As Dirty Harry Callahan once said, "opinions are like assholes, everybody has one and they all stink.". Well here is my stinky opinion for the Jets 2012 draft. *** Jets trade #16 (1000pts) and #176 (Rd 6, 21pts) to the Houston Texans for #26 (700pts) and #58 (Rd 2, 320pts).* This only happens if Ingram and T.Rich are off the board.* Houston moves up to get Michael Floyd. Rd1(26) Dont'a High tower, LB, Alabama. This guy fits the mold of beast with high football IQ, natural instincts and scheme diversity.* He and hitman Harris will make the best ILB duo in the NFL.* On passing downs he can slide out side to become a rush OLB. Alternates:* Nick Perry, OLB, USC;* Vinny Curry, OLB, Marshall Rd2(48) Andre Branch, OLB, Clemson Good size and speed combo to get to the QB. We'll buy one more year with Bryan Thomas and use Branch situationally at first. Rd2(58) Brandon Washington, OG, Miami Has good size and plays with a mean streak that we need on our line, now more so since we are moving to man blocking from zone.* Rd3(80) Trumaine Johnson, FS, Montana He will be a safety in the NFL and his size/speed combo will be put to the test by the likes of Gronk.* Rd4(112) Tommy Streeter, WR, Miami Here's a guy who stands 6'5", 219lbs, and ran a 4.4 at the combine (there were pre-combine rumors he would run a 4.3). Let's give him a shot. Rd5(144) Brandon Hardin, FS, Oregon St Here's my diamond in the rough. They guy is 6'3" 216lbs, runs a 4.4, and hits like Ike Turner. He missed his entire Sr year with a shoulder injury but really impressed at his pro day last week (Jets were there). He put up 25 reps on the bench so it looks like the shoulder is ok. Rd7(208) Levy Adcock, OL, Ok St Here's a massive dude at 6'5" 322 lbs who has played OT but will probably be an OG in the NFL (if he makes it). ats_suck:
I like it, mostly because a few of the players on there I really do like. Hightower is a very good player and will have a superb career, and Washington/Streeter both have a ton of potential. I'd take Brandon Hardin all day, and I didn't think Adcock deserved the massive plummet of draft stock that he's seen. On top of that, Trumaine Johnson is a guy I like having in my mocks, and I think he'll be a really nice safety convert option. Branch sucks* That said, if they deal down I'd prefer Curry late 1, then go best available of the OL/WR/S prospects with my 2nds. ILB is a need, but I really think one can be found later on to be a competent starter. If we get Hightower I don't think they'd opt for another LB until later as a developmental guy.
Not a fan of ILB with our first pick. The NFL is a passing league. Offensively, if we want to do ground and pound, that's fine, we can do whatever we want, but if most of the top teams in the NFL are going to be pass-first, our defense needs to be able to defend against that. One of our issues lately is we've had too much invested in the ILB position. Between Harris and Scott, we probably pay our ILBs more than any other team in the NFL. As we saw last year, ILB is probably the first position to be thinned out when we want to play with extra defensive backs. Scott got less snaps as the season wore on partly due to his play but more because Rex loves to play with a ton of defensive backs. Making another huge investment in the same position to me is dumb. I'd be very annoyed if we took Hightower round 1, and I like Hightower as a player. We don't need another ILB. We can live with Mauga and Scott for another year. Give me a pass rusher who can get after the QB. Get me a receiver who can be a true deep threat that Sanchez can develop a rapport with opposite Holmes. Get me a stud all-around tight end (not sure if there is one). Get me a LG or an RT to keep Sanchez upright. Get me a rangy safety who can play opposite Landry. Hell, get me a runningback who can carry the load and make us a true ground and pound team if that's what they want. Just not another ILB. At least not in round 1. Harris isn't going anywhere, and Mauga/Scott is fine for now. If Scott falls off or Mauga isn't good enough to get the job done, we'll just use Harris as the main ILB and play more coverage. You bring up the possibility of shifting him outside on passing downs. He's got the size, but can he honestly be an answer at OLB if we needed him to be in a pinch?
Id be pretty pumped with that draft. I think Streeter is going to go a lot higher than that considering where Stephen Hill is projected to go. Both safeties are good, dont know how I feel about spending two mid round picks on a safety I can see why people have questions about drafting an ILB in the first round. Hightower is a special player and has versatility, but hes likely going to see most of his time at ILB
I like it, I would not complain if it turned out this way. If I had to tweak anything, I might pick Doug Martin with our 2nd round pick and let Hightower play outside. But overall, very good. Trumaine Johnson would be a nice pick. We need a cover safety now with the addition of Landry. Only thing is, Im not sure he can start day 1 since he is changing position. Brandon Washington would be an awesome pick. His stock is anywhere between the 2nd and 4th, and he would provide great OL depth, competition at RT and a replacement for Moore next year. Hardin could develop on STs, he has all the athletic tools for a starting safety.
I think the bolded last sentence is the whole crux of your argument. While it does seem compelling on the one hand, I think the whole post is pretty well negated if he can play outside effectively. While it's true we decreased the reliance on 2nd ILB with a declining Scott on the roster, replacing with Hightower would totally change that around. You could leave him out there for full series', switching him between inside and outside with different responsibilities and assignments depending on the offense's look and defensive substitutions. We also would actually be decreasing, rather than continuing to increase, our cost at the position at least throughout his rookie contract. As long as we're prepared to double dip at OLB afterwards I don't see why Hightower isn't a viable option. Are you also saying that Kuechly also isn't an option if he's there and Richardson/Perry (or whoever your highest rated OLB is) are gone?
