It’s always a great story when a pro sports team drafts someone from their neck of the woods, bringing someone “home” to play at the professional level.
The Jets did that times two on Saturday, selecting Paterson native and Passaic Tech grad Carter Warren in the fourth round, and then Brooklyn’s Israel Abanikanda in the fifth.
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Both were watching the NFL Draft on TV at home when they saw New Jersey numbers pop up on their phones – and both knew the Jets were on the clock, making that moment before answering one of the most emotional of each of their lives.
“I was highly blessed,” said Warren, an offensive tackle from Pitt who grew up a Jets fan and played in two New Jersey state championship games at MetLife Stadium. “I was in tears.”
For Abanikanda, a teammate of Warren’s at Pitt, the call also came as he was least expecting it.
“I was laying my head on my mom and it just rung,” Abanikanda said. “It’s a dream come true. I look forward to staying home, staying close to family. Just for that happening, it’s an unreal experience.”
Warren spent six years at Pitt, two on the scout team before becoming the starting left tackle in 2019. His decision to return to school for his extra year of COVID eligibility may have hurt his stock, as he tore his meniscus in September and missed most of the year, but he knows what he will bring to Gang Green.
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“Physical, dominant player. Great with his hands. Great football IQ and ready to work. Hardest worker in the room,” Warren said of himself.
He’s healthy now, and ready to perhaps get some time on an offensive line in front of a future Hall of Fame QB in Aaron Rodgers.
“It’s going to be a cool experience. He’s all about ball and business, and I’m the same,” Warren said. “I'm ready to go to work. Whatever he needs from me, whether he needs extra film work, on the field, off the field practice, I’m ready to get going.”
Abanikanda, a running back who set Pitt’s single-game rushing record this season with a 320-yard game, could be in the same backfield as Rodgers – someone with whom he can identify based on draft stock, Rodgers dropping all the way to No. 24 in 2008 and Abanikanda dropping to the fourth round based on concerns about his size.
“I’ve always been underrated. Being underrated is nothing new to me, that just motivates me and pushes me to the next level,” Abanikanda said. “I’ve always played with a chip on my shoulder since I was young.”
And like Warren, he, too, knows what he’ll bring to the Jets.
“You’re getting a running back that can break tackles. I can run in any type of scheme, outside zone, inside center. I can also line up in the slot, catch the ball and break away, home run running,” Abanikanda said.
“When I see green, I know I’m going to score.”
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