Guilty. I had no idea he ever played FS. Every game I've seen he lines up predominantly in the box. If he can indeed play FS, then I have no issues with the Jets selecting him.
With a new "best pass rusher" seemingly emerging every week but no "can't miss/ sure thing" prospect, would it be in the Jets best interest to go BPA (maybe Baron or Decastro if there) in the 1st round and wait till the 2nd to get their guy? It seems the draft is deep with good but not great passrushers.Or what if we go inside out with Hightower or Kuechly (if available) and an outside guy in the 2nd? All these guys probably won't be gone by 47 right? Mercilus Upshaw Ingram Hightower (some ppl say he can play both ILB and OLB) Perry Coples Branch Jones Lewis McClellin Curry
When you can get a potentially all pro-guard you draft him...period. OL strength is a very high priority need for us. Upshaw is way over rated and should not be selected at 16th.
I'm thinking the priority list for the Jets that's reasonable goes something like this: (as always this is based on my interpretation of the Jets needs, player value, watching the videos of their play and with the substantial input of the numerous scouting outlets available.) 1. David DeCastro Replace Brandon Moore a year early instead of a year late. Solidify the line in the process. Hope the locker room does not blow up again. DeCastro is not only a great guard prospect, he's also seen as a natural leader. Let the new generation of Jets emerge around Mangold and DeCastro on the offensive side. Plan B would be to convert DeCastro to LG. 2. Riley Reiff Solid RT on the 16 is good value. The Jets really need a RT at this point and they need somebody who could play LT without turning into a disaster if D'Brick goes down. They need more quality linemen period. Letting the line turn into a question mark is what deep sixed the Jets last year. 3. Michael Brockers Great 3-4 DE prospect who could also dominate inside when the Jets go with 4 guys with their hands on the ground. Brockers is probably the person most likely to drop into the mid-teens and turn into a dominating player at the NFL level. He's Haloti Ngata level talent. 4. Trade Down Nobody who is left after those 3 is worth the 16 pick to the Jets. Taking Upshaw there after many of the talking heads have trashed him is just begging for trouble. He may or may not be worth the pick but if he busts he'll turn the Jets into the Cleveland Browns in record time. If the Jets want him they should trade down, get some more value out of the draft and hedge their bet on him some. Same for Floyd. A team without locker room issues probably could integrate Floyd pretty well but it will be a nightmare for the Jets to navigate that path. 5. Jonathan Martin Have to fill that RT slot somehow and on the 20 or so Martin would be good value. He'd also be able to switch over to the LT position if needed. I'm heavy on the offensive line for the Jets because nothing else will matter as much to their chances to re-open the Super Bowl window over the next year or two. It's also a part of the team that will survive a regime change without degrading significantly in value unlike 3-4 players who may become much less valuable as they did in 2001 and as 4-3 players did in 2006. 6. Dont'a Hightower Great ILB and probably will be a good ROLB for a year or two first. Has more upside than anybody else the Jets could pick in the early 20's. Has Ed Reed potential. Same role as the best playmaker on a great college defense over a period of years. 7. Mark Barron SS who will come right in and play. Hard-hitting physical play style. Guesses a lot in run support and racks up TFL's when he is right. Not a great cover safety lacking fluidity and a bit stiff against quick receivers in the break. Good at jamming the slot receiver but you don't want him to cover them down the field. 8. Andre Branch Will be a two-way ROLB from the get-go despite playing DE at Clemson. Not an explosive pass rusher, lacking some in strength but with good speed. Will be a better pass rusher when he tacks on ten pounds and gets some good coaching. Branch is very much like a young Bryan Thomas only he won't be miscast as a 4-3 DE for his early years the way Thomas was. Very sound pick in the mid 20's. Much better than Upshaw on the 16. 9. Peter Konz Another really solid offensive lineman who has strong leadership qualities. Would play LG and likely be a star right off the bat. He'd fit right into the Jets Ground and Pound as a punishing run-blocker who pulled a lot from center at Wisconsin. Would be Mangold's backup and replacement if we lost him to injury. This is my pet pick in the draft. 6'5" 314 is big for a center and he'd be a fine LG for a few years before moving into the center. Would take him anywhere from 25 on out. The Jets need to use this draft to get great players. They haven't caught up to the Pats using the old strategy of signing free agents and trading for vets and the Bills and Dolphins are catching up to them.
doubt the jets go decastro. reason being, in 4 years when he's up for a new contract he's going to want to be paid LT money and the jets simply can't pay three of there highest players on one side of the line. the kid Glenn who could play multiple positions is more realistic yet i doubt we go there either. i wouldn't be surprised by a richardson trade up.....
The ONLY offensive lineman I see us even considering at 16 is DeCastro. I truly dont think we should expect an early offensive lineman to be taken. The front office is giving signs that they are hoping Ducasse can step up this year. Brockers is the most overrated player in this draft. Hands down. Honestly I would rather us take Barron at 16 simply because of need (and I hate Barron at 16). He does not have elite athleticism, he just has length. He claims he was double teamed every single play, but he wasn’t. He wasnt even close to the best DLman on that line. He does not have great passrush ability that everybody says he has and he doesnt fit well as a 3-4 end. His best position is a 4-3 DT. I honestly think Mo Wilk was a better prospect and we got him at 29. I hope some team (Dallas) is dumb enough to reach on him just so some other, better player falls. I dont think we should pass up on Floyd if he’s there... And Im assuming you dont think Ingram will be there? Because he could be there (which is around where he should be drafted). I agree though that trading down should be highly considered if certain prospects arent there (Ingram, Floyd or DeCastro for me). We could end up with a very solid prospect and another 2nd or 3rd.
IF our front office believes Cordy Glenn can be an All-Pro RT, then I could see us taking him. He has the same upside as DeCastro as an OG if he fails at OT imo, but he has impressive lateral quickness and could end up being a stud on the right side. I'd rather target a right tackle in the 3rd/4th (Bobby Massie, Brandon Mosley) and look at WR and OLB in the 1st two rounds.
