Free agency is never the be-all and end-all for NFL roster building. The New York Jets are an excellent lesson in that.

Seemingly filling a roster need on the open market doesn’t mean doesn’t necessarily mean the position is off-limits at the NFL draft.

That’s precisely what happened in the second round for the Jets. After the Jets signed veteran cornerback Nahshon Wright to a free agency deal in March, the team double-dipped at the position by selecting Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.

“He is a tough guy; the thing is, you can’t judge the heart,” head coach Aaron Glenn said of Ponds. “That’s one thing that, when you start to talk to guys, you start to see guys play, you start to understand what the heart is about.”

Standing 5-foot-8, Ponds is unlike any corner the Jets have brought in in recent years. Wright is 6-foot-4, AZ Thomas is 6-foot-1, Brandon Stephens is 6-foot-0, and Jarvis Brownlee is 5-foot-10.

New York has seemingly preferred taller cornerbacks, yet that doesn’t apply here.

Ponds plays bigger than his stature shows. The Jets were giddy to announce that during the pre-draft process, the team talked to several wide receiver prospects, and all of them named Ponds as the best corner in the country.

But that was in college. Could we really see the Jets push Ponds into the starting lineup so early in his NFL journey?

Jets CB competition

Second-round picks don’t have the same pressure as first-rounders, but they are still expected to see plenty of playing time throughout their career. No one wants to waste a premium Day 2 selection, especially a rebuilding team.

That means, sooner or later, Ponds is going to get the opportunity to see the field consistently.

According to Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, though, that opportunity may come this year after all.

“It’s going to be a competition, and the guys know that,” Glenn said after the team drafted Ponds. “And any time you can create competition within your team, it only makes your team better, especially in practice, because now that transitions to game play. When you can have that type of competition on a daily basis, man, you start to see the game actually tick up a little bit as far as how we play.”

Glenn also announced that Ponds would be cross-trained as both a slot and boundary corner. If the Jets find a role where Ponds is fitting in naturally, they may simply override the veterans on the roster.

But how likely is that to happen?

Ponds’ odds of starting

Just last season, Wright led all cornerbacks in interceptions. For a team that was the first in history to not record a pick all year, it seems foolish for the Jets to simply not have Wright on the field.

Stephens has been a valuable starter in the secondary as well. Would the Jets really bench a player with a $13.97 million cap hit this season?

The only logical place one could conceivably see Ponds on the field as early as opening week is in the slot. Brownlee was acquired in a trade last season, but he dealt with injuries despite a solid first impression.

Plus, it would be considered quality roster allocation for the Jets to have a second-round pick see the field as early as possible — even if some have already counted the Aaron Glenn clone out of the equation.

“I’ve been doubted my whole life. Nobody gave anything to me,” the Glenn clone recently said. “I’ve been doing it (competing) my whole life.”