My 1st, very early, Jets' 2011 Mock draft. IMO, the front 7 needs to be addressed with the first 2 selections. OLB, DE, & S all big needs! RD 1) Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA......Ayers would be a perfect 3-4 OLB in Rex's system. Ayers can rush/pressure the passer and isn't a liability in coverage. In fact, Ayers may be one of the best coverage 3-4 OLBs to come out in years. Jason Taylor will only be a Jet for one year...contract for year 2 is out of reach. Right now, Ayers would be a borderline Rd 1 selection, a monster year could put him out of the Jet's reach...but never say never, we all thought Kyle Wilson would be long gone. Other Rd 1 Possibilities...... Von Miller, Jared Crick, Allen Bailey, Jerrell Powe, Sam Acho, Jack Crawford. RD 2) Cameron Jordan, 3-4 DE/DT, California......Jordan has played both inside and outside in Cal's defense. Good size at 6'4" 295 with a non-stop motor. I like his versatility to play 3-4 end and move inside in 4 man fronts. A big need that the Jets have to address. In general, I like Cal's defensive players. RD 4) Mark Legree, S, Appalachian St........Depth and an additional playmaker at the Safety position is needed. Legree has excellent ball skills and can play centerfield. I saw one game of App State's and Legree had 2 picks. RD 5) Ryan Whalen, WR, Stanford.........I was watching a few Stanford games last year to key on Toby Gerhart, and Whalen was just catching everything thrown to him. Excellent hands and should be a solid #3 WR in the NFL with good special teams ability. Whalen was a walk on at Stanford.....hardest working player on the team. IMO, Edwards will be gone after 2010....too inconsistent. Holmes, Cotchery & Whalen , + Keller would be lethal. RD 6) James Carpenter, OT, Alabama.......will play LT for Bama this year but is really a NFL RT. Not an outstanding player, but solid run blocker. More depth needed on O-line. Carpenter may go higher.....depth of 2011's draft at the OT position will push players down. RD 7) Wes Byrum, K, Auburn..........very consisntent kicker in 2009 with a big leg. I hate to draft a kicker but it's in rd 7 and Byrum has the chance to make an NFL squad.
Is it Sam Ocho or Sam Acho? Im glad there is finally something to comment on I cant say I know a lot of the pac 10 guys you mentioned but 10 months before the draft I cant really complain about the choices. I think this year is going to be the year of DT I think Ive counted like 6 to 8 guys who could be selected in the first round as of now. Jordan sounds like Alualu
ACHO!!! People will compare Acho to Kindle, I like Acho's upside much better, plus Acho is an outstanding person and student athlete. Kindle's off field stuff and knee problems were big concerns. Alualu makes Jordan look like he plays in slow motion. No knock on Jordan, he's a great player, but Alualu looks over caffeinated on every play. Alualu can play the 3-4 DE, but may be better suited for DT in the NFL. IMO, Jordan is a better 3-4 DE player. Cameron Jordan looks like he can add more bulk to his frame, where if Alualu bulks up much more it may effect his quickness.
Akeem Ayers is my favorite defensive prospect in this draft class. He really is the perfect fit for this scheme. I like Cameron Jordan too. His dad, Steve, was a very good tight end in the NFL - 6 Pro Bowls in a row playing with the Vikings in late 80s and early 90s. Mark Legree is a big playmaker for the Mountaineers, but I'm not so sure that safety is that big of a need for the Jets anymore. Brodney Pool was misdiagnosed, so if he can get these migraines in check, he could turn out of the be a steal. Jimmy Leonhard will eventually have to be replaced, so taking someone like Legree in the 4th makes sense. I just don't see it as a HUGE need. I like Donovan Warren and I'm hoping that he develops into a solid player. The Jets' #1 wideout situation is really a toss up for me. Edwards has shown in the past that he can be a dominant receiver. If he returns to that form (HUGE if), then we may seem him in green and white for a long time. Holmes hasn't done anything as a Jet yet, so he's really going to have to turn it on to stay here. I'm all for drafting another wideout, I'm just not sure if the Jets will keep Holmes or Edwards. James Carpenter would be a solid pick. Anytime you can find a SEC lineman this late, it's worth a gamble. Byrum is as clutch as a kicker can be in 2009.
More often than not...E and I are on the same page. I know for certain MR. E and I could not have been more thrilled with the Jet's 2009 & 2010's 1st Round picks......Sanchez and Wilson, and it looks like we are 3/3 with the hope of Ayers in 2011.
Damn no Olineman till the 6th :/ great draft tho WW85 the Jets with Ayers and Jordan coached by Rex thats one scary D. My only concern is if Woody is cut next year ( Which is the rumor already) what do we do about the Oline? sacrifice the 2nd and draft an Olineman? I dont think Slauson is starter material. Would love your opinion
My main focus was on the front 7. Shaun Ellis & Jason Taylor won't be Jets in 2011. The Jets have neglected the D-line for far too long. Akeem Ayers has been on my wish list for quite sometime. The Rush OLB position will be a must need. I think Brodney Pool is a fixture for many years, still believe we need more quality depth at Safety. Rahim Moore is another favorite, glad to see some UCLA players getting respect. I really don't have a favorite College team, but always liked UCLA, it will be a fun to watch UCLA's defense this year. RT tackle is going to be a need, possibily addressed during FA next year. Always possible to find a very good RT with a mid round pick. Depth at the OT position is impressive in 2011.
Now that I look at this a little harder I realize that there is little chance that we don't draft a NT to groom to replace Jenks. I think we may wait one more year to draft a S in favor of a NT. I also believe that with the lack of depth in this draft Tanny will trade up more than once to get the players he wants (Clayborn, Heyward, Miller, Ayers, Moore, Mcdaniel). That's what I think is going to happen. Hard to really hone in on it though when there is still a whole nother season to be played.
I love Ayers, and would be very happy to see a player of his caliber as our first round pick. He's a monster, and would bring a lot of the same tools to the table that we have with Pace as a rusher, but with the ability to also slide inside when needed. He's a true LB in a position that most are converted DEs. And as for the Acho comment before, I see a lot of Orakpo in Acho, as opposed to Kindle.
With any luck Warren converts well to S and then we can postpone that need a year. I totally agree about DT though. It would be good to get a kid in there to learn from Jenkins.
I really like Adrian Claiborne DE from Iowa. Saw a couple of Hawkeyes game and he looked very active and agile. Good size and quickness also. Alot of the draft will depend on what Edwards, Cromartie and Holmes do this year. Two of them will probably stay one will go.
Not being Mr. Contrary here, but I disagree with this on 2 accounts. First, he's likely to be a Guard in the pros, even after the National Championship season, coaches still said he was a Guard playing Tackle. Even though his measurements on paper make him sound like a OT, his build is actually more of a Guard. He had the luxury of having AA Mike Johnson beside him, making his job easier. Now that Johnson is a Falcon, it's on JC to help break in a new Guard. And he'll go higher than 6th round, 3th-5th based of his Jr. season with a potential to raise it this year...
Carpenter could probably play either spot in the NFL. He's still got some ways to go in his development after just one year starting, but it seems like he has all the necessary skills. The coaches talked about what a great athlete he was, McElroy was barely ever even pressured when I watched them, and of course they had a great running game. It will be interesting to see how he anchors that left side of the line though with Johnson gone, just like you said. He's built pretty long, so I figure if he measures out at 6'5 then he's certainly big enough to stay at tackle. And on top of it all, the tackle class is pretty deep this year, so he conceivably go anywhere at this point. Another big year for Bama's offense could move him up into the higher part of the draft though.
I could see him at either G or RT in the Pros, he is a mauler in the run game, but he had a lot of TE help in passblocking(which Bama utilizes frequently). His size on paper doesn't tell the whole story, he has good measurements, but I don't think he has the speed for a tackle spot. Mike Johnson(6-6, 305) originally started at RT,but was a liability against pass rushers because of his slower footwork, so then moved him inside, and BOOM, AA. The LT Carpenter replaced at Bama, Andre Smith, was one of the poorly built LTs I've seen, but he had the quickest feet of the entire line. But again, this was his first year, he has 1 final year to show his stuff.
From a physical standpoint, he is unreal. He ran a laser timed 4.9 40 at 6-6, 340. During a practice for the AA Game in HS, he actually threw a DT to the sidelines. But the big negative is, footwork. Fluker played DL his entire high school career save for his senior year, so he is very raw. At Alabama's A-Day game, Fluker got pancaked by Dont'a Hightower, a linebacker(it's on youtube). He also got manhandled by DE Marcell Dareus, but that's understandable considering MD will be a top 5 draft pick. Now Fluker has dropped 20 pounds and they have said he has looked much better speed wise in his footwork. He is also working with one of the best collegiate OL coaches in Joe Pendry, so I'm sure he'll be ready for the RT job this year...
Sometimes converting defensive lineman to the offensive side of the ball works out great. To me, it means they have more athleticism. Most of Fresno State's offensive linemen played defense in high school. Pat Hill loves converting defensive tackles into OTs and OGs - they're more athletic. Our run defense is so bad because Hill takes all of our defensive tackle recruits and turns them into all-conference offensive linemen. Let him develop a little bit. He's a big fucking kid. I think he'll be a stud, especially in the run game. Richardson and Ingram must be pumped to run to the right.
No doubt, I recall players like Ben Grubbs(Ravens G) and Marcus McNeill(Bolts LT) being signed as DL at Auburn, then go on to be top 50 draft picks and eventual starters in the NFL. It's a good strategy, quick feet, fast pulling speed. I think Saban's strategy at Bama is get big maulers in the run game, even if they aren't "flashy recruits", then get Pendry to groom them in the passing game. If Fluker puts it all together, he'll be almost unstoppable. He's already run game ready, and going up against Marcell Dareus every practice should help improve his passblocking. BTW I don't think Trent Richardson cares who's in front of him, he's bulked up to 235 hmy:, although they told him to lose 10. He screams NFL back...
