Of course I'm trying to start a debate but these are all very good reasons to draft the kid. 1) at #29 he'll probably be the BPA (if he's there). 2) OLB and DE (our 2 primary positions of need) are sooooo deep in this draft. It's actually very possible to come away with a good OLB bottom of rd 2 (K. Misi) and a good 3-4 DE in rd 4 (M. Neal). 3) Tanny himself reminded in the pre-draft conference how good Rex was/is in developing DLs... after all he started out as a DL coach. And we all know in a 3-4 D the DEs aren't supposed to be the flashiest players on the field... the LBs are. 4) You may be happy or not with Pace as our primary OLB but he is set to make around 8mill a year for the next 3-4 years (with lot's of guaranteed $$$). If you consider Scott's contract and how big Harris' contract will be we'll have A LOT of money tied to our LB corp. A LOT! 5) If we draft Iupati we are problaly going to cut Faneca. I'm not saying I WANT to cut Faneca (I don't) but if this helps us free up the money to re-sign Mangold, Revis & co I'll gladly take the hit. Remember Faneca will make 8.8 mill this year and the same in 2011. That's A LOT of money for a 34-35 yrs old guard. If Faneca stays this year he'll get cut in 2011 anyways... and he'll recieve 1.6 in guaranteed. 6) We want Callahan to coach whoever replaces Faneca and Woody. What assurance do we have he'll still be around next year? IMO with the work he's done here he's bound to get an OC offer. 7) If we draft him and don't cut Faneca we can try to develop him into our RT of the future instead of LG... Versatility is always a good thing and it gives us flexibility in next year draft (where IMO we'll HAVE to draft Woody's replacement). I trust Callahan in deciding what his best positions can be... "luckily" going into the future we have needs at both. 8) At the start of the 2010 season D'Brick will be 26, Iupati 23 and Mangold 26... they could play together for AGES! Talk about developing chemistry. 9) He's Samoan... 'nuff said. 10) I really don't want to trade up this year and it makes sense for him to be there at #29.
All good points and I agree about cuttign Faneca if they belive we have drafted a starter at guard. It saves a ton of Cash that will get split between Brick, Revis, and Mangold.
Yup (on Faneca)! When I read Lombardi's news about Tanny considering cutting him at first I was pissed but then I thought that he's going to be with us 1 or 2 years at most... and he's already declining. We need to find (a lot) of money to re-sign the guys you mentioned and Faneca is making sooo much money considering how much he actually contributes on the field (good but not elite any more). And with the rules in place right now 2010 is the year to do this kind of thing. If we find a guy that can replace him it makes so much sense.
Disagree. Guards are rarely the best player available that high. Traditionally, they can be found later on. Brandon Moore wasn't even drafted. Agree somewhat, but not entirely. There are a lot of 3-4 teams now in the league, and they're all competing for the same talent. I think the Jets, Dolphins, and Ravens offseasons, among others, are going to put a premium on pass rushers and defensive backs. We could use both, and both are usually worthy of a higher pick. I will say the guard crop is not as thick as the OLB crop, but the demand also isn't as great. The Jets could get a proven starter thru trade as well. Both Evan Mathis and Dave Baas would be available as each only signed one year tenders. Then again so is Marcus Spears. I think we may go one way or the other and trade for an immediate position filler on either side of the ball. I think the planet theory really speaks for itself. There are a lot of big bodies in this draft, but it's hard to find very athletic ones. The Jets have Devito and Pituitary, but little depth behind them. Douglas and Ellis both represent replacement level players, and their scheme is entirely dependent on controlling the line of scrimmage. 4) You may be happy or not with Pace as our primary OLB but he is set to make around 8mill a year for the next 3-4 years (with lot's of guaranteed $$$). If you consider Scott's contract and how big Harris' contract will be we'll have A LOT of money tied to our LB corp. A LOT! There really isn't much sense in cutting Faneca, unless they've decided his skills have diminished significantly. Cutting him only saves them a few bucks this year. There is tremendous savings next year. I think it would behoove them to bring in a guy like John Jerry who can fit at either tackle or guard and give them options next season. Faneca is probably worth more than his 1.6 million cap savings. I think Schottenheimer is more likely to go somewhere else than Callahan, and Callahan would probably become the OC in that case, or they'd look to retain him for continuity's sake. Definitely a good point, but The Jets should really be drafting a guy who can step in right away. I agree that it behooves them to draft a swing type offensive lineman, but spending a 29 on a developmental guy when you're a year away is not wise. You'd get more value out of a guy who contributes in the dime package or as a situational rusher or rotational DL at that point. Not really. Situpe Peko was Samoan too. There is definitely something to the whole Samoan thing, but it's not cut and dry. I'd rather have Kris Jenkins than Ma'ake Kemoeatu. It looks like the Giants might reach for him. We'll see. -X-
Mike Iupati is the best guard prospect since Steve Hutchinson. At 29, he'd be considered a great value pick. Guards with the ability of Mike Iupati can't be found later on - he has the tools to be the best all-around guard in the NFL.
Hutchinson is a great player, but to my point, Kareem McKenzie, Matt Light, Ryan Diem, and Kynan Forney, and Stephen Neal were also in that draft, and turned out to be above average NFL lineman on winning teams. Beyond that, I might rather have drafted Casey Hampton, who went a few picks later and was the premiere nose tackle on several Super Bowl teams. I think it's about appropriate positional value. He might be the best guard since Hutchinson...but he's still a guard. I also think the Hutchinson comparison is a bit brash. This guy played for Idaho. I'm not saying he won't be very good, just that the impact of his position might be overblown. You certainly need a quality guard, but if I had the choice between an above average guard and an above average pass rusher, or corner I'd take the pass rusher or corner, knowing I can still succeed with an average guard. It's much harder to succeed with average corners and pass rushers in today's NFL. -X-
That's the other thing that overarches my point. Sorry for the double post, but I'll be shocked if he doesn't go to the Giants, or to some team that views him as a possible right tackle solution. -X-
I agree.. I always said there's INCREDIBLE Guard and Center value at the bottom of round 1 WHY? Because There's this misconception that a lot of people follow that you don't take a G or C in round 1 at least early soooooooooooo, the end of round 1 allows you to take THE BEST GUARD OR CENTER... And THAT is why the Jets knew Mangold was ours and as I think out loud - After Mangold, I'd imagine Tanny knows about the valu ein G/C at the end of round 1. I'll just give 1 more reason - Iupati is a BEAST and IMO and upgrade at this point from Faneca. The talk today about the Jets releasing Faneca lends credence to this pick as well.
What people are also forgetting is that the importance of a position depends on the philosophy of the team. On a team with Brady the #3 WR is important, not so much in a run first team. The same applies to LG! On some team it might not be an important position but for the Jets it's vital!!!
It's trash because he played for a bigger program? Give a damn break. Mike Iupati was a 2009 All-American...out of Idaho. Who's the better prospect? Ryan Mathews (WAC) or Brandon Minor (Big 10). No one questions Mathews abilities and he played in the same conference that Iupati played in. Minor played a Big Six conference and is projected to go undrafted.
I AGREE As I said to WW85 in his Iupati thread, took a little while to get that through my thick skull, but I got it now :up:
Good friend of mine from draft daddy played on the offensive line in college and pretty much echo's your sentiments. I'll tell you exactly what he told me just a little while ago ....
If Iupati develops to be even close to Hutchinson's level he'd be an absolute STEAL at 29. Hutchinson is such a beast, it really is amazing watching him play, and is a huge reason on why AD is doing so well in Minnesota. I would be jumping for joy if he fell to us, even though I really want DL, OLB, or S with that pick.
