When New York Jets top pick Dee Milliner, a cornerback out of Alabama taken with the ninth overall pick in the most recent draft, had contract issues early in camp the comparisons with the departed Darrelle Revis kicked into overdrive.
Milliner will be looked upon to fill Revis' large shoes in New York, and head coach Rex Ryan is doing his part to temper those outsized expectations. "Dee Milliner is never going to be Darrelle Revis," Ryan said. "He'll just be Dee Milliner, and I think that will be good enough."
Milliner was viewed as a potential top-five pick in this draft, but fell thanks to reports of five surgeries during his career with the Crimson Tide, as well as a current shoulder injury at the time of the draft. Milliner is saying now, though, that his shoulder is just fine saying, "I know I'll be ready for contact."
After missing the first three practices, Milliner inked a four-year, $12.66 million contract that is fully guaranteed. With that comes expectations...and comparisons. "I tell you what: I hope when he plays, there are those comparisons," Ryan said. "I understand where people are coming from, but Darrelle was a special player. We'll see what kind of player Dee is."
Fellow cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who is assuming a leadership role on the Jets defense in Revis' absence, also downplayed any comparisons between Revis and the highly anticipated rookie.
"He can't be compared [to Revis]," Cromartie said. "He's got to make sure he doesn't get caught up in trying to be compared to him. He's his own man, Darrelle is his own man. The only thing he has to do is be Dee Milliner."
In three seasons with Alabama, Milliner proved himself to be quite a talent. He recorded nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and picked off nine passes while playing in the top conference in college football.
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