NFL

Jets’ Wilkerson holding own on line

In the spirit of Thanksgiving weekend, let’s temper the frustration over the inconsistencies of Mark Sanchez, the too-frequent breakdowns along the Jets offensive line and the anxiety caused by having to win all of their remaining games to ensure a playoff berth.

If there’s one thing the Jets can be thankful for this year, it’s that their first-round draft choice isn’t the next Vernon Gholston. Hate to bring up a sore subject, but Gholston was the Jets’ first pick of the 2008 draft, the sixth overall selection who turned out to be a monumental bust.

Having the 30th selection overall in last spring’s draft, the Jets were hoping to find someone who could contribute sooner than later and live up to the value of being a first-rounder. Some eyebrows were raised when the Jets took Muhammad Wilkerson, a defensive lineman out of Temple. The initial projections were for him to be drafted in the mid-second or even third round. But after watching his progress on and off the field over the first 10 games of this season, it looks like they have a potential Pro Bowl talent.

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“There’s so much more room to grow, and to see him as good as he is in his first year, it will be scary,” said defensive lineman Mike DeVito, a five-year veteran. “I can imagine in two or three years, he’ll be in the Pro Bowl.”

That was just the start of a number of good things DeVito had to say about Wilkerson.

“He has an ability to understand what’s going on,” DeVito said. “When I first came here, one thing I really struggled with is reading formations, understanding what the offense is doing and not just what the defense is doing. He has the ability, with no offseason and limited training camp, to come in and compete at a very high level.

“He’s an amazing player. I’m so glad we got him, especially where we did. I can’t imagine how he didn’t get drafted higher than he did. He’s a great player and a true professional.”

Earning a starting a job wasn’t a priority when Wilkerson arrived at training camp. But with the departure of veteran Sean Ellis, who signed a free-agent deal with the Patriots, the Jets needed someone to take over on the defensive line. Wilkerson impressed enough in training camp to earn the starting job and has remained solid if not spectacular. He has 31 total tackles, with 15 coming in the past four games.

“I think he has a chance to be special in this league,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “But to me, I think it’s just the typical stuff he has to experience as a rookie and I think he’s handled it all very well.”

Wilkerson’s biggest asset is his athleticism. He is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, and can still dunk a basketball. In addition to excelling on the defensive line in high school, he also played tight end and was on a basketball team that won two state titles.

Credit his mother, Janice, for keeping him focused while growing up in around Linden and Elizabeth, N.J.

“She was the one that got me into sports,” Wilkerson said. “I grew up in a rough neighborhood and there were a lot of distractions. But she kept me away from that. She would go with me on different basketball trips and always made sure that I was active.”

Wilkerson might be a rookie, but he understands the urgency of beating the Bills tomorrow to remain in playoff contention. There’s no time for hitting the rookie wall.

“We have to stop their running game and make them one-dimensional and get after [Ryan] Fitzpatrick,” Wilkerson said. “We have the best secondary in the game. As long as we dominate up front, we’ll get a W.”

Spoken like a seasoned vet.