I like Benjamin a lot. I just said I wouldn't take him at 18 overall. If we were to trade down in the first, I would take him then. I just think at 18 there is more value for us to draft.
I like the Jordan pick in the 2nd round, he's my favorite choice for a 1st or 2nd round WR. My favorite choice for a 3-4th round WR is Moncrief. (though he may move up in to 2nd round territory before all is said and done.). To me if the Jets can trade down once in the first to pick up a 2nd round pick they almost have to do it. too much depth at WR to take a WR at #18 unless Watkins is still on the boards
I hate when guys cry for a WR or TE in the 1st Round just because Would you trade Richardson or Milliner for Patterson, Woods, Hopkins or Hunter I dont think so If a top notch weapon isn't there you dont reach, you take the best talent that fits for your team if thats Dee Ford, Calvin Pryor or someone who falls like Anthony Barr or Khalil Mack you take them because you dont always have to find weapons in the 1st Round
Eric Ebron is a top-5 player in this draft, IMO. If Barr is there, I'd take him before Ebron. I easily take Ebron over Ford or Pryor. Mack is tougher, but I think I go with Ebron in the end.
Dee Ford. 6'2 240lbs. He'd be a part time player and I think you want more from the 18th pick. Reminds me of Maybin
Almost 100% of the "expert" projections i have seen involve WR, TE and QB. So of course we will not draft any of those. OLB might just be where we go ... and how could you not be in love with Dee Ford.
That's not really a fair comparison as this WR class is projected to be much better than last year's, there are probably some second and even third round guys that project higher than late first round or second round guys from last year. Especially at the high end (i.e. Watkins/Lee/Evans) and Ebron appears to be among that new breed of elite TEs that are so important in the game right now. The reason people, including myself, "cry" for a WR or TE is because it's clearly our biggest area of need. I'm not saying reach to draft a WR or TE just for the sake of drafting one but if there is a WR or TE that is projected to go around the spot where we would be picking and they are available it would seem kind of silly to pass by a high end prospect at our biggest area of need to add another defensive player which is our biggest area of strength (given that OLB/FS is the weakest aspect of our defense). And I'm by no means discounting the importance of the defense, my fav players the last few years have been Revis and Mo Wilk, but what's the point of having an amazing defense and having an offense that is lucky to get a first down every quarter? I'd rather have a similar defense to what we had this year but and offense that doesn't rank among the last in the league. If that requires us spending a first round pick on a WR/TE then so be it.
I think the Jets would be hard pressed to let Dee Ford go by them at 18 .... i just can't see it happen. Then again i don't think there is a shot in hell he gets out of the top 10, but that is besides the point.
Cool your jets, no one has said anything about reaching. We've just stated our preferences and where we think the biggest needs are. Of course we want BPA to align with those needs, but there does eventually come a point where BPA isn't always the best choice. The best way to build teams is through the draft. If you're drafting a DT every year because he's the BPA and not addressing other needs, it's gonna hurt the team. Only so many DTs can play at one time. Richardson was an awesome pick, but they better not take another DT in the 1st round this year. That would be counterproductive and stupid. If Aaron Donald is sitting there in the 3rd round, fine, he'd be too great a value to pass up for a WR/TE or whatever. Often times players at different positions have roughly identical grades, then because some positions are more important than others, or because a player is perhaps a better fit, or better addresses a need, they should be the one drafted and not just the one who may have a grade a few hundredths of a point higher. That's just blindly following some principle or guideline without using one's brain.
If anything, he'd only be a part time player in the beginning. This guy should develop into a very, very good OLB. You don't draft players for the first few games of their rookie season. You draft them for their career potential. Ford's size is the prototypical size for OLBs in NFL 3-4 D alignments. Just because Rex foolishly wants his OLBs to be 260 lbs. doesn't mean that's what they should be or that Ford would only be a part-time player his whole career. Maybe Rex will wake up one of these days and realize that the reason his OLBs can't get any consistent pressure on opposing QBs is because they're too heavy and don't have the speed to get there. It's not rocket science.
I disagree that Ebron is a top 5 player. I think he's a top 20, but that's it. I think you have to look at the potential impact of positions and the individual players' talents. I might still take Ebron, but I'd have a very hard time taking him over Ford or Pryor. One doesn't have to have an elite TE. IMO, that's strictly a luxury. Look at what guys like Dallas Clark have done over the years. Yes, an elite TE can be a weapon, but I think more important for the TE position is blocking ability and being a reliable safety valve and red zone threat, not stretching the middle of the field. That's why you have at least 3 quality WRs. Adding Ford could take this D from a very good one to an elite one. If Pryor is anywhere near as good as I think he is, then he could also elevate the play of the D a lot. I'd much rather add Ford, Barr, Mack, or Pryor and Fiedorowicz, Marcel Jensen, or the Crockett kid, than Ebron and some low-level OLB or FS prospect because I think that would have the biggest and best impact on the team's performance.
I agree that an elite OLB is worth more than an elite TE. I disagree that Ford or Pryor are anywhere near the prospects that Ebron are. Ford had a great national championship game. I don't like Ford as much as most. Pryor I really like a lot. In fact, he's my pick in my most recent mock, but that's because Ebron goes in the top 15. Mack is really close IMO to Ebron. I think Ebron is a slightly better prospect than Mack, but OLB is more important than TE. If we don't sign a UFA OLB, I probably go Mack.
Let me voice my opinion of this debate going on about WR, TE, OLB in Rd 1. First, we have to temper everything to see how our Free Agency period develops. It's great to say what our exact needs will be now, but things will get clearer next month after the Combine and Free Agency. I've always believed in drafting the BPA in Rd 1 with a touch of common sense. Idzik pulled this off very well last year selecting Richardson who was their 4th player ranked on their board. I have no issue drafting Barr, Mack & Ford if they're the BPA. You aren't going to find the quality of these 3 Linebackers later in the draft. On the offensive side, some people are selling Ebron short, he's an elite talent and incredible athlete. I'm even at the point I'd draft Ebron ahead of Mike Evans, that's how special I believe in Ebron's NFL career. I'm not as high on spending a Rd 1 pick on a Wideout with all the other talent at the position with the numerous picks we have next May. The Jets don't need to land a "#1" wideout to help Geno. If the Jets draft a Jarvis Landry and Jared Abbrederis in Rd 2 & 3 they just made a huge upgrade to their offense. While everyone likes debating what the Jets should do, I think we need to look at the entire picture and the other varibles in play.
It was Manziel, and it was a couple of weeks ago. Off the top of my head I can't remember which site it was on. I look at all of them I can find ussually. As an aside, I do have to amend my statement as I see Charles Davis has us taking OLB from Ohio State - Ryan Shazier (http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/mock-drafts/charles-davis/175603?pickId=2543486)
First I totally agree with your comments regarding that things could change considerably following the Combine and FA, about using common sense combined with BPA in the 1st round, and your comments regarding the OLBs. Perhaps I am selling Ebron a little short. I know that he is an elite talent and athlete. I just don't think a team's best receiver should be its TE, and I don't think the TE position is nearly as important as the WR or OLB positions. Would I love to see Ebron on the Jets? Most definitely, but not at the expense of an elite WR or OLB, but that's just me. I'm not saying it's the only way to go. I know this is a new day and age, but I'm still a little wary of first round TEs with the Jets. They've never worked out. We even traded up for Keller. Ebron is too much like Keller imo in that he is primarily a receiver, albeit a much better and more explosive one than Keller. I also know that Ebron can improve on his blocking, but I think the Jets' TE should be equally adept at blocking and receiving. Ebron isn't and may never be. He may not have the mindset for it or may not be willing to work that hard at blocking. You do have a point, and it's one that I've made in this and other threads that the Jets don't have to take a WR in the 1st round. They could get two excellent WR prospects in rounds 2 & 3 and maybe even in rounds 3 & 4. One of the lower round WRs could also prove to be a better WR than anyone the Jets take high. Look at SD's Keenan Allen. I just want the Jets to make the right picks, the ones that will greatly improve the team and help make it a true contender for the VLT. I'm hoping that Idzik learned a LOT from Schneider!!!
Nice job Q-Ducking. -Mack (OLB, UBuff.) -Barr (OLB, UCLA -Ebron (TE, UNC) -Ford (OLB, Auburn) Assuming: 1. Mack and Barr aren't around at 18. 2. TB doesn't pull a March "cut & resign" of Revis to turn our comp'd 3rd into a 4th.. 3. The Giants don't snap up Ebron 4. Attachou isn't snapped up before the 3rd... With all that above out of the way, imho I see 2 ways you can approach this and it works off of 2 TE's, Ebron and Fiedorowicz: 1. You can go 'defense' first, picking Dee Ford and then grabbing 2 WRs with the 2nd and 3a. pick and then grabbing your TE Fiedorowicz (Iowa) with the 3b. pick. With that you'll have your pass-rushing outside LB, a pair of WRs from a deep WR draft, AND while you may not get the "wow!" TE Ebron, you still get a big, solid, soft-handed TE in Fiedorowicz whom you may not have a shot at should you go elsewhere with your 3b. pick (e.g. Loston, LSU) and gamble that Fiedorowicz will be there in round 4. 2. Or you can go 'offense' first, grabbinig a walking, talking mismatch in Ebron with the#18th pick, then grabbing 2 WRs with the 2nd and 3a. pick hoping Jeremiah Attachou (OLB, Ga.Tech) is still there at 3b, or vice-versa with that 3a/3b combo (i.e. Attachou w/3a, WR w/3b) and then decide what BPA you want to grab in round 4. Bottom line: I think Ebron's a little more of a sure fire "omg!" problem for an opposing coordinator. If the Jets were going to put Ebron out there alone then it's not as big a problem dealing with him, but if you pad the offense with a pair of WRs from this receiver-rich draft you've got yourself the makings of a nice "push the safeties back" aerial complement to the Ivory/Powell rushing tandem (again assuming Attachou as a Ford-worthy replacement is still there in the 3rd). This can all get blown up if e.g., the Giants feel that their lousy OL last year had more to do with injuries along with Pugh's late-season progress and chose to grab Ebron, or, Attachou's nabbed before the 3rd. Both are quite possible scenarios. Some other positions you mentioned: OG: Yankey (Stanford) you had in the 3rd, I see him gone before that along with Su-a-Filo (UCLA) and Gabe Jackson (Miss. St.). Don't know who you want after that (Zack Fulton-TN, Trai Turner-LSU, Joel Britonio-NV, Kadeem Edwards-Ga.So.). ST: I look at Kerby Van Der Camp (P-Iowa St) and one thing jumps out: his numbers have shrunk every single year, and in 2013 alone they shrunk as well as the season wore down. I'd look at Hornsby (Memphis), O'Donnell (Miami) and definitely Cody Mandell (Ala.). Again, nice job Q-Duck.
