2021 Draft Strategy

At this point you have to seriously consider if Mosley will play another down with the Jets.

Who knows what the progression of the LB corps becomes, especially up the middle. Onwarsor, Hewitt, Burgess and Cashman may make leaps. I actually liked Burgess and what he brought to the team. Cashman can fly to the ball as well.

 

Why would a Mosley not play another down for the Jets? What are we doing with him? Unless he decides to retire it’s incredibly likely that Mosley will be starting ILB in 21.

 

No, one doesn't have to have gold across the board at WR, but it would be nice to have some gold. The Jets haven't drafted an elite WR since the '80s. They haven't an elite, consistent, game-breaking offensive playmaker who could score from anywhere on the field since Wesley Walker. I never liked Keyshawn and never thought of him as "elite." So it's been a lot longer since they've drafted an elite WR than it has been since they've drafted an elite CB. Since the Jets had Al Toon, they've had James Hasty, Aaron Glenn and Darrelle Reavis. Everything in football isn't about "value." It has its place most certainly, but level of play, helping your QB, and winning succeed trumps all. Trying to build a team based solely on "value" is one of the best ways I know to never have a playoff team because one is focused on getting bargains rather than playmakers who can take over games and put your team over the top.

JD needs to make a clear commitment to the offense to show the team and the fans, that the offense is valued and will be strong. I don't think that having to choose between the 4th or 5th best WR or worse, is a wise way to build one's WR corps or offense, when one can possibly have the top WR prospect in the class, or at least have one's choice of which WR one wants, rather than having to take a leftover and depend upon luck and hope. Also, the stat of the top 40 WRs is pretty meaningless. It's merely a reflection of where those players were taken, not of their value and contributions. Where players are taken is affected by needs of a team and how players are rated by GMs. GMs make a lot of mistakes in their evaluations of players, and in their priorities. We've clearly seen that with the GMs we've had. Players fall to the 2nd round that should have been taken in the 1st. Teams also look for specific types of WR be it X, Y, or Z. Not every WR can be flexible and play any of the three positions, so that has an impact on where they are drafted, but not necessarily on their productivity.

The offensive line is very important, and as we all know, that has been pretty much ignored since Mangold and Ferguson were drafted. That's why I said, at least one of the 1st round picks in 2021 could very easily be used on a RT. In general, I don't believe that OGs or Cs are worthy of being 1st round picks, but Cs moreso than OGs. The problem with taking too many OL in the 1st round is they then command top dollar, too much cap space gets tied up in the OL, and the team doesn't have cap space for elite playmakers on offense or defense. We've seen that happen with the Jets. Teams can win with elite playmakers and above average OLs, but not many teams win with Elite OLs and only above average playmakers.

You may not care about how many defensive picks the Jets have made in the 1st round, but most of us do. We are sick of that. It's not a balanced approach, and isn't a recipe for winning football, especially when one's offense has been woefully ignored, and isn't even at a below average NFL level. I've been screaming for a great edge rusher since before they drafted Sean Ellis and John Abraham, and ever since, so I would not only have no problems with JD using one of those 1st round picks on an edge, I wouldn't care if he used two of them to get an edge he really coveted. If one has a strong pass rush, a stud #1 CB is much less necessary or important. So if JD drafts an elite Edge and Q. Williams starts showing why he was drafted so high, the Jets will have a great pass rush, and the need for an elite CB is negated. Too often, just like some #1 WRs, they become prima donnas, hold out and want too much money. It's also way too easy for opposing teams to neutralize a #1 CB. They can run 4 WRs plays and throw to one of the other three WRs that the #1 CB isn't covering all day. Just as you think it's fine to have silver in the WR corps, I think it's more than fine to have silver in the CB corps. Gold is absolutely not necessary there if one has a gold pass rush, and has a gold offense.

The Jets may have desired CBs of that caliber, but I don't believe that JD would have signed any of them, even if he had been given free reign and had plenty of cap space. I think he believes in building through the draft, not overpaying FAs. As far as Bradberry goes, he is a zone CB, so he isn't a CB to support your claim for man coverage CBs. That's what they play or did play in Carolina. I'm not sure what type of CBs/pass coverage Rhule will employ going forward.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree because you obviously don't "value" WRs at all. I do. I know that they are critical to an offense's success in today's NFL and are the difference between a contender and a pretender.

 

Because of his comments about having lost his "fire" and desire to play and opting not to play this season. The Jets have given him tens of millions of dollars worth of desire, and he gave the Jets nothing last year. He should have been burning to make that up to them this year, and instead, wimped out. If I were JD, Mosley would probably never play another down for the Jets. If at all possible, he would be traded before next season even if all I received in return was a 4th round pick or lower. Mosley's attitude could undermine the culture change that JD is seeking to instill. JD wants players who love the game, who want to be here, and who have a burning desire to win. IMO that culture and showing players around the NFL what will be expected of them if they play for the Jets is more important than whatever Mosley could do on the field, especially if he really doesn't want to play any more or doesn't want to play for the Jets and is just going through the motions for the money.

As Mogriff says, the Jets have some good young ILBs on the roster. None of them will probably ever come close to being as good as Mosley, but they don't have to be. ILB isn't that important of a position any more. One of them may become better in coverage than Mosley, and that would help them team. Last season the Jets' D was very good without Mosley or Williamson. Their hunger, energy, flying around the fieldThe Jets are going to have a lot of FAs (42) next offseason. I'd rather spread the money around to keep players the Jets have drafted and who have made solid contributions, and/or keep FAs that JD brought in who played at a high level this year. Having to pay Mosley, the Jets could wind up losing players like Breshard Perriman, Brian Poole, Avery Williamson, Jordan Jenkins, Marcus Maye, or Neville Hewitt, or be unable to sign FAs that JD wants to sign. Individually, none of those players are as good as Mosley, but 2-4 of them combined are better and would help the team more than Mosley, especially if again, he is just playing for the money.

 

So you think the 61 as of now players that have opted out of the season have all “wimped out”? I’m sure that’s nice and easy for you to say as you sit on your couch in your tighty whities and aren’t asked to rub up against sweaty strangers all day for your job.

Obviously I strongly disagree about your feelings that he wimped out. I’m sure it was an excruciating decision and I can’t blame him one bit for opting out as I have no idea what I’d do if I was in his situation.

So do you think he will retire or you think the Jets will be able to trade his contract away after not playing in 2 seasons?

 

My first thought is, Seattle’s pick will be higher than ours but that’s nit picking a little bit.
After that I agree, though hopefully we’re not in the market for a tackle, edoga , fant and becton should be able to produce 2 long term answers. For me the next draft should be about pass rushers and play makers.

 

AFAIK not one other player who has opted out has talked about losing his "fire" and desire to play. If you'll check my other posts on this issue, you'll see that I have no problems with those who opted out for legitimate health reasons or concerns. I've even said that I could understand why Mosley or others might opt out for financial reasons, although I don't support those reasons, especially in Mosley's situation, where he received a lot of money last season for 3 quarters of play or something like that, and where he has already been paid $11.5 million in bonus money this year. If he hadn't said something about having to re-discover his fire and desire to play, I wouldn't have accused him of "wimping out," but imo that is what he has done, and he can go take flying leap. I love the Jets, not Mosley, or any of the individual players when it comes to a team vs the player situation.

 

About WR's, here's how I see it. If there's an elite prospect at the position available when we pick, it'll be difficult to pass on him. The group we have now is weak. The most proven receiver we have is a good slot guy. That's not ideal for a 3rd year QB who's trying to take the next step. If there's a blue chip Edge prospect available when we pick, but no such WR prospect, then go with Edge. Don't reach for a WR for the sake of taking one, but don't dismiss taking a WR just because there are many good 2nd and 3rd round WR's.

 

I didn't say that one should completely forget or dismiss value, just that when it comes to getting a potentially great player, that the player's potential and talent should come before value in some cases. There's plenty of other places to get value on your team. Star players are rarely "value." One has to overpay them to keep them happy.

I know exactly what you were referring to. My point stands and is valid.

The Jets have a Center. He has a three-year contract that I believe has guaranteed money. He is better as a Center than at OG, so it would be a waste to draft a Center and move him to OG. That wouldn't be value. He is being paid as a Center, which is more valuable than an OG.

This is not the first time that you've mentioned the bold. It's not about what those previous GMs and coaches did, it's about the makeup of the team, or the holes that are there as a result of the actions of those GMs and coaches. Now that Mac's no longer the GM, it doesn't matter that he didn't seem to value or prioritize the OL or rushing the passer. The bottom line, however, is that the OL was a disaster and there has been little or no pass rush, and if JD wants to turn the Jets into a perennial contender, he as to fix those two areas.

Who wouldn't rather have $50k in value than $10k??? You do realize that metaphor could apply to about any position group on a football team, don't you? It equally applies to CBs/DBs, WRs, the OL, LBs, the DL, TEs, and RBs. Having 5 very good WRs or 5 very good DBs, is better than having 1 great WR and the rest mediocre or 1 great CB/DB and the rest mediocre. Having 5 very good OL is better than having one great OL and 4 mediocre ones. One player can get taken or schemed around too easily by the other team, and if there's a serious injury to that one great player, then there is a huge dropoff in the level of play and your team is in trouble.

Ultimately that metaphor isn't really very good or appropos, however. One never has a one-player unit. If a gold player has a value of $10k, then a silver might have a value of $7,500. Given a 5-player OL, the more golds one has, the better it will be (the greater worth it will have). The same goes or WR or CB or any position group.

Because of the salary cap, each team can only have so many golds. The more golds a team has, the fewer silvers a team will be able to have, and one will have to have more bronzes, or nickels, or coppers. The thing is, I can't think of a single team that has won a SB without having any golds (star playmakers). One needs them at QB and Edge, and at either WR or RB, and at either CB or FS. Mac's mistake is that he sought to win by adding golds at non-important positions like DT and ILB.

 

**without quoting a massive ongoiing discussion**


A team should always be striving for “Gold” at every single position group.From Quarterback to Outside linebacker to the stinking practice squad kicker. Continuous improvement via quality well balanced drafting thats able to adapt its positional values/strategies based on team structure,team needs & climate league wide.

Sure you’re not gonna be able to pay everyone & hence the need for continuous improvement.Pipelines & legit depth fill the void to carry the torch forward.

Now one can certainly value positions differently in terms of draft strategies & the like..but in my estimation the second a team is content to strive for B+ players at any position group you’ve kind of already lost.

Draft good players.Lots of good players who fit your system.Accrue picks. Every year. Its that simple.Shoot for gold w every pick.Gold comes in different shapes & sizes.Sometimes its a role/niche talent w upside to develop into more,sometimes it’s a core special teamer & sometimes its an RB when the team already has a loaded backfield.

The point is to constantly emphasize competition, build depth & insure the future roster has some pieces & answers for departures.

 

I would say there’s a wider gap between A/B+ WRs than so w DEs EXCEPT for elite 2 way strongsiders IE Mario Williams/Bruce Smith/White who are exceptionally rare w a high bust factor within the prototype.

You can absolutely win w B+ level DE bc theye still consistently getting pressure,bending the edge & making plays at a good production level. They might just have a few less sacks/TFLs.

A top level WR makes huge point generating plays every single week. A B+ WR might have a flaw in his game that doesnt match up against certain Defenses thus less dependablet for putting up points on scoreboard every week.

Sacks can replaced w good pressure but cant supplement putting up points on the board except to turn to a different skill position all together.

Also,whats the A level corner have that the B+ doesnt? Well one is more big plays/ints which ill grant you,but the other is that they can match up w A level receivers. The B+ cant. But that A level corner eats up the B+ WR all day every day.so why one but not the other?

If you suggested that A level WRs can be found in later rounds w superior scouting..i wouldnt disagree. Have trouble w the less is more concept in this scenario.

 

I understand and respect your approach. You obviously favor defense over offense. I'm the opposite. I favor offense over defense. Either approach has worked in the NFL over the years. In today's NFL, I think the teams that favor offense over defense generally fare better, but I guess either approach can work. Your A pass rusher and A CB may be able to shut down opposing team's offense, but similarly other team's A pass rushers and CBs are going to be able to shut down your team's B+ WR and offense.

Thankfully, we don't have to have just one of any one position. We also don't have to agree. That's what makes the world interesting. Think of how boring the NFL would be if everyone ran the same vanilla offense and defensive schemes. All strategy and creativity would be removed. Then it would boil down to which team had the bigger/stronger/faster players. Coaching staffs could be unnecessary. You would just have a GM, training staff and medical staff.

 

Fair enough.

 

On can win (be a playoff team) with that offense. Brady and NE did with that or worse. Brady is a HOFer in waiting as is BB. Without that level of coaching and QB play, one isn't going to go very far in the playoffs imo. Without a single A level playmaker, one's offense can get shut down too easily, and I think one needs at least two A level playmakers to be a serious contender for the Lombardi Trophy.

I believe that a number of teams have won SBs with the level of D that you show above (with only one A level player between the CB, S, and LB. You score early and put pressure on the opposing offense and take them out of what they want to do, forcing them to pass more than perhaps they normally would, then with your strong pass rush you cause incompletions, sacks and interceptions.

Looking at your offense and defense above, we aren't as far apart as I first thought.

 

Wow that is interesting. 4 guys out of the 5th round is something I never would have guessed (my guess would have been zero). I wonder if that is a historical anomaly.