There aren\u2019t many cornerbacks in the NFL listed at 5-foot-8. The league is just too big and fast for that to be common.<\/p>\n
The New York Jets have had plenty of success with that status, though. Head coach Aaron Glenn was a Pro Bowl player for the team during the late 1990s despite being listed at 5-foot-8. <\/p>\n
In 2026, Gang Green drafted Indiana cornerback D\u2019Angelo Ponds<\/a> with the same height, hoping for similar results.<\/p>\n During the process of scouting him, they asked his opponents for help.<\/p>\n \u201cWe asked wide receivers that we interviewed, whether it\u2019s combine, all-star games, guys we bring in for visits, we often ask them like, \u2018Who\u2019s the best corner you go against?\u2019\u201d Jets general manager Darren Mougey said. \u201cNumerous guys, if they faced Ponds, all of them, Ponds.\u201d<\/p>\n New York spoke to plenty of receivers during the pre-draft process. Two of those pass-catchers ended up being first-round picks for the team.<\/p>\n So, what do Ponds\u2019 fellow rookies have to say about him?<\/p>\n Jets speak out on Ponds<\/p>\n Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq<\/a> and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.<\/a> saw plenty of Ponds throughout their college careers. They understand the prowess the cornerback brought to the Hoosiers and why he was good enough to be taken by the Jets in the second round.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you see him, you\u2019re like, \u2018This isn\u2019t somebody you have to worry about,’\u201d Cooper said of his college teammate. \u201cAfter going against him, I was like, \u2018This isn\u2019t what it looks like.’\u201d<\/p>\n Ponds picked off seven passes throughout his college career. That also included one of the biggest interceptions in Indiana football history. <\/p>\n To begin the College Football Playoff Semifinals, Ponds picked off Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and returned it for a touchdown. That play opened the floodgates for the Hoosiers, who ended up routing the Ducks 56-22.<\/p>\n Sadiq was on the opposite end of that blowout. And while that loss obviously still stings, the tight end is still amazed by Ponds\u2019 dominance despite his short stature.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it has,\u201d Sadiq said, regarding whether Ponds\u2019 pick-six has come up in conversation since the two were drafted by New York. \u201cI was talking to Omar [Cooper] about it last night, and we were talking five minutes ago on the field about their defense and how well they played. It\u2019s crazy, you\u2019re playing against him, prepping against him, scouting him four months ago, and now you\u2019re on the same team.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooper and Sadiq have both seen firsthand how talented Ponds is. And he\u2019s already proving his worth at Jets rookie camp.<\/p>\n Ponds\u2019 2026 outlook<\/p>\n New York has a bevy of veteran cornerbacks on the roster heading into 2026. Ponds will not be handed a clear path to a starting spot in his rookie season. But if the Indiana cornerback has proven anything, it\u2019s that he should never be counted out.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been proving people wrong my whole life,\u201d Ponds said. \u201cAt this point, I just feel like I\u2019m proving myself right.\u201d<\/p>\n