Most draft mocks have us taking either a WR or a TE in the first round because we still need more help in that department and the quality of players available, but I think we might be better off grabbing a cornerback or a free safety (depending on talent available) in the first, and the other in the second, unless the offensive positions are just a lot more talented. My thinking is that if we can grab a quality CB and FS in this draft (and picking them in the early rounds would make this much more probable), we will essentially position our entire defense to be dominant for the next decade. We already have a dominant young defensive line with Wilkerson, Richardson and Harrison up front (and given Idzik's frugal approach to free agency, we should be able to resign all of those guys, unless they go Revis-level greedy), we have two quality young linebackers in Demario Davis and Coples, and two young secondary players who might be keepers in Milliner (who came on very strong at the end of last season) and Antonio Allen, who I think can eventually play very well at strong safety for us. So if we add a quality young corner opposite Milliner, and a rangy free safety, we are talking serious talent all over the field on defense, all of it young. Now, on offense, it's a completely different picture. If we draft a quality WR early, or a TE, or both, can you really guarantee our offense being good in the coming years? I don't think so, there are just too many question marks. We still don't have any idea if Geno is our quarterback of the future, Vick is old and injury prone, a stopgap solution at best, our offensive line has many holes (aging Ferguson and Mangold, terrible Winters last years, the new guy from Seattle, Colon), Chris Johnson is coming off an injury, has played worse as of late, and is getting up there in age as well, and as much as I like the Decker signing, we don't know how he'll play without Peyton Manning. Because of this, I think it's better for us to round out our defense this year, and set it up for success for maybe the next 10 years or so, and just try to improve the offense a bit, while we figure out who's a keeper there and who needs to be replaced.
Secondary is as big a need, if not bigger now with the addition of Decker, then WR & TE. I'd still live to hear Cooks name called at 18 but rest assured a CB will be in the 2nd round if that's the case. I'm not really knowledgable in regards to the kids coming out but I'm hoping we can fill those 2 positions with our 1st 2 picks.
When we try and guess our draft picks based on team needs, start guessing in the 3rd or 4th round. 1st & 2nd will go to BPA with little consideration to actual team needs. So....what WR, FS, DB, TE's will be available in the 3rd round?
The secondary is a big need and it shouldn't be at this point,we shouldn't be going into the draft with a gaping hole in the secondary.John Idzik is now personally responsible for this hole we have at cb so I'm expecting him to act fast and draft a corner in the first round this year depending on what happens with the draft board by the time its up to us to pick.There were plenty of options early on in free agency and if we end up having a similar pass defense that we did last season then that will be on Idzik and him alone.The fact that this is a hole is ridiculous at this point
There is no guarantee that if we draft a corner in the first round, he is going to come in and just dominate.. Look at Milliner last year... Took him a minute to adjust to the pro game... We don't have that long to wait on a corner.. We need someone to step in and contribute right away.
I totally agree with this post. The Jets should have been positioning themselves in the off season to go O in the first few rounds. But now I tend to think the biggest positional need is at Cornerback. While I get that Decker is probably better suited to be the #2 wideout, and Kerley as we all know is really a slot guy, the overall talent at wideout right now is higher than at Cb. You are also correct that Idzik's approach in FA to the Cb position is inexplicable. It is ridiculous. And it creates what should have been an unecessary need to focus on Cb with a high pick. This is very frustrating. By all accounts the draft will be deep in wideouts. Perhaps this means a great wideout prospect may fall to the Jets in the second round. But I also understand the draft is not deep in starting quality Cb's. Hopefully one will go to the Jets, and at this point if one is available at 18, don't be surprised to see the Jets take him.
That opportunity was largely lost when the Jets did not get a quality Cb in FA, and simultaneously let Cromartie go. Barring an unlikely trade, the Jets have little choice but to use a high pick at Cb.
I agree for sure. I would have liked for them to push for Rodgers-Cro a little harder or even Vontae Davis.. When they lost all of those options, they should have at least re-signed Cro so we knew we would be OK at the corner spot for at least another year... Now it is looking like it's a must to get a corner at this point. Sucks because there are a few receivers I would like to see in Green and White that aren't going to make it to our 2nd round pick.
Exactly right and I can't wait to see how he fixes the mess he created. As you may have read he traded Revis last year and we gave up the most passing yards we have since 1986. Now he has cut Cromartie so let's see what the result of that is going to be.
Yep. It has to make you wonder why there seem to be posters here who think Idzik is having an awesome off season so far. I think the view was universal, and how often does that happen?, that the Jets needed to invest the top draft picks this year in the O. Yet Idzik has presided over the only scenario one could reasonably imagine that makes going Cb with a high pick, even the first round, likely. Even necessary with one of the top two. Wow. That is just bad management.
why should the Jeta have positioned themselves to draft offense in the first couple rounds if the draft is deeper offensively than defensively? And even if Idzik resigned that slob, Cro, how mnay years do you think he has left? We'd still need to draft a corner sooner rather than later had we signed a stop-gap corner
It's less about the Jets being forced into drafting corner in the first round than it is about being able to trash Idzik the moment he doesn't follow your advice about drafting corner in the first round.
I am neutral about Idzik and his offseason decisions.. On one hand, I do like the additions of Decker, Ford, CJ2K, and Giacomini, I am still shocked that we didn't address our secondary... He picked up this Dimitri Patterson guy who is supposedly a good corner, but he has played 15 games in the last 3 years... He is not a long term solution. Jarius Byrd would have made a great addition to this secondary, and would have masked the corner problems a lot... We still need a starting caliber FS and CB#2 as we have none on this roster at this current moment. With the other holes we have on offense, I would have liked to see him shore up the defense so when the draft roles around, we can really focus on getting Geno/Vick some more weapons.. Since the drop off at the secondary positions is so profound after the 1st two rounds, we might be forced to go secondary very early... Maybe he is expecting us to score 45 points a game and thinks we can outscore everyone. Idk.
If Geno is the guy you get him some weapons point blank. They've already invested two first round picks on CB's in the last 4 years. Plus they have other guys that are good enough depth players.
What scares me more then anything is the "assumption" that Milliner is going to take it to the next level this season. I did like the way he came on the last few games of the season but the fact is he's still an unproven commodity and he really could wind up being the X factor as to whether this team can make the leap to playing playoff caliber football .
Ftr I am not saying Idzik is having a bad off season. I like the Decker signing. Johnson will be a decent, not great, addition. I would have liked Qb to be upgraded with someone more a long term option than Vick, but at least Vick is an upgrade, and the price is fair. Giacomini probably makes sense because the salary number for him is lower, but I doubt he's an upgrade (in fact I don't think anyone is even claiming he is). But when you add in the Cb situation, I can't give him more than a C+ so far. But to be sure his actual grade right now should be incomplete.
I think acquiring a FS early in the draft is crucial. More important then grabbing another CB early if we are going BPA. The top of the crop for Free Safeties is pretty decent, but I think that pool of prospects is small. The CB pool is deep. We need to generate more turnovers, getting a FS that can play center field will help big time.
And we haven't had two starting quality receivers since 2010. The priority should be to give your young QB the best chance to succeed. I'm okay with taking a CB in the 4th round since we've had success drafting in that round in the past 10 years.
I think the last 4 games, Milliner played well enough to earn the starting job. Rex needs to shift his philosophy more to a zone defense.
