Gholston to wear No. 56 for Jets

Vernon Gholston insists it's only a coincidence that he's wearing the No. 56 for the New York Jets.

Sure, the hulking outside linebacker is expected to add a much-needed boost to the Jets' pass rush, but he doesn't consider himself a sack-collecting savior. Still, his lofty draft status, eye-popping skills and, now, his jersey number have some hoping for a second coming of Lawrence Taylor, the Hall of Famer who terrorized quarterbacks for years with the New York Giants.

"I just thought it was a good number," Gholston said with a grin Friday on the first day of Jets rookie camp. "That's all I really thought."

Gholston, the sixth overall pick in the draft, wore No. 50 at Ohio State and would've taken that if veteran Eric Barton didn't already have it. So, it wasn't a nod to Lawrence Taylor, one of the most disruptive defensive forces in NFL history?

"No, not really," said Gholston, still smiling. "I had limited options. Obviously, my No. 50 was taken, so of the numbers I had to choose from, that's the one I picked."

For those keeping score, 15 previous players wore No. 56 for the Jets, with the last being former third-round bust Anthony Schlegel, also a former Ohio State star. New York hopes Gholston fares a whole lot better, especially given the expectations. New York had just 29 sacks last season, while Gholston set an Ohio State record with 14 despite facing double teams regularly.

CLICK it !!!