I don't necessarily disagree with that, but greatness isn't achieved by "playing it safe". The Jets have the opportunity to get an elite pass rusher that could make Rex's D truly dominant. I am convinced that they will never get to, much less win a SB without a dominant pass rusher, unless by some miracle the 2nd coming of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady falls to them in the form of a draft pick next year. I see Upshaw as a solid pro and good player, but not much of an upgrade over Thomas or Pace, and that just isn't good enough imo.
All of these guys come with huge question marks. None of them have the extensive experince at linebacker that Upshaw has. So drafting them simply for pas rushing skills leads to a hughe projection that they will some day be able to do the other duties of a 34 OLB, like defend in space, drop back in coverage, ect. Many of them could be drafted by 43 teams jsut as easily becasue you know what your gettign from them at that point. These guys may develop, some of them are very, very talented, but none of them are the all around player Upshaw is. I think you highly under rate Upshaw's ability to rush the passer. His burst off the line is good, as are his hands. The kid really is the total package coming out. He can beat a tackle with power or speed, which makes him harder to defend. I have a hard time seeign how a guy that can total 17 Tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in the SEC as lacking ability to get penetration. His awareness of where the ball is going is really at an elite level as well. There is not one single thing I really do not like about his game.
And if we miss we end up having absolutely nobody to play OLB, literally completely crippling the team. BT gone, and Pace is at the ends of his career. It would set this team back so far, and isnt worth it to me. If we had one solid olb then MAYBE you can take that risk, but with no OLBs at all its simply foolish. However if we could trade down and get one by all means lets do it. But its not wortha gamble imo
First off, many people around here expect us to draft an OLB who can come in and instantly produce at that level. Read the comments around here Im sure there are plenty. As I stated theyre all completely unrealistic. I never said I was so "smart", I said people who think Upshaw is just limited to being Bryan Thomas 2.0 are being asinine. Upshaw has everything you'd want in a complete LB. He can set the edge, he has a plethora of pass rushing moves, gets off his block, never misses tackles, is extremely intelligent, can read offenses, can drop back, is extremely strong, rarely ever is out of position, has a high motor, I mean I can keep going on and on about this kids ability. Playing in a 3-4 D in Alabama , a place filled with stars, he stood out plenty. He averaged 8.25 sacks in two years as a starter, makes tackles for losses for days (32.5 in two years), and forces fumbles all over. Now obviously coming in he's not going to put up huge numbers ( Id say somewhere around 7 sacks) but eventually I believe he out of all the 3-4 prospects in this draft has the ability to become a complete OLB. Obviously meaning a high amount of sacks while also being a force on the edge. He is the most ready prospect from this crop of prospects and for the Jets, with the capabilities we withhold to develop defensive players, makes him the best fit for this team. Also, I like Perry, Curry, Ingram, Mercilus, etc but theyre a gamble when it comes down to things. No one can necessarily just say this prospect will work and this one wont but when drafting you need to break it down and see who fits best for your team and who can come in and make an impact immediately (1st and 2nd round wise) . All those kids may have bright futures but Upshaw has the highest possibility and certainly shows it the most out of any of these guys. There may be no convincing someone who has already made up their mind on a certain player but I do know that Upshaw will prove any doubter wrong once drafted to the right team. Now obviously you can break down my post to simple "opinion" and thats fair. But next time you look at Upshaw and his tapes or what scouts say about him, look back at some of the better OLB prospects to come out in recent years, Id bet both would look very very similar.
trading down that far would net us a pretty penny, possibly even a first next year. Who would San Fran be targeting that they want to give up that much?
If there is a chance to trade down still have a chance at a LB and possibly get a pick + another this year and A pick next I would be for it if not STAY PUT
I have to say if we could pull off a deal with San Fran like that id be a HUGE fan. Especially since IMO theyre a strong candidate to regress. I could totally see their pick next year being in the mid teens, that would be a helluva deal for us if we could get their 1st this year their first next year, and say a 3rd or 4th this year. Wow just wow Then again were talking about the Jets trading down, so we might as well be talking about Sanchez getting votes for MVP next year
are they worth that much to you? They aren't to me. If i am trading away that much I want a once in a generation player (and preferably a QB) there are only 2 guys in this draft I would give that much for, Andrew Luck and RGIII. I sure hope they would give up that much to the Jets so they can go get Alex Smith a WR though.
Going off the draft trade value chart were talking a 1st + 2nd, and maybe a middle round pick to sweeten the pot if we traded down with san fran
While I agree that Upshaw is not a full tilt upgrade in the pass rush department, I do believe he can be a Mo Lewis type player. 100+ tackles, 6-8 sacks with consistency setting the edge & dropping in coverage. Upshaw has pro bowl potential but more as a complete linebacker than so the explosive edge player this team lacks. The other question about Upshaw is the same as every other prospect from that Bama D.Were they all a beneficiary of each other which raised their level of play or can they stand out with different personnel & better competition? I think Ingram is the better pass rusher. If he can't get penetration he'll still find a way to collapse the pocket...inside and on the edge. Problem is, from what I've seen he's not as well rounded as Upshaw.
Yes, there is a risk involved. Striving for greatness always involves risk. It isn't achieved by taking the "safe" route. That's why so few people or teams achieve greatness. Fear holds them back. You guys could be right about Upshaw and I could be wrong. If so, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. I guess we'll get a chance to see what Rex, Tanny, and the Jets' Scouting Dept. thinks about him, because unless someone trades up ahead of the Jets, or some 4-3 team decides they want him as a DE, it looks like he should be there at #16. If the Jets do take him, I totally hope you guys are right and I am wrong.
To begin with, they're not gonna have "nobody" to play OLB. Pace will still be there and be his mediocre self. Westermann will probably be back. The Jets could always bring Thomas back too. That said, the things you said are why I think the Jets should double dip at OLB. Take one in the first, then again somewhere in the 2nd - 6th round. There are decent prospects that are slated to be drafted in about every round. There are always surprises...players from small schools or who were underachievers in college, but get on an NFL team and their talent begins to show through. Achieving greatness and finally being able to win a SB is definitely worth it to me. Just being in the hunt for a playoff spot every year may be exciting, but it's like a diet of only desserts, not very satisfying or good for long.
Yep. All the more reason to double dip this year. There may not be many good OLB prospects next year, or the Jets may not be in a position to draft one of them without another Tanny trade up. Also, some players take some time to develop. If they could find their next two starting OLBs in this draft it would be awesome. I could definitely live with Upshaw if they got Irvin in the 3rd and maybe even another OLB prospect in the 5th or 6th.
There is risk involved in any draft pick. The problem stems from when you swing for the fences too often and com up short. I'd rather take a very safe, very well rounded guy like Upshaw in round one. It should (not would, but should) be a very productive pick and a very good player for a very long time. In round 2, 3, or 4 go back and swinging for the fences for a OLB prospect that needs a lot of work after that. If you trule want to strive for greatness, we should be looking at floyd or Jeffery who have the talents to be Elite, but red flags that are draging them down. With our Cap situation we need production out of our 1st this season. We are drafting too high and have too many holes for a maybe player at 16. We need a day one starter type of guy. Upshaw would not only start, but I see him at worst as no drop off from Thomas. At his celling as good against the run and a better pass rusher. Thats for year one with room to grow as he leanrs the NFL game.
By all means we can double dip. As of right now, with projected comp picks we are looknig at 11 picks. We can easily spend a mid rounder on anotehr OLB becasue both our starters are on thier way out the door in the next couple of years.
We do need WRs/Safeties/OL/TE pretty damn bad. Cant be committing our entire draft to just one position. Plus I suppose its possible for us to nab a big time free agent OLB once the 2014 increased caps come about
