I agree that it's a common thing, but that still doesn't mean that JD would have been comfortable doing it this year. He wanted and needed a player who he KNEW could handle OG at a high level from day one, not in 4 months, or next season. I think Slater had some experience at OG, but we had no shot at him. Jenkins had some experience at OG, but why risk Wilson's health letting a lower-ranked OT who had always played on the right side, start at LG when there was a top OL in the draft who played both LG and LT. There was no doubt that AVT could handle LG at a high level. I wanted Jenkins over AVT, but I was wrong, and thank goodness JD didn't do what I would have done in the draft. That's why he's the GM, and I'm a fan wannabe GM.
I don't think you were wrong, I just think we needed the flexibility across the entire line that AVT provides. Jenkins still going to be good, just not as flexible.
He played 2019 at LG while Austin Jackson was the starting LT. It sounds like he was much more effective at LG in 2019 than LT in 2020. https://jetsxfactor.com/2021/05/02/new-york-jets-statistical-scouting-report-alijah-vera-tucker/ Above is a link to an analysis on Jets X Factor but I'll post it below so everyone can read it in here. New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker boasts a highly intriguing track record of production at the guard position. While Alijah Vera-Tucker played left tackle for the USC Trojans as a redshirt junior in 2020, it appears his New York Jets future will be at the guard position. Playing on the inside will be nothing new for the Oakland, California native, who enjoyed a full season of elite production at left guard as a redshirt sophomore in 2019. Let’s dig into the numbers behind Vera-Tucker’s impressive campaign at the guard position. Background information Vera-Tucker played offensive tackle and defensive end at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. He was a four-star recruit and ranked as the nation’s No. 14 tackle prospect in the 2017 class by 247Sports. To begin his Trojans career, Vera-Tucker redshirted his 2017 freshman season. In 2018, he appeared on special teams in all 12 of USC’s games and got occasional action as a backup guard on offense, logging 141 snaps at right guard over nine appearances, none of which were starts. In 2019, Vera-Tucker was promoted to USC’s starting left guard spot. Vera-Tucker started all 13 games and tied for the team lead with 926 offensive snaps played, missing only 12 snaps all season (none of those were due to injury). He played alongside left tackle Austin Jackson, who wound up being selected by the Dolphins with the 18th overall pick in the 2020 draft. At the USC football team’s annual awards banquet, Vera-Tucker was named the Trojans’ 2019 Offensive Lineman of the Year over the NFL-bound Jackson. So, keep in mind that all of this elite production from Vera-Tucker in 2019 came in his first season as a collegiate starter and his first-ever season as a starting guard. Run blocking Vera-Tucker earned a run blocking grade of 76.7 at Pro Football Focus in 2019. That ranked at the 94th percentile among qualified FBS guards and tops among all Pac-12 guards. USC’s offense was extremely zone-heavy in 2019, as 76.8% of Vera-Tucker’s run blocking snaps came on a zone-blocking concept. Vera-Tucker thrived in that offense, playing his best football when he was asked to frequently get on the move rather than play with power. Three of Vera-Tucker’s four highest-graded performances as a run blocker came in games where USC ran a zone concept over 85% of the time. The Trojans averaged 8.3 yards per carry when they ran into the left-side B-gap (towards the left guard’s outside shoulder), by far their best average in any particular direction. They picked up a first down or a touchdown on 63.0% of their attempts to Vera-Tucker’s outside shoulder, a rate that is simply out of this world. USC’s next-best conversion rate towards a particular gap was their 41.3% rate to the left-side edge. For perspective, rushes typically convert about a quarter of the time – 25.8% of all NFL rush attempts in 2020 resulted in a conversion. For USC to be successful on over 60% of their runs to Vera-Tucker’s outside shoulder is mind-boggling. The Jets’ newest running back, Michael Carter, could feed off of Vera-Tucker’s successful track record as a producer of big runs. In 2020, Carter rushed for 12.0 yards per carry and a 42.9% conversion rate when aiming for the left-side B-gap. Surely, Mike LaFleur is having frequent daydreams about Carter taking wide-zone handoffs to the left side behind Vera-Tucker. Pass protection Vera-Tucker coughed up only seven pressures over 590 protection snaps in 2019, a pressure rate of 1.2% that ranked at the 99th percentile among qualified FBS guards and second-best among Power-5 guards (trailing only Kentucky’s Logan Stenberg, a 2020 fourth-round pick of the Lions). When we look only at Vera-Tucker’s “true pass sets” – which excludes plays with less than 4 rushers, play action, screens, short dropbacks, or a time-to-throw under 2 seconds – he was still fantastic. He gave up four pressures across 151 true pass sets, a rate of 2.6% that is substantially lower than the national average for guards (7.2%). Overall, PFF scored Vera-Tucker with a pass blocking grade of 87.9, which placed at the 99th percentile among qualified FBS guards and second-best among Power-5 guards (trailing only Michigan’s Ben Bredeson, a 2020 fourth-round pick of the Ravens). Vera-Tucker allowed zero pressures in seven games and one pressure in six. His worst game featured a mere two pressures allowed against Notre Dame. Against a Utah defensive line that featured three 2020 draft picks (John Penisini, Leki Fotu, Bradlee Anae), Vera-Tucker allowed one pressure. However, it’s worth noting that he struggled in the run game that day, posting a season-low run blocking grade of 50.5. On the positive side, when Vera-Tucker faced off against Stanford and future NFL defensive end Casey Toohill, he posted his second-best run blocking grade of the season (78.6) and allowed only one pressure. Other notes Vera-Tucker was durable for the Trojans. He started all 19 of the team’s games from 2019-20, tied for the team lead in offensive snaps in both seasons, and never left a game for an injury-related reason. Penalty minimization is a strength for Vera-Tucker. He was called for only four penalties over 1,533 offensive snaps in his Trojans career. At guard from 2017-18, Vera-Tucker committed two penalties over 1,067 snaps. That’s an average of 1.9 penalties per 1,000 snaps, less than half of the 2020 NFL average for guards (4.3). While Vera-Tucker’s season at guard in 2019 was more impressive, it should be noted he was no slouch at left tackle in 2020. Here are some of his numbers and ranks at left tackle: 2.8% pressure rate (86th percentile among FBS OT) 2.5% true pass set pressure rate (OT average: 9.5%) 76.3 run blocking grade (80th) 84.2 pass blocking grade (95th) Vera-Tucker’s production at left tackle in 2020 inspires confidence that he could play on the outside at some point down the line, but the big question mark regarding his future at tackle is his arm length. His arms were measured at 32.1 inches, which is substantially below the ideal threshold for an offensive tackle (it ranks at the 9th percentile among offensive linemen all-time). The Jets entered the draft with a gaping hole at guard, so they got aggressive and made sure they would not miss out on the best guard prospect in the draft. At 20 years old, in his first season as a collegiate starter, and starting at guard for the very first time, Vera-Tucker was a superstar throughout the 2019 season. Based on what he showed that year, his potential at the guard position is limitless.
That's not true about Jenkins. Jenkins has experience playing OG he isn't strictly a tackle. From The Draft Network: Playing in 37 career games (35 starts) at Oklahoma State, Teven Jenkins experienced time at right guard, left tackle, and right tackle. With a bulk of his experience coming at right tackle, he blossomed during his final two seasons. Playing in the first eight games of the season, he elected to opt out after suffering what was reported as lower back issues. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound fifth-year senior offensive tackle is a top-heavy blocker that has experienced success in the team's Air Raid offense. A quick setter that’s prone to take horizontal pass sets, he’s created a habit of establishing quick wins by striking his hands and controlling defenders. As a run blocker, he’s able to create considerable amounts of movement when able to gain momentum prior to engagement points. A well above average finisher, Jenkins is the type of offensive lineman that attempts to humiliate players in the opposite color jersey. The echo of the whistle doesn’t slow down his process and he continues on with his process until he wants to conclude. Jenkins' athleticism and lack of overall range may create questions about his potential at offensive tackle and there will be some teams who grade him as a guard as a result. Jenkins will have a strong chance of being the first offensive lineman drafted from the program since Russell Okung (2010). Ideal Role: Developmental offensive tackle that could eventually turn into a starter at tackle or guard. Scheme Fit: Man/Gap/Power. From NFL.com Draft Profile: Jenkins has good tackle tape, but his short arms and average range in pass sets could be something to keep an eye on. Whether it is at tackle or guard, Jenkins has the talent to become an early starter and a successful pro. From profootballnetwork.com: While Jenkins is a solid athlete, he’s not elite in that category. His lateral inconsistencies, combined with his lack of elite length, might convince some teams to experiment with him at guard. Having said that, Jenkins has enough short-range burst, power, and tenacity to be considered a potential starter at tackle as well. His experience at guard and both tackle spots will only compound the strength of his NFL Draft profile.
Yes I know that. Prior to that he had played LG. All his experience was on the left side of the line. That's another reason why it made more sense to go up and get AVT than stay put and take Jenkins or Humphrey and try to move them to LG.
No problem, it's hard to keep track of everything about these prospects. I had forgotten that his arms were shorter and that he had some back issues. Those could be other reasons why JD moved up for AVT rather than taking Jenkins.
Yes you are right. I strictly viewed him as an OT because during the draft process it seemed like that's what everyone was talking about with regards to him. But it could be that I was more focused on AVT and what he could bring at OG which we really needed that I didn't do much due diligence on Jenkins.
As you know I would have liked a defensive player at 23 if the top 5 OL were gone, but JD really hit a home run with those first 4 offensive picks. The defense will be a work in progress, but we have all those juicy picks next year and lots of flexibility to be really creative to fill in the missing pieces. See we really are on the same page heading into the season. I'm sure we'll bicker about something, but you see, we really are mostly the same rather than different in what we want to see this season. I'm very excited about this franchise now and can't wait to see Wilson, our new OL, and Moore/Davis. I love speed and Moore is going to be catching the shovel passes from Wilson and going 70 yards for a TD. I can see it. Plus he's going to be great returning punts if we have him do that.
I totally agree. We're both passionate and stubborn when we think we're right. That's fine. Even though it may not seem like it, I do respect you and your opinion even when we disagree.
i'm aware of that. you don't have to convince me anything. I was just stating a fact that he was a LT last year but will be an OG in the NFL
My bad. Didn’t mean to come off as condescending or dismissive when I posted that. I had just read the article so it was fresh in my mind and thought I would add to the convo around AVT.
nah your good. you I didn't take it the wrong way at all. I'm already sold on AVT. I loved out draft overall. Sure there were some players I wanted that we didn't take but I have no complaints about any of the top picks and for the later picks it seems JD and RS have a specific thing in mind for defense as we drafted a lot of DBs some of which will be playing LBer for us so he did address the back 7 in their own way. hopefully it pans out. I really love our 1st 4 picks though. Wilson at QB. AVT helping protect him, Moore at WR gives me flashbacks to steve smith (in a good way) and carter is a steal in the 4th and right where a RB should be taken. Love his feet and change of direction skills.
Wilson to Moore is the next Maholms to Hill. I watched highlights of Moore...man is he shifty with the ball in his hands. He's probably a 1/2 step slower than Hill, but he is a better route runner & has great hands. Joe hit a home run this Draft getting the best slot receiver, best guard, arguably the best QB & a top 5 RB in the draft. Slam dunk! Can't even imagine what the team will look like after '22 draft.....2 1st & 2 2nd should fill in any holes we have with top tier players. I'm really excited about the future of this team!
Not sure where TDN is getting their information but according to Oklahoma States website he never played guard. https://okstate.com/sports/football/roster/teven-jenkins/8963
Yep, I should read my own source more deeply. That's hardly a lot of experience at guard as TDN seemed to exaggerate but sorry @NC.
I’m glad we went offense....we got really good to great players at positions of need...QB, G, WR, and RB JD is doing now for Wilson what neither he nor Mac before him did for Sam. It was much needed....we got some explosiveness in our offense, we are building the OL, and let’s hope Wilson is the real deal. I know Fields was also touted but to me I prefer Wilson as the more natural QB....and clearly so did many other teams....SF passed on Fields to take a much more raw Lance, Denver and Carolina both passed on Fields... we do have holes on D still, most notably CB (can’t understand why we haven’t signed Poole already), it also at LB and to a lesser extent DE...but our offense needed life JD said they had AVTin their top ten and Moore at 25....so the Jets feel like they got three first rounders with their first three picks. If they pan out that’s a steal and a half. I like it! Can’t wait until training camp
