You should ask yourself why teams are willing to pay guards 8 mill a season nowadays... maybe they do more than you give them credit for. To have excellent pass pro (which you need if you have an aging QB ala P. Manning) or to estabilsh a ground game (which you want to do with a guy like say Chris Johnson) it makes sense to invest in a G. Over the next two years our QB will either be injury-prone Garrard, almost shell-shocked Sanchez or a rookie... in all of these scenarios I want excellent pass pro. We also have a HC that likes the ground game, so it makes even more sense to invest on the OL. I think this whole argument of where you can and can't draft a guy is bullshit (except K and P). All that matters is: will he contribute or will he ultimately be a bust? This is even more true in today's NFL where top 10 contracts are reasonable.
I see both sides of this argument. On one hand..when the Jets have invested in the OL early it has typically worked out. Additionally, when the Jets have had an elite level OL...winning has followed them.Both Warmack AND Cooper are elite level gard prospects. I don't think Cooper's rising is a supply/demand situation...he has elite qualities for the guard position.Either Warmack or Cooper would be safe & would instantly upgrade the roster. That said, I do think there is a segment of Jet fans that go alittle too crazy w/ the OL stuff. The position's overall impact has decreased over the last couple year's as the running game becomes less important & passing game enters the forefront. Additionally, picking Ol kind of sends the wrong message. The Jets issue for a number of year's has been lack of impactful playmakers.What kind of message does it send if the team has their first top 10 pick in 5 years & they spend it on an interior linemen?
This site does an excellent job of illustrating where teams are spending money. Few teams are paying guards as you suggest they are/should. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/interactive/2013/jan/30/nfl-salaries-team-position
That certainly is interesting, and i didn't know that. 9 does seem a bit high, but its not out of the question in my opinion. I'm still of the mind set that you build a solid foundation on O in the trenches and at QB. 13 would be a bit more palatable, but i wouldn't complain either way as long as the FO sticks to BPA.
