What are thoughts on picking up Ronnell Lewis in the 2nd or 3rd? He's a phenomenal athlete with natural pass rush skills that possibly hasn't peaked yet.
I still dont understand why shy away from possible elite LB's who can set the edge in the first by not trading up they will be there Donta Hightower FTW
Guys who appear to have all the skills needed to play OLB/ILB in the NFL in a 3-4 based on playing LB in college: 1. Dont'a Hightower (ILB/OLB) - No issues. 2. Shea McLellin (OLB) - No issues. 3. Ronell Lewis (OLB/ILB) - No issues. Guys who played mostly DE but will transition to a 3-4 OLB or ILB fairly well: 1. Melvin Ingram (OLB/ILB) - Short for OLB. 2. Courtney Upshaw (OLB/ILB) - No issues. 3. Andre Branch (OLB) - No issues. 4. Vinny Curry (OLB) - No issues. 5. Whitney Mercilus (OLB) - One year worth the pick so far. Guys being talked up as 3-4 rush linebackers but who who will be better at 4-3 DE: 1. Quinton Coples - Natural 4-3 DE. 2. Nick Perry (OLB) - Stiff, better fit as a 4-3 DE. Undersized guys who played LB in college and might be able to play in a 3-4 in the NFL: 1. Luke Kuechly (ILB) - No issues. 2. Mychal Kendricks (OLB) - Short, just like Elvis Dumervil... 3. Lavonte David (ILB) - Needs to add bulk to play in a 3-4. 4. Zach Brown (OLB) - Workout warrior alert.
Yea, I think there's about 90%to chance we go olb with 1st pick in some form or fashion but Lewis intrigues me. If he's there in the 3rd I would have no problem doubling up.
I think you should add Jake Bequette to your list as a DE who could switch to OLB. He has great size (6'5" 274lbs) and athleticism and will probably be available in the 4th. His combine #'s compare favorably to Ingram: Ingram / Bequette 4.79 / 4.82 --> 40 yd dash 28 / DNP --> bench (Bequette injured his pectoral and did not bench) 34.5 / 34.0 --> veritcal 6.83 / 6.90 --> 3-cone 4.18 / 4.07 --> 20-yd shuttle 9'1" / 9'5" --> broad jump Arkansas Pro day: Bequette worked out extensively at linebacker during drills once again for scouts, saying he was a “little surprised” how much work he received at the position. Bequette — who played linebacker during the Senior Bowl — said teams that play a 3-4 defense view him as an outside linebacker, while 4-3 teams view him as a defensive end. “It’s a little bit awkward,” Bequette said of his linebacker work. “I’m still working on it, still getting better. It’s something I didn’t really do full-time at Arkansas and if I want to do that in the NFL I’ve got to get much better at it.” - Robbie Neiswanger, Arkansas News Bureau In 2011, he was a first team All-SEC selection after posting 10 sacks in 10 starts.
I stayed with guys who are unarguably 2nd round quality or better although they might slip to the 3rd. Bequette looks good, he's just not in that class.
Assuming the Jets resolve the RT issue with a late pickup in free agency in June I would have no problem at all with them doubling up on LB in the first 3 rounds. Particularly if they managed a trade down in the 1st round in the process. Getting one of Hightower/Upshaw on the 19/20 or Branch/McLellin in the mid to late 20's and then picking up Curry/Lewis in the mid 2nd would be a good upgrade of an aging LB corps. Then you have a potential for Pace/Harris/Hightower/Curry as the LB's next season as an example and that's the kind of group you want to backbone a 3-4.
Lewis is a good player and he shows skills at ILB and OLB, Awesome tackler, very good motor. He's crap in coverage. He could be a pass rusher at OLB but probably best served as a ILB.
Can any of the outside linebackers actually drop back into coverage? This is the biggest joke that people somehow think 3-4 OLB's are dropping into man coverage. When was the last time Suggs/Ware/Woodley were one on one against a tight end? Never.
we really need 2 LB's from this draft. its pretty deep with decent talent so imo there is no excuse. we all would prefer early round picks to pair up with david harris. i would love to see him work with a stud along the inside and outside. i think the jets have a great opp to reload the LB core for the next few years at least - at least while harris is under contract. aside from revis he is ur best defensive player so why not build around him. its a very intriguing draft and if the jets decide to go another way such as OL or even WR, u cant really argue too much, cause they are positions of need as well. i do think the 1 position on the team that can benefit most from this draft is LB. thats where the most bang for the buck is. we sorely need perimeter speed as well as a pass rush. u can argue that a dicastro can take the OL to another level and floyd can open the passing game but for me it still starts and ends with defense.
I think they will try and get two linebackers and a safety in the first three rounds if possible. Obviously they should still take the BPA as opposed to taking someone 10 spots down the board that fills a need. I like the idea of trading down a few picks and taking hightower in the first round. I think you have to stay in front of the Steelers/Ravens but trading down 4 or 5 picks should get them an extra third round pick that could potentially get them a good WR prospect. I don't think anyone like Hightower will be available later in the draft. In the second round I would focus on getting a pass rusher. I don't really see any ideal pass rusher in the first round. I like Upshaw but I don't consider him a dynamic pass rusher. He will be great against the run and get some pressure but I don't think he will consistently pressure the qb. Ingram has very small arms/torso. This is just a huge red flag if anyone expects him to beat NFL tackles one on one. I think think in the 2nd round you focus on someone like Chandler Jones, Cam Johnson, Vinny Curry, Bruce Irvin and McClellin. If they really like one of these guys they could use the extra third round pick and move up in the 2nd round. This is probably the ideal situation since they really need to upgrade the linebacker position.
Last Year we solidified the D-Line this year it has to be LB's, I'm with guys saying trade back grab Hightower and then a developmental OLB(Chandler Jones if he falls out of the 1st Round would be ideal, if not Vinny Curry, Bruce Irvin or Cam Johnson) Then in 2013 when the secondary class is DEEP and we can grab another corner and safety and then BOOM we can really see what type of defense Rex wants to run with all his personnel
The nonsense that some posters unleash on the world is astounding. There is a lot of tremendously uneducated commentary around here from some people that have no clue what they're talking about. I really hope that the masses know who these people are and ignore them. Lewis is a long way off from being a stand up rush LB, he's not physically built for it and is very limited in terms of passrush ability. He can get after it a little bit, but only when the situation is perfect. OLB in an aggressive scheme or as an ILB in a 34 that allows him to crash gaps will be his best bet.
I like the idea of Hightower in the 1st and Bruce Irvin/Vinny Curry/Olivier Vernon in the 3rd. I potentially like going OLB in 1st and ILB in 3rd even better. Getting Ingram/Upshaw at OLB and getting Nigel Bradham at ILB is a superior combo imo. Big fan of Bradham's current ability and bigger fan of his potential, didn't get coached up very well at FSU. 1) Melvin Ingram, OLB 2) Bobby Massie, RT or Harrison Smith, S or WR if available (Randle/Jeffery) 3) Nigel Bradham, ILB 4) Marvin McNutt, WR or Janzen Jackson, S if we go WR in Round 2 That would be a serious coup.
I don't think Irvin or Curry would be there in the 3rd. TANK CARDER gentlemen. If the Jets go OLB in the 1st, then Carder could be the pick in the 5th. He will play like a young Bart Scott.
^^ Agreed. Good straight ahead gap blaster and enough speed to chase from the backside but turning & dipping around the edge is another story. 5 sacks at best? Jets have several positions to address and this draft alone won't get it done. I'm only hoping they don't try and swing for the fence with some pass rush sexy but risky pick such as Coples. And "if we don't go OLB in the 1st" (e.g. Upshaw), with the #16 pick I'd be content grabbing a starter-ready Mark Barron even if safety's not a preminum position per se and go from there. Give me a solid, steady draft that yields 'numbers' to help fill the gaps. 'Numbers' in the form of singles and doubles - forget the home run. jm2cnts.
