By Glenn Naughton
Maryland cornerback Will Likely may be very unlikely to make the Jets as a tryout player during their current mini-camp, but a comment from Jets head coach Todd Bowles during his post practice press conference may have given the dynamic return man a bit of a boost.
When asked if Gang Green would consider using a roster spot on a player who is exclusively a return man, Bowles replied “It depends on how special he is”, and judging by his production in college, Likely has the ability to be pretty special.
Likely was a long shot to get drafted as he stands just 5′ 7”, but his knack for the big play on special teams was bound to get him a look somewhere.
During his time at Maryland, Likely returned 87 kicks for 2,233 yards (25.7 YPR) and a pair of touchdowns, while racking up 875 yards on 67 punt returns (13.1 YPR) and 4 touchdowns.
Unlikely to see much time on defense, the cornerback had 7 career interceptions at Maryland, six of which came in his sophomore season.