"The bottom line is that if the Jets don't come out of this draft with two very good OLB prospects, then Tanny and the entire scouting dept. should be fired if not fired upon. " poster, joeklecko great line. after last year, they are currently due for that.
If good WRs are available in every draft we would be wise not to rush in and take one this year if we can fill a hole at another position that isn't available every year. Looking at the Walter Football mock draft I only see two WR between picks 16 and 32. They have one player at 18 and another at 26. Given a 2-3 year timeframe to fix our team, are either of these guys the best choice? With Holmes and Kerley under contract, wouldn't we be better off getting a day two guy or free agent with upside (Meechem or Bryant)? Couldn't we wait until next year? As far as pass rushers go Walter football has Upshaw falling to us at 16. If that happens maybe that would be a good choice for us. Let's say that Upshaw goes at 15, do we take the next best guy that is projected at pick 30, do we trade down only to lose that guy too, or do we pick a player at another position where the value is? Don't get me wrong, we really could use a linebacker or two and a receiver would help this team as well but our needs on offensive line, safety, running back, quarterback (who is our backup again?), interior linebacker, and tight end are equally pressing. The combine starts next week and we will see some holes get fixed in free agency. To fixate on any player or position in the draft is premature at best. My priority would be to fix the offensive line, fill the hole at OLB, and find at least one starting safety this year. Then we can see what Greene (or his replacement) and Sanchez are capable of before we make big decisions on them next year. If we don't go BPA in the draft it will be a long time before we get back to the AFC Championship game.
No, I don't think we should wait until next year to draft a WR. There are a number of guys slated to go in the 3rd or 4th round that I'd be quite happy to add to the roster. Gerrell Robinson is a kid I like a lot. He's tall, fast, good hands and excellent after the catch. A lot of people are high on Marvin McNutt. He doesn't have Robinson's speed, but has the height and supposedly the hands. Other WR prospects I've seen rated as 3rd - 4th round picks are Brian Quick, Juron Criner, Joe Adams, Dwight Jones, Jarius Wright, and Ryan Broyles. There are a lot of FA WRs this year. A lot of teams may decide to sign a FA or two and then not draft a WR. Again, I wouldn't reach for a prospect, but I think the likelihood is pretty high that there could be a good WR prospect sitting there at the Jets' pick in both rounds 3 and 4. With regard to the OLB position, if Upshaw is gone and Ingram is there, I'd take Ingram in a NY minute. If both are gone, I'd try to trade down into the mid 20s. If Perry and Mercilus are both gone, then that means some other good players will have fallen. It would depend on who they were, how the Jets have them rated, vs. what the Jets see as their most glaring needs. They could stay put and nab an Alshon Jeffrey or perhaps an OL. Or a player that another team covets could be sitting there and the Jets could trade down yet again. Don't forget also that with the trade down comes another pick that translates into another player. Even if the Jets had to reach a little to take an OLB (say they were picking at #25 and Curry is rated as top of the 2nd round), that's not much of a "reach" and with the player they'll get from trading down from #16 to #25, that could more than make up for any "reaching" that occurred, or any possible loss of value. While certain players may have a certain draft grade or value, their respective positions may downgrade or upgrade their value according to the Jets' needs. I totally agree that the Jets should not fixate (or fall in love with) any player. IMO that's one of Tanny's most glaring weaknesses. He definitely fixates on players, hence the trade ups to get them. Whether it's just him, or the Scouting Dept. telling him that he has to get that player, it's wrong. There are numerous players that can help a team. As you say, the Combine and I'd add Pro Days will cause players to rise and fall. Hopefully, Tanny will be smart and address at least a couple of needs in FA with mid or even lower tier players so that the Jets don't feel the pressure to have to take a certain player or position, rather than going all in on one big name player and further mortgaging the team's future. I totally agree that the OL must be fixed, that the holes at OLB must be fixed or at least seriously addressed, and that a starting safety must be found. I think the best way to accomplish fixing both the OL and starting Safety is through FA. With 10-11 draft picks, the Jets should be able to think of both the short and long term, take BPA, and still address needs/holes.
This team prides itself on the ground and pound yet is 29th in the league in yards per rush, and because of that our defense struggles having to be on the field so much. If this team concentrates on our best attribute our defense, and doesn't upgrade the offensive line/run game to in turn help our struggling Quarterback our GM deserves to be fired. Do I think getting an upgrade at OLB is a good idea yeah, but this season its more important we get a starting safety and not waste all our cap space on a guy like Kendall Langford and a top notch starting safety while getting OLB in the first two rounds and expecting a first round prospect like Barron to fall to the 3rd its just crazy. All while completely disregarding the need for an upgrade on the offensive line and a complimentary back is not the smartest of ideas.
Slauson was injured last year - depth along the OL should be addressed, but other than starting RT spot, the other four would be just fine. Barron should be dropping, so if Jets can snag him with 2nd, that's another success. I still think Jets should grab another able DL that won't cost much.
The Jets are in an interesting situation this season. I don't think you are in position to do much in FA. But that's just my opinion based on what I've read here. However when its time for your first round pick, you will be in position to get a great prospect at a position of extreme need. You will be able to get one of the top 5 OTs in the draft Or one of the top 2 interior OLmen. A solid OLB prospect like Upshaw should be available, or the top S prospect in Baron will be there for the picking. However I think he's just the best of a weak lot in this draft, and while he lacks high end coverage skills, he is elite in his run support. He'd be a much better pick for the Jets than he would for the Pats, even though both teams are looking hard to upgrade at the S position. The Pats are looking more for a FS, Ed Reed type. I think though for the Jets situation, while it isn't in vogue now, I think the Jets would would get the best value out of that pick by drafting Trent Richardson. Now before you all pull out your hair and cry out, "NO, not ANOTHER RB". Richardson is not just the best RB prospect to come out this draft, he's the best RB prospect to come out since Adrian Peterson. He'd be a perfect fit for what the Jets want their offense to become. And of all the names that have been associated with the Jets, he's the one guy I DON'T want the Pats to have to face, the next 5 years or so. That being said, given Slauson's injury situation and moderate skill level, given Hunters lack of skill, and Moore's age, I would think that the Jets would HAVE to go for one of the low risk OLmen that will be available at your pick. Not very sexy, but very very necessary if you want your offense to be what it should. It wouldn't make a lot of sense that you draft an elite RB to run behind an OL that isn't very good at run blocking
A lot of people would agree with you but it would almost certainly require the jets to trade up which no-one wants to see. In mocks I have seen him going as high as 5 and as low as 11, but nowhere has he fallen to 16.
If any team grabs him with 1st round pick, even better! http://titansized.com/2012/02/07/mark-barrons-injury-to-hurt-his-draft-stock/ If any moron grabs him with 1st round pick, that means someone else has slipped down.
I think that its been common wisdom that effective, if not great RBs (BJGE types)are always available later in the draft or in FA. Next to WR its the most easily replaceable position. Even the best of them have short lifespans. That is what makes it very possible for Richardson to be available for the Jets. The best RB from last season lasted until the end of the first, and he had limited success in one of the best offenses in the league ,while the 2 most effective rookie RBs were taken in the 3rd round, so dispite his talent, I would be surprised to see Richardson taken before the Jets get to pick. In a league where the best offenses have success despite VERY average running attacks, QBs and WRs are more valuable than RBs in most offenses. HOWEVER the Jets have been very public in their desire to go against the grain and be a true run first offense. They also have a QB who is more effective the less he has to throw the ball. So for those reasons, Richardson would have a much higher value to the Jets than almost any other team in the league. Its fortunate that the very nature of the RB position in today's NFL could very well make Trent Richardson available to the Jets when 10 years ago, they'd have had no chance at him. That being said, as a Pats fan, I hope I'm wrong and he goes in the top 10
Interesting perspective. I found the theory about Tannenbaum quite riveting. I don't necessarily disagree that he and the FO "fall in love with one player" , but a few observations that Mike himself might counter with. 1. The past 2 years the Jets have primarily gone BPA and gotten alot more good young prospects than they get credit for.Now it's time for those guys to take the next steps as players 2. Playing the board BPA was the exact philosophy that landed this team Vernon Gholston. The team stayed put at #6 when the drop off in talent was at #5 that year. Staying put isn't always the formula for success. 3.If factual, The philosophy has yielded the team some great players.Revis,Harris, & Keller. Sure Sanchez is a TBD,D rob was a mistake under Bradway, but the formula CAN be successful. I've been preaching "Best player available" for nearly a decade now. But this year I have to speak otherwise b/c when you are rebuilding or far off you draft BPA. However when the roster becomes more established, if it's a strong draft year and you can fill a hole you do so. This team desperately needs another explosive presence on EITHER side of the ball. Someone who can make a play. More specifically they need a Basketball talent with wingspan at WR, a dynamic pass rusher, a coverage safety,and likely an interior linebacker.I believe Tannenbaum will get some "hold the fort" types in free agency, perhaps one impact guy and will go into the draft zeroing in on a couple needs. I'm not so sure he'd be wrong either.This team is not as far off as is perception.
The problem the Jets have right now is that none of their high picks have looked better two years down the road since Revis and maybe Harris in 2007. When your picks look like major suckage two years after you make them you have problems ahead. When you trade up and your picks look like major suckage, well that's close to a disaster. I could change my handle to M4dd3nb4um5ux right now and the odds are pretty good it'd be true in two years time. The Jets don't have a lot of time to fix the problems with their drafts since 2008. Father Time isn't creeping up on them he's barrelling down the path and we'll hit 2005 again really soon if they don't start fixing things.
They sure could use an explosive player on either side, but I think another 2006 type draft where they got 6 contributors is more along the lines of what this team needs right now. You're only as strong as your weakest link. Trading up means you have to ignore weak spots, even if it results in creating a very strong spot.
Well that was before they knew he had a double sport hernia surgery not too long ago. He’ll be lucky if he’s back for training camp.
This is the heart of the issue. If you keep trading up and trading picks for guys who will be gone in 2 years eventually you crap out and then Darrelle Revis winds up playing for a 4-12 team that is going to take some real fixing. Some day we're going to look back on this period as either Woody Johnson's steep learning curve or the thing that drove him out. I'm hoping it's the former.
I totally disagree. The reason the Jets have almost no depth and so many holes is all the trade ups. Why can't you guys see that? Trading up is something you only do once every 5-10 years, and when you do, you should counter that by trading down in a subsequent draft to recoup the pick or picks you gave up. Only a moronic GM would trade up as often as Tanny has. That is NOT the way to build a team that will last. It's a desperate, win now ploy. The window is very small for success, and then you're screwed.
Setting a frequency on trading up is idiotic. You should trade up anytime the value is there. Just like you should trade down anytime the value is there. To think in such closeminded ways is simply foolish
Thanks. I think I have to disagree with point #1. I think the Jets taking Wilson was more about Rex's love for DBs and a knee-jerk reaction to the Colts beating them the year before than it was about BPA. Similarly, there's no way that Ducasse was the BPA in the 2nd round. He might have had the most physical talent, but he was known to be a very raw project. IMO you don't take projects anywhere before the 4th-5th round. A second round pick should be contributing by the end of his rookie season. 2. I agree that staying put isn't always the formula for success. I think slavish adherence to any philosophy gets in the way of success. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. As much as I dislike trading up in general, sometimes it's the right thing to do, as it was with Revis and Harris. At other times, it's best to trade down, and at others it's best to stay put, with the latter usually being the best approach imo. With regard to Gholston, he was the highest-rated player at a glaring position of need. I can understand why they took him, but as much as I wanted a pass rusher, he really concerned me. The fact that he was practically a non-factor in the national championship game vs. Texas showed that he didn't rise to the occasion in big games. The fact that he didn't start playing football until very late was also a concern. I think there may have been enough information that he wasn't in fact the best choice or BPA for the Jets, but that's water under the bridge. 3. Yes, as I said, it can be successful on occasion, but when practiced with regularity it leaves the cupboard bare. You wind up with several very good players (if you don't miss), and a bunch of jags. You wind up with holes and no depth. It's more of a "win now" desperate kind of ploy when you think you're only a player or two short. Where I disagree is obviously on what state the Jets' roster is in. You seem to think that the Jets are a strong team with only a couple of needs. I don't think they are nearly as strong as you do. I see a team with glaring holes at both OLB positions, both S positions, RT, and probably next year at RG and Scott's ILB position. They need a vet backup QB and could use another RB. They have a glaring need for a true #1 WR and a taller TE who is equally adept at receiving and blocking. They need OL depth. Until the last two years, they've been VERY lucky to have not had more injuries than they have. Other teams have seen their OLs decimated with injuries. They need a solid Punter desperately, and could use a better K. It needs greater speed at LB and in the D overall and a couple of additional playmakers to go with Revis. To top it off, it's still in doubt as to whether Sanchez will be their franchise QB. Thus, I think this team needs as many draft picks as it can get this year. Even then, it's not going to be able to adequately address all their holes/needs. With this being a pretty strong and deep draft, with a trade down from #16 to #26 or so, the Jets could pick up an additional 2nd and possibly even more if a coveted player drops and teams compete for that pick/player. In the first two rounds they could wind up with a pass-rushing OLB, WR and S.
