defensive end to outside linebacker. He shouldn’t expect to be cut any slack by Mangini, though, because of the missed time.
“It’s not his fault that he couldn’t be here, but it’s not like he was getting his master’s,” Mangini said. “He had plenty of free time. In between ‘Judge Judy’ and what is it, ‘Days of Our Lives,’ whatever is on during the daytime, you can study. There are enough hours in the day regardless of how many curls you’re going to do.”
The Jets and Gholston have not reached a contract agreement yet. Only two players drafted before Gholston remain unsigned. The 6-foot-3, 266-pounder said he hopes the deal gets done soon.
Gholston may have looked a bit behind on knowing the defenses, but he certainly has the physical gifts. He was an imposing figure in his No. 56 jersey, something his teammates noticed.
“He’s a big dude,” safety Kerry Rhodes said. “It’s my first time seeing him in person and he’s living up to that Goliath-look they said [he has]. You have to get him to make the right decisions on the field in order to help us. We’re going to need it.”