We are just days away from the NFL draft. Those of us who watch little, if any college football during the fall, suddenly have become draft experts. Guys we didn't know 2 months ago, we could now tell you where they went to high school, their favorite dog's name, and their favorite movie. We get fascinated with certain prospects, then a new name comes along, and we're onto the next name. So with the Jets needing an influx of talent at so man positions and with an abundance of premium picks, it's not just about knowing who to pick. Just as important is knowing who not to pick. With so many players on our radar, who should we beware of? Here are a few well known prospects I do not want to see the Jets draft and my reasons why.
Travon Walker, Edge
When I look at Walker, I see a 3-4 rugged defensive end, as his lower body bend is limited. Plus, he's pushing 300 pounds. In a 4-3 defense, I want my pass rushers to be quick and explosive. I do not see Walker possessing that kind of speed. Instead, I see a good 2-way player who would be good at setting the edge and playing the run effectively. He might even be more suited to play defensive tackle under Robert Saleh's defense as opposed to defensive end. He also has a bad habit of not wrapping up running backs and wide receivers and letting them elude his grasp.
Walker is a better athlete than he is football player, and as a Jets fan, I'm getting tired of guys who win the combine, because they can run fast or bench press well. Then they get to the pros and the 2 or 3 moves they used in college suddenly aren't effective anymore and the bust talk soon begins.
Jahan Dotson, WR
The 5-foot-10, 178-pound Dotson ran a 4.43 in the 40 yard dash which is quite impressive, but his measurables failed in nearly every other combine drill. Most notably, he disappointed in the three-cone with a time of 7.28 (9th percentile), which is not going to work for a small receiver. He has a great ability to make contested catches, as he proved vs Ohio St, but he is widely viewed as a finesse receiver as he will not be likely overpower NFL corners. If he can't find a way to get open space on the field, he's not a WR that will be a primary focus in an NFL offense.
Breece Hall, RB
I've been hearing a lot of arguments for the Jets to take a running back as early as the second round. Now it's no secret running backs are not the premium position they used to be 20 and 30 years ago. So if we're going to take a running back this high, he better be a difference make on the level of Dalvin Cook or Jonathan Taylor.
Breece Hall is the running back that I've seen at the top of a lot of lists of draft pundits, whether it's Chad Forbes, Daniel Jeremiah, Ryan Dunleavy, etc. I have much respect for his production. Hall led college football with 1,572 rushing yards in 2020 and went for 1,472 in 2021. So I watched some film on him and I have to say this was not a running back who left me thinking this was a running back the Jets need to target.
What impressed me the most was his footwork. He has a very nice spin move to elude tacklers. But not once did I see him stiff arm a defender. Not once did I see him create his own space. His speed was respectable, but not what I would call breakaway speed. What I saw was a patient runner. A runner who thrives on holes being opened for him and then decides where he will run, maybe a Matt Forte. But to me, that is not a running back worth taking with a pick in the 30s when this team has such glaring needs at other positions and already features Michael Carter as a high quality running back.
He had 800 touches in 3 years, could he be getting a little prone to injury with a such an extensive workload? Especially on our turf? With so many mid round options like Jerome Ford, James Cook, Dameon Pierce, and Tyler Allgeier available in round 3 or later, I would let Bryce remain the only Hall on the Jets.
Lewis Cine, S
Heading into the offseason, I wanted the Jets to acquire two starting safeties, preferably one in free agency and one in the draft. After the Jets signed Jordan Whitehead away from Tampa Bay in free agency, I was very pleased to see them fil the strong safety role. And I also remain a defender of LaMarcus Joyner, despite him missing nearly the entire season last year due to an arm injury. For one year, he was a plyer worth bringing back into the fold.
So the Jets can afford to draft a safety and let him develop over the course of this season. Specifically, I'm a firm believer in drafting a free safety this year, if one is available.
So that brings me to Lewis Cine from Georgia. When I watch Cine, there are certainly positive traits. I see hard hits, I see great speed, I see good tackling ability, when he actually does make contact.
Notice the last six words I wrote. Too often, Cine likes to blow opponents up by hitting them high and taking steep angles towards ball carriers, which sometimes leads to missed tackles. His overaggressive nature has led not only to missed tackles, but penalties as well.
But my primary concern is I do not see good coverage ability. In his three years of college, he has averaged a QB rating of 85.7. Too often he finds himself out of position when playing coverage, which is one reason he only had one interception during his senior season. And watching him backpedal, it seems his hips and feet are not moving in synchronization, the balance that we would want from a safety just isn't there. Remember in 2020 when Tyreek Hill made a double move on Ashtyn Davis, left him in the Kansas City Dust, and scored a long touchdown? The same thing would happen to Cine, except now Hill can punish his victim twice a year.
Cine sounds like a box safety who the Jets might be asking to play in coverage most of the time. Add all this up, and you know another safety that fits this description? Calvin Pryor. Hard pass, give me a Daxton Hill or Jaquan Brisker.
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