The middle of July brought a lavish contract extension for one of the gems of the 2022 NFL Draft class, New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner.
With a four-year, $120.4 million deal -- the largest contract for a cornerback in NFL history -- in hand, Gardner's future in New York is secure. It's also a sign of wise draft decisions made by a previous regime led by since-fired general manager Joe Douglas, but it isn't the only one: Douglas spent another first-rounder in that same draft on receiver Garrett Wilson, who received his own four-year, $130 million extension on Monday.
In two days, New York locked up two franchise cornerstones, prompting me to ponder where else such valuable homegrown duos exist. Let's examine the best five pairs -- a list that includes the aforementioned stars in the Big Apple, but not at the very top.
Parsons entered the NFL from Penn State with plenty of deserved attention, but even the most avid Nittany Lions supporters likely didn't expect him to be this good at the next level. The true transformation into a game-wrecking pass rusher occurred once the Cowboys committed to playing him on the ball, sacrificing his sideline-to-sideline range in favor of sending him on repeated quarterback hunts. Parsons has produced many highlights in four pro seasons, racking up 52.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss, nine forced fumbles and two first-team All-Pro selections. Oh, he also won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award, finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in that same season (and the next) and hasn't completed a year without earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. He's due to reset the edge rusher market and remains one of the most devastating forces of nature in the NFL, a true defensive cornerstone who would be the best player on almost any unit.
Lamb has been a star since his days at Oklahoma, yet he remained available until the middle of the 2020 NFL Draft's first round. Dallas happily scooped him up at No. 17 overall and immediately bestowed great expectations upon him by handing him the franchise's venerated No. 88 jersey. He's done nothing but meet those expectations, even when the circumstances surrounding him haven't been ideal. Logically, Lamb should have suffered from the lack of a quality running mate following the Cowboys' decision to trade Amari Cooper to Cleveland in 2022, yet it hasn't shown in his production. He's broken 1,100 receiving yards in each of the last four seasons, earned four straight Pro Bowl nods and landed on three All-Pro teams (two second, one first) in the last three seasons. He peaked in 2023, catching a league-leading 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns on a Cowboys team that won the NFC East. Even though Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury in 2024, Lamb still finished with 101 receptions, 1,194 yards and six touchdowns. He is a superstar receiver with incredible ball-tracking and catching skills and is only just entering his prime at 26 years old. Expect nothing but more of the same from him in 2025, especially after Dallas acquired a proper WR2 in George Pickens.
When the Eagles spent a second-round pick on Hurts in 2020, the football world was collectively shocked. Shortly after Carson Wentz had won the power struggle over Nick Foles, general manager Howie Roseman was bringing in fresh competition for the former No. 2 overall pick. But as Roseman has demonstrated repeatedly during his time in Philadelphia, his foresight was correct: Wentz struggled, opening the door for the quiet-but-confident Hurts to take his job. The Eagles have never looked back since then, winning 46 of Hurts' 66 regular-season starts while enjoying a run of success that has included two Super Bowl appearances in the last three seasons, including a Lombardi Trophy triumph over Kansas City this past February. While Hurts might not land among the top five quarterbacks in the NFL, he's a proven winner and a steady influence within the building, pairing well with his occasionally unpredictable coach and calming the organization amid times of strife. He's the Eagles' unquestioned franchise quarterback with plenty of great years ahead of him, a dreamlike return on the 53rd overall selection.
Carter's story is vastly different. Scouts knew he was an elite prospect, but off-field concerns contributed to his drop down draft boards. As a proven fan of Georgia products, Roseman ignored the worries about Carter's character and traded up one spot to spend the ninth overall pick on him, giving the Eagles an elite prospect to pair with another UGA standout, Jordan Davis, along their defensive interior. In two years, Carter has proven Roseman right, racking up 10.5 sacks, 75 tackles (20 for loss) and earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro nods in 2024. He played an integral part for an Eagles defense that overwhelmed the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. With power, explosiveness, speed and raw strength, Carter is a rare athlete who makes NFL linemen look silly -- and he's only 24 years old.
Detroit's turnaround has been built on effective draft choices made by general manager Brad Holmes, giving me a number of options to consider for this pairing. The best choices are the most effective producers, though, and while Amon-Ra St. Brown has indisputably compiled an excellent last three seasons statistically, it's impossible to overlook the nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards Gibbs tallied in 2024. Envisioned as the lightning to David Montgomery's thunder in Detroit's backfield, Gibbs has grown into a three-down back with home-run potential on every touch. He racked up 1,412 rushing yards and a league-best 16 rushing scores in 2024, additionally chipping in 52 catches for 517 receiving yards and four more scores. Clearly, he has justified Holmes' selection of him, which was criticized in the moment. Those who abide by draft value charts were proven wrong by Gibbs, who occupies a key place in Detroit's offense, even after the departure of coordinator Ben Johnson. Consider the 12th overall selection from 2023 a pick well spent.
In hindsight, Hutchinson should be playing for Jacksonville, the team that chose potential (Travon Walker) over production at No. 1 overall. Detroit happily scooped up the Michigan hero with the second pick in 2022. In 39 career regular-season games, Hutchinson has logged 28.5 sacks, 122 tackles (30 for loss) and even snagged four interceptions, living up to (if not exceeding) expectations that followed him from Ann Arbor to Detroit. He was also putting together a Defensive Player of the Year campaign early in 2024 before a significant leg injury ended his season. He's in line for a substantial payday, and the Lions will likely oblige without much resistance -- especially if he bounces back with a stellar 2025.
In 2022, the Jets entered the draft with a war chest of high-value picks. They owned their own Round 1 pick (fourth overall), still had the second of two first-rounders acquired in the trade that sent Jamal Adams to Seattle, and added a third first-rounder in a multi-pick swap with the Titans, spending the last of the trio on edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II. Gang Green had many needs to address and decided to use the first two first-rounders on premier perimeter talents covering both sides of the ball, selecting Gardner -- a player with a personality fit for New York -- fourth overall and adding a much-needed No. 1 receiver in Ohio State's Wilson six choices later. Draft dreams are made of the results the Jets have received from those two selections.
Gardner was an instant success, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Pro honors in his debut season, while Wilson took home Offensive Rookie of the Year. Since then, Wilson has proven himself as an elite route runner and consistent producer, appearing in every game over three seasons while clearing 1,000 receiving yards in each campaign. He's managed to succeed even while the Jets have cycled through quarterbacks, evolving into a selling point for prospective passers. He'll have to adjust once again in 2025 with Justin Fields assuming the starting job, but if we've learned anything from Wilson's career, it's that he's rather adaptable. This won't be a first introduction, either: Wilson and Fields teamed up to produce plenty of highlights at Ohio State and will look to pick up where they left off back in 2020.
Gardner, meanwhile, got off to a white-hot start with the Jets and sustained that momentum into his sophomore season, earning his second straight first-team All-Pro selection and Pro Bowl trip. But entering 2024, Sauce became a polarizing figure among personnel staffers around the NFL. Some loved him, while others considered him to be among the most overrated in the NFL, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. A down 2024 suggested Gardner's detractors might have a point. That didn't stop the Jets from locking up Gardner, of course, and if they're pressed to justify his lavish extension, they can point to the fact that Gardner is the only defensive back to earn first-team All-Pro honors in each of his first two seasons since 1970. Not to mention, he owns the highest Pro Football Focus coverage grade of any corner since his rookie season of 2022. One down year doesn't spoil that, at least not in the Jets' eyes.
In the pre-draft competition for the top selection of the 2023 draft, Stroud came up short, ultimately going second overall to Houston after Carolina chose Alabama's Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick. In hindsight, it was probably the best possible outcome for Stroud, a quarterback who thrives on laser-like accuracy and an unusually calm, steady presence in the pocket. His debut season led many to believe Carolina had made a devastating mistake, as Stroud ran away with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and spearheaded a turnaround in Houston that has returned the Texans to prominence. His second campaign -- a 19-game journey spent behind an incredibly inconsistent offensive line -- wasn't as stellar, but Stroud remains an incredibly promising quarterback because of a core set of skills that suggest he'll compile a fantastic career. Stroud has some questions to answer in 2025 -- a process he actually began with a quality finish to 2024, which included a playoff win over the Chargers -- but those who know him expect him to respond emphatically.
After taking Stroud second overall, Houston promptly traded into the next pick, sacrificing first- and second-round selections for the right to choose Anderson, Alabama's coveted edge-rushing machine. He's done nothing but prove Texans GM Nick Caserio right, giving Houston a Rookie of the Year sweep by earning the defensive honor with a seven-sack debut campaign. 2024 was even better for Anderson, who began to make a difference that stood out on tape, logging 11 sacks, his first forced fumble and a total of 16 tackles for loss. The edge menace piled up 58 QB pressures on 344 pass-rushing snaps last year, per Next Gen Stats, good for a 16.9 QB pressure percentage. In the span of roughly 20 minutes three Aprils ago, the Texans chose two franchise cornerstones. It's no wonder they're considered among the contenders for the AFC crown.
