The next three days are among the most critical the New York Jets have had in many years. They are a rebuilding/retooling/decrepid franchise, pick whichever word you want. They have lost 11 starters from last season, not to mention the depth players they let go as well. And without much money under the salary cap to re-tool with free agency, the new GM John Idzik has to deliver on this weekend's NFL draft.
They own all their regular picks in the 7 rounds, plus Tampa Bay's pick, which they acquired last week when they traded Darrelle Revis. So in the first 3 rounds, they have numbers 9, 13, 39, and 72. As far as their needs, well, they're ok at punter, kicker, defensive end, left tackle, and center. Everything else is basically a need. I'm no avid watcher of college football, but through researching various draft gurus and bios, here's where I want to see the Jets go, at least in the first 3 rounds. And this is assuming that they don't trade one of those first two picks down to acquire more picks, which I would endorse, by the way.
9. Rex loves to run the football. And the Jets lost both their starting guards in Matt Slauson and Brandon Moore. They signed Willie Colon to play left guard, who is good, but had had problems staying healthy. So guard is a huge need and I would use this pick on either Chance Warmack or Jonathan Cooper, both regarded as legit studs. This is not a draft where the Jets can gamble on potential. They need reliable to players who can start on Week 1 against the Bucs.
13. With the loss of Revis, not to mention 3 of 4 players in the starting secondary, the Jets need to upgrade their defense. But Dee Milliner, the top CB in the draft, will likely be gone already. And truth be told, he's had five surgeries already and that scares me. So I would target a pass rusher at outside linebacker. Barkevious Mingo is a name many have connected with the Jets and I would take him, but if he's gone, then I would be thrilled with Jarvis Jones from Georgia. At the end, I would expect them to use these picks on a OLB and Tavon Austin, the speedy receiver that Mark Sanchez and this offense sorely lack. If both guards are gone by 13, then I would trade down and try to pick Tyler Eifert, the WR from Notre Dame. Tight ends are becoming a bigger part of the passing game in the NFL and with the loss of Dustin Keller, the Jets really need one who can be a playmaker. I would actually prefer Eifert over Austin, there are always good wide receivers available in the middle rounds.
39. Here's where I would go with the receiver. If he's available, I would take DeAndre Hopkins of Clemson, if he's still around. I don't think he'll make it quite that far. If he's not there, I'd go for a D.J. Swearinger, the safety from South Carolina. He can hit hard and even cover tight ends.
72. I would not go for a QB until after the second round and this pick would be the 8th in the third round. With it, I would draft Mike Glennon of NC State. He has been compared to Joe Flacco and that would work fine by me.
Bottom line: The Jets currently have 8 picks. It would help if they have 12. Thankfully, they've gained four compensatory picks because of the Revis trade, but they aren't coming until next year's draft. If they address guard, wide receiver/tight end, pass rusher, and safety with 4 of their first 6 picks, I'll say they addressed their needs pretty well. I'm pretty sure they will take a quarterback, even though I really don't think this is the right draft to take one. Andrew Luck and RG3 are not in this draft class. Maybe later, they can go with a running back or depth at the offensive line. But it's all about what they do once they can get on the field. But to John Idzik, good luck. You're gonna need it.
No comments:
Post a Comment