There's a lot of new for Jets DT Javon Kinlaw.
New team, new number, new body and new level of production (thus far) are a few examples. Most important, however, is his newfound confidence.
"This year's been my first time feeling like I can really be who I think I can be, who I know I can be." Kinlaw said. "Point blank. Period. When I was coming out, I knew it was going to take me some time. I remember somebody asking me what I rank myself amongst the guys at the Combine, and I said, 'As of now I'm not really the best guy, but 10 years from now I will be.' And I still feel that way."
The No. 14 pick in 2020 out of South Carolina enters Year 5 in the NFL after adding about 30 pounds of muscle mass in large part because of a protein-heavy diet that includes nine eggs in the morning and six chicken breasts for lunch. The extra muscle hasn't slowed down the 6-5, now 330 pounder. It's had the opposite effect.
"I feel amazing," he said. "I feel super explosive, I feel violent out there. I feel like I'm getting a lot of knockback, holding strong on double teams. That was my main thing this offseason, really work on sustaining on those double teams because I feel like I'm a big guy. Guys don't really come off of me."
Kinlaw, despite a lot of new, has some familiar faces with the Green & White such as fellow DT Solomon Thomas, his teammate in San Francisco for one season. Jets HC Robert Saleh was Kinlaw's defensive coordinator in 2020 and while Kinlaw has yet to make his debut in green and white, Saleh is encouraged by what he saw on the practice field against the Panthers last Thursday.
"He was unblockable, in my opinion," he said. "There's things he's got to work on. We've talked about those things where, he's just so powerful and creating so much knockback that he's actually creating vertical seams in the defense, so we're working on some things to help him transition, not only in the game run, but in the pass.
"He's in a great frame of mind and looking forward to watching him have a dominant year."
Last season, Kinlaw had a career-high 3.5 sacks and 3 pass defenses to go along with 25 tackles. He may look the same in person -- he was always a specimen of a human before the added weight -- but he's a different player on tape, even to himself.
"It's a humbling experience, man, but it makes you want to go even further, you know?" he said. "It makes you just always want to push that button and always see how much further you can go. How can I reach my potential? That's always the ultimate goal with me, how can I reach my maximum potential? I'm striving for it every day. When I cut that film on, it's a blessing at the end of the day."
Kinlaw's dedication and discipline were instilled by his mother, who would hang 60-pound boards of sheet rock to make money during Kinlaw's childhood. His hard work is on the brink of paying off. There's a saying that success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Kinlaw's version is a little different.
"The health caught up to the work ethic," he said. "And the work ethic has always been crazy. I've been able to do some crazy things out there. Just going back and watching the film I'm putting down right now it's like, '[Shoot], I can really do this thing.' "
