One of the major problems with this team is the lack of playmakers on offense. We truly dont have one on offense... Jemery Kerley is good and has great hands, but he isnt a threat to take it the distance and change a game really. In my opinion, one of the major goals in this draft has to be to get some actual weapons and playmakers. We simply can not compete, now or in the future, with this type of untalented team. For those of you who want to draft a QB either this year or the following, he is going to need talent around him that can help him win games. In this thread, please name a player who you think qualifies as someone who can change a game on any given play and give a short description of them/why... Ill start- To name an obvious- Tavon Austin. As dynamic as they come. A threat in the return game, passing game and even running game. Can take a screen pass and go for 70 yards, very good receiver with good hands and can even take some handoffs in a Darren Sproles type of role. Would be a great option in the 2nd round and he would add a new element to not only this offense, but the team. http://draftbreakdown.com/players/tavon-austin Gio Bernard- Also may be an obvious one, but he's one of my favorite prospects and most definitely qualifies. About 3 months ago I said this kid could be the best RB in the draft, and sure enough, he is right now. Will draw comparisons to Ray Rice, Doug Martin and even Lesean McCoy in dynamic sense. He is the prototypical NFL runningback of today. He may not be the bruiser that Rex loves, but he sure as hell would add a great dimension to this team that would help any young QB we might look to add. http://draftbreakdown.com/players/giovani-bernard Markus Wheaton- WR for Oregon St. Electrifying speed and surprisingly great hands for someone with the speed of an "athlete". He is a hands catcher... We drafted someone in the 2nd round last year, who isnt. It makes you realize how important that really is... I mean he is a receiver, he has to be able to catch. Well Wheaton can, and once he has it he can take it all the way. He can get separation on just about anyone and can catch the ball away from his body. Would be a great target in the 3rd round. http://draftbreakdown.com/players/markus-wheaton Zach Ertz- A definite playmaker at the TE position. Built in the mold of a Jimmy Graham... Needs to improve on his blocking, but is elite in terms of receiving skill and is great at going up in the air and making a play on the ball. WIth Keller likely gone, TE is a position that could be addressed, and he should be atop the list. Could become that great security blanket for our franchise QB. http://draftbreakdown.com/players/zach-ertz Ace Sanders- One of the funnest players to watch. Its hard to describe in words his elusiveness and ability to make people miss and make plays. He is a phenomenal return man and has HUGE upside in the slot. I know we have Kerley, but he is definitely worth a look in the mid to later rounds if he declares. Im sure many of you have seen some of his highlight returns... But if you havent, its a must see.
Wheaton is one of my favorite receivers in the class. if we could get him or Patton in the 3/4 I would love it. Gio should be mandatory for the second for us, but if not Ball, Taylor, Lattimore all will do.
Awesome list. It would be great if we were able to snag both Gio and Austin in the 1st and 2nd rounds. Doubt it tho.
We got Stephen Hill last draft, so I don't see us drafting a WR early. Play-makers I want to see on the Jets have to come from the RB position in this draft. Gio Bernard or Stepfan Taylor. Depending on the draft board. Wouldn't mind having another UNC baller on this squad.
Montee Ball-RB Wisconsin- This guy has the complete package. 5'11 212lbs of pure beast...1800+ this year and 1900+ last year over 50 touchdowns between the 2 seasons...I cant say enought about this guy. Ball is a workhorse and seems to be durable something everyone looks for in the nfl. strong runner between the tackels, good lateral quickness, hits the hole hard, and breaks tackles. His resume speaks for itself. This is who i would take at 9 if hes there. I was just reading that he's not projected in the top 10 so maybe we can get him in the second, but i dont know if it would be worth risking. Maybe trade down and get another pick plus Ball.
He might not be on the offensive side of the ball, but Tyrann Mathieu is the ultimate playmaker on defense and special teams.
Tavarres King -- WR -- Georgia King is a burner (4.4 40) who averaged 22 ypc. He's probably a 4th-5th rounder. Needs more work on his route running but has the size and speed to be a playmaker at the pro-level.
If we could snag Giovanni Bernard in the 2nd I would be pleased, I really hope we trade down and get another 2nd, and Denard Robinson would be an awesome player to go over, I was crazy in love with Brad Smith and I want to properly replace with a similar if not better athlete, if we could get him in the 5th (say with the pick we get for Tebow) I would be jumping for joy
Some wideouts: Stedman Bailey Tavyon Austin Alec Lemon RB's: K Barner I like what these 4 kids bring to the table
Wheaton is quickly becoming one of my favorites as well. Love what he brings to the table. I agree on both him and Patton, would love either one in the 3rd or 4th. He can qualify as a playmaker, but Im just not sure about his future in the NFL... I could see him as a Dexter McCluster type player which is certainly not bad. I like Justin Hunter, would be great in 2nd if he fell that far (although I highly doubt it). Our 1st round pick is too high for him though. As for Woods, I am not a fan at all. He seems more like an athlete than football player. He is not a hands catcher... I watched about 6 of his games recently and about 90% of his catches we against his body. I want hands catchers on this team. Give me Wheaton any day over Woods- Wheaton is faster, more electric and has a lot better hands. As a side note, Ill be trying to update the original post with more players.
I really like Bailey and Austin. Both are football players... not just athletes. Bailey has a little Steve Smith in him IMO. And as for Barner, I question his ability at the next level. He always bounces things to the sidelines and is only a change of pace back. He has great straight line speed but Im not sure about his wiggle and vision as a runner.
Would anyone be opposed to drafting Gio in the 1st if we traded down far enough to pick up an extra 2nd? That would still allow us to address OL and OLB in the 2nd... where there should be some solid players available at those positions.
Another WR worth considering if we want a play maker in the second round is DeAndre Hopkins. He's a model kid too. Even Leon Hess would approve of Nuk. He hasn't declared yet, but he had a monster season and Clemson is loaded with WRs. I fully expect him to declare shortly.
I would. I think we need a pass rusher and offensive linemen more. No doubt Gio is a talent, but I just think we need to have holes for any RB to hit first. If we have a shot at Jones, Werner or Moore (and most every mock I've read has one of the three available at 9), I think we have to grab the OLB. If not trade down and grab OL. In the second I want the an OL (would love the kid from Baylor) even if we took one in the first. In the third, Eddie Lacy would look good.
Everyone knows how well Gio can run the ball (6.7 yards/carry), but he also has 47 receptions for 490 yards (5th most by a RB) and 5 touchdowns. He also returns punts and averaged 16 yards/return and 2 tds. I don't know if he would punt return in the NFL, but he would be an improvement over the NFL fair catch season record holder, Jeremy Kerley.
He's that prototypical RB now... A good NFL back has to be able to play all three downs and he can without question do that. I wouldnt want him playing STs unless we need a score... He would be too valuable to the offense to risk.
I really like Justin Hunter as a WR, I see him as an excellent play maker, but he's too much of a reach at No. 9. If we traded back into the 20's, I could see us taking him. I doubt he lasts until our second round pick, so the only way he's an option for us is with a trade back. A mid to late round guy that I like is Corey Fuller. He's a walk on at V-Tech, after running track at Kansas, so he's a burner. Has good size at 6'2, and has improved a lot this year. I think he's a good size/speed guy to take later in the draft and could surprise some people. I expect him to burn it up at the combine and possibly move way up, so he might not be much of a sleeper by the time the draft rolls around. As a Michigan fan, I wouldn't get excited about Denard Robinson. He's a terrible QB. And without the threat of passing, I don't think he's all that dynamic of a runner. I could see a team taking a shot at him in the last round or something, and just hope to have him as a backup WR/Wildcat option. But Denard Robinson, out of a Rich Rodriguez offense, isn't anything special at all. I actually dreaded seeing him throw on a lot of occasions.