I agree that Becton is more of a project than the others, but he also has a size advantage over the others that will help and has those super long arms.
That's the thing, no one is a finished product in college, and that is especially for Thomas, he has work to do. He still allows Fromm to reset his feet and make throws, Fromm for the most part wasn't in danger due to Chaisson. I also think Fromm holds onto the ball too long at times. Here's my problem with Thomas, his stance needs work, he puts himself at a disadvantage at the start, yet he still wins. He needs to generate more strength using his lower body in the run game. He's not as great in lateral movement in comparison to Wirfs, who did something not many lineman can do period on tape and in the combine. He can play in any scheme, more than likely in a power scheme, he has a little more upside, but I think with his IQ he can make up for that. The guy just wins, no matter who he's competing against.
Offensive linemen are dancing bears. A big, unathletic lineman is a liability no matter what his 40 time is. Becton's combine, weight issues, and failed drug test are all major red flags that should not be overlooked with a first round selection. If you think we need to take an offensive tackle over a superior player at another position ask yourself if you really know what our needs will be in three years.
If you don't have a great offensive line coach, Becton is a waste of a draft pick IMO. Thomas, Wirfs, and Wills have higher floors. Players like Simmons is a luxury pick, but Okudah is a tough one to pass on, but I doubt he will be there at 11 anyway. Hopefully the Giants grab Simmons.
Becton could be a monster in the NFL and give us a quality LT for the next decade+, I won't deny that. I just think his road to get to that level or even to a good/great starter level is much longer than Wills, Wirfs, or Thomas.
Becton IS athletic. For you to make that statement shows how ignorant you are about him. His weight issues are a concern. The failed drug test bears investigation, but it didn't wind up preventing Laremy Tunsil from becoming a very good player, and it shouldn't with Becton, either. Marijuana laws are weakening and being removed everywhere. I don't really think that would be a concern, either, unless he's a habitual user, and if that is the case, then he should have failed a drug test or three at Louisville. LT is the 2nd or 3rd most important position on a team. The importance of the position plus Bectons athleticism and size totally outweighs the supposed "superiority" of any other player at another position. Besides, three years from now don't matter if Sam winds up suffering a major injury this season, and his career never develops. Becton has the talent to become a perennial All Pro LT if not a HOFer, and could be our LT for the next 10-12 years.
I like him a lot, just not as a Jet, but if the Jets take him, I hope that you're right. I prefer a man blocking scheme over a zone scheme anyway, so it wouldn't bother me in the least to take Thomas and switch to a man scheme. He is the most pro ready at LT day one. I also think that Thomas is not as good as Becton in lateral movement. Becton is more athletic, more limber.
One of the really interesting possibilities is that the Jets board doesn't have 2 of the big 4 OT's everybody talks about in their top 3. What if Joe Douglas and the Jets evaluators thinks Josh Jones is the 3rd best OT? What if they don't have Mekhi Becton on the board at all because of other concerns? What if they think Austin Jackson is actually a 1st round pick, albeit in the late teens/early 20's? There are so many different scenarios in play based on Joe Douglas OL background and expertise that it is hard to predict where the Jets play for an OL in the 1st might really lie.
Even if you swung a trade to get back into the late 1st round before you made pick #11, you can't be certain that the OT you'd like to take with that 2nd pick will be there. Unless none of the OTs remaining at 11 are what Douglas is looking for, I think he takes the best OT remaining there. As much as I want elite offensive weapons for Sam, they can be had later, and even by trade or FA, but OTs are like gold, no one trades them or lets them walk in their prime. I'll be shocked if the first pick isn't an OT.
It's definitely going to be interesting to see whom he takes. I wish we could see their draft board, but know that won't happen and it shouldn't as after a few drafts, other teams would know how he thinks and who he's likely to take.
I think it goes back a lot further than that. At least I hope it will. Parcells was not a good grocery shopper imo.
“We ran wide zone a lot. We ran outside zone pretty much. Obviously inside zone was our main thing, but we ran outside zone pretty much, too. A lot of times we ran it to the open side with our tight end. Using your athleticism to reach guys and get up to the next level is just something that can be used in the NFL.’’ - Andrew Thomas, Offensive Left Tackle, Univ. of Georgia Bulldogs What does Andrew Thomas himself know? I trust your expertise on offensive schematics over Andrew Thomas any day of the week and further, you would know better when it comes to outlining the Georgia offensive scheme than some All-SEC three year starter....even if he did play for, .um, . Georgia. source: https://www.cleveland.com/browns/20...k-chubb-again-and-be-the-next-joe-thomas.html P.S. 'I' disagree.
Look at the free agents he signed though. Curtis Martin and Kevin Mawae are probably top 10 all-time free agent signings. Vinny was a brilliant pickup as was Bryan Cox. Kerry Jenkins turned into a very good LG too. He drafted James Farrior, Jason Ferguson, Leon Johnson and Dedric Ward in 1997. Jason Fabini in 1998. Randy Thomas and J.P. Machado in 1999. John Abraham, Shaun Ellis, Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles and Anthony Becht in 2000. The Jets first 5 picks in 2000 all played at least 10 years in the NFL. He makes everybody who came after him look bad by comparison. He got handed a roster full of rejects but the guys after him got handed a roster that was built to be successful.
In '97 how about the players he passed up on? Two HOF LTs in Orlando Pace and Walter Jones for starters, also Tony Gonzalez. How about Rick Terry in the 2nd round in '97? (instead of Rick Terry, Parcells could have taken Jamie Sharper, Corey Dillon, Sam Madison, Tiki Barber, or Adam Meadows.) Terry Day in the 4th round? Lamont Burns in the 5th, and Raymond Austin, Tim Scharf, Chuck Clements, and Steve Rosga in that draft? So in '97, he cost us 3 different HOF players, got 4 pretty good players, and wasted 7 (count 'em) draft picks. Martin was very good as was Mawae, but all the FAs were not as good as Martin and Mawae. A number of the FAs Parcells signed were older and very expensive, but he didn't care about long term or the cap after he left. He knew that he was only going to be here 2-3 years, hopefully win a SB and ride off into the sunset. He left us in bad cap shape when he quit on us. Don't forget that signing Curtis cost us our 1st and 3rd round picks in '98. With the 1st round pick (#18) in '98 that we gave up for Curtis, Parcells could have taken Vonnie Holliday, who wound up being a very good DE for the Packers or Alan Faneca (OG). With the 3rd round pick (#81) he could have taken Jamie Duncan (LB) or Hines Ward. Curtis was a great player for us, but there were some very good RBs available in the '97 and '98 drafts. I can't help but think that we'd have been better off with either Corey Dillon or Ahman Green and Alan Faneca and Hines Ward instead of Curtis. Parcells also did some wheeling and dealing in the '98 draft. He traded Hugh Douglas to the Eagles for their 2nd & 5th round picks (#41 & #134). He subsequently trading #41 to Pittsburgh for their 2nd, 3rd and 5th round picks (#56, #87, & #149). He also could have taken Faneca with the #87 pick that he got from the Steelers. I didn't like trading Douglas, but he parlayed the 2nd pick he received into a 3 picks from Pittsburgh. I don't think we missed out on anyone in the 2nd round. He also traded Adrian Murrell to the Cardinals for their #3rd round pick (#65). He subsequently traded it to the Rams for their 3rd and 7th round picks (#67 & #195). He only got a 7th round pick for moving down 2 spots in the 3rd, and in trading down we missed out on a good OG Leonard Little. So in essence we traded both Adrian Murrell and Leonard Little for Scott Frost and Lawrence Hart. Oh and the Jets also had to give NE its 2nd and 3rd round picks (#61, & #97) in '97, it's second round pick in '98 (#52 ) and 1st round pick in '99 (# ) for signing Parcells away from them. In that '98 draft, after all that wheeling and dealing, we wound up with Dorian Boose in the 2nd, Scott Frost and Kevin Williams in the 3rd, Jason Fabini in the 4th, Casey Dailey, Doug Karczewski, Blake Spence, and Eric Bateman in the 5th, Eric Ogbogu, Chris Brazzell, and Dustin Johnson in the 6th, and Lawrence Hart in the 7th? One good player out of that draft. We'd have been better off keeping both Douglas and Murrell. To his credit '99 was better. Randy Thomas in the 2nd, David Loverne in the 3rd, Jason Wiltz in the 4th, Jermaine Jones in the 5th, Marc Megna and JP Machado in the 6th, and Ryan Young and JJ Syvrud in the 7th. One really good player, 4 serviceable players and 3 wasted picks. 2000 was his best draft, but then with 4 first round picks, it should have been. He wasted the last 3 picks in that draft. In his defense, looking at the last 3 rounds of those drafts, they were pretty bad. I see few names of players who made a mark in the NFL. Still, as you said, he was handed a roster of rejects, and between 1/3 and 1/2 of the players he drafted couldn't even make the team. How about the HOF QB that he screwed us out of because he is such an asshole? How about running Belichik off and sticking us with Bradway and Tanny? No, everyone that came after him made themselves look bad with their incompetence, and don't forget that Parcells gave us both Bradway AND Tanny. Parcells was better than one or two who immediately preceded him and those that followed, but that isn't saying much at all. When you're being compared to some of the worst GMs and worst drafts in not only team history, but NFL history almost anything looks good.
It's hard to imagine that anybody drafted with the picks that Curtis Martin ultimately cost would have done more to change the culture around the Jets than Martin did. There are lots of people in the Hall of Fame because they had great skills and were able to dominate the opposition. Nobody worked harder than Martin to get there with the kind of tools that fifty backs a season had during his career.
