Jets' rookies perform well on D-line

When Kenrick Ellis sized up the competition and lined up for his first snaps as a pro Monday night, he quickly realized he was far removed from his days dominating the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

"This is a long way from Hampton University," the defensive tackle said after the Jets lost to the Texans, 20-16, in their preseason opener. "This is the NFL. Guys are a lot faster and a lot stronger. It's just the speed. Once you get the speed of the game [down], it's OK."

First-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson was also a fast learner, finding things aren't the same when the action gets furious, as it did on Reliant Stadium's turf.

"It was different from practice," the 6-4, 315-pound defensive end said. "Everything was a little bit faster. But overall I'm feeling good. I felt I did well, definitely have to make some improvements on my technique."

Ellis and Wilkerson are the future of the Jets' defensive line. In a way, they ushered in an era Monday, stepping in and showing they have the talent to help replace Shaun Ellis, now a Patriot, and the retired Kris Jenkins.

Ellis and Wilkerson each made two combined tackles, and Ellis had a nifty pass deflection that led to a turnover and seven points.

Rex Ryan praised his rookie duo. "Ellis had the tipped ball for the interception, which was impressive," Ryan said. "They made some nice plays, too, chasing the ball down on some screens. I was happy with those two guys."

Ellis made the bigger impact. The 6-4, 346-pounder showed some of the athleticism that caused the Jets to draft him in the third round, taking a chance on him even though he's facing a felony malicious wounding charge from an incident on Hampton's campus.

Ellis gave the Jets an emotional lift on Houston's first offensive play of the second half. Matt Leinart dropped back from his 16-yard line for a short pass and Ellis read the play, freeing his hands from center Howard Barbieri. Ellis leaped and his left hand tipped the ball, which linebacker Josh Mauga caught like a centerfielder at the 23. Mauga returned it 3 yards to set up Greg McElroy's 2-yard touchdown toss to wideout Patrick Turner, tying the score at 13.

"I was just fighting," Ellis said. "It was a one-on-one block. I was trying to get a little bit of a pass rush and he kind of had me stalemated. I saw the quarterback throw the ball, so I just jumped as high as I could and tipped it."

Still, there were times when Ellis felt like a novice behind the wheel in a NASCAR race.

"Again, I went to a small school, so it's not [normal] to see guys that quick moving at 300 [pounds]," Ellis said. "So it was just a lot faster than I thought."

The only negative in Wilkerson's night was an offsides penalty on Houston's second series. He jumped early, handing the Texans a second-and-2 they easily converted.

But it was a good start for Wilkerson and Ellis, perhaps a sign of things to come.

"We've just got to focus on the process that's going on right now," Wilkerson said, "learning from these professionals that we have in Sione [Pouha] and [Mike] DeVito. Then in the future, hopefully me and Kenrick will pretty much be the leaders of the D-line."