My objection was to the statement he gets absolutely no elevation. That's patently untrue. His elevation may not be all that great, but he gets elevation. I dig my heels in when someone makes a totally erroneous, ridiculous statement that is patently untrue. I will always do that.
Thanks, I will watch this later when I have time. I do have some concerns over Burks following his stats last night. Some players are great in college against college level competition, but then struggle in the NFL because of a lack of athleticism. I'm willing to admit that might be the case on Burks, but I haven't forsaken him yet. I want to see what he does at his Pro Day, and continue to read more reports, and re-watch his film.
I heard someone report that as many as 13-15 receivers could go in the first 3 rounds. I’ve looked into much of them and I’ve liked everyone I’ve seen so far. The jets could have Drake at 10 if they want, but more importantly, there will be some really good receivers there for the taking at the jets 2 second rounders. I wouldn’t overreach for burks or really anyone at 10.
I'll be shocked if that many WRs go that early, but they could. The draft is always full of surprised. There could be some good WRs in the 2nd round, but depending upon what happens in FA, we might be using our 2nd rounders on a TE and S or TE and an OT or TE and a CB.
I would draft myself and pay myself $1MM/year for 5 years to stand on the sideline and watch during games.
Thanks for this. Good analysis and food for thought. It sure creates some doubt in my mind whether Burks is the best pick for the Jets, certainly at the top of the draft.
It depends. If Douglas, Saleh, LaFleur see someone who they're convinced can be a superstar - which is ideally what they need - then taking that guy at #10 makes sense. That said, so far, I haven't seen such a guy, but of course I'm not privy to the info they have. Right now I'm leaning towards London, but I agree that the drop off in talent, ability, and fit, isn't that great for the next band of receivers, so maybe not using the #4 and/or #10 on a WR makes more sense even if it mean they can't get Burks, London, or Wilson.
My thought is the biggest Jet weakness at WR last year was beating man coverage. Only 1 WR was good at getting seperation against man coverage in Moore. Berrios was slightly above average and Davis was one of the worst in the league despite being above average while at Tenn. Maybe because he played a lot in the slot there and was not the number one guy. Our division plays a lot of man coverage. Because of that I would love Wilson at 10. He was one of the best against man coverage last year, he is quick in and out of his breaks and a polished route runner. He fits our system and our needs.
There's a lot to be said for taking Wilson, but aren't there some other WRs that are nearly as good - or perhaps better - that can be had in the 2nd-3rd round? As badly as I want Douglas to find that true superstar that can be plugged right in and help Zach become the QB he needs to be, IDK if Wilson, Burks, London, or anyone else is a slam dunk to deliver that level of play...at least not so much more so than a guy taken in the 2nd or 3rd round. I haven't made up my mind yet if one of the Edges might fall to us, and if so, is HE so much better than some of the others? Likewise, the OT/G being mocked to go at the top. With all of that, where I'm at at this point is that if Douglas can sign a #1-caliber WR in FA, even if they're a little older, or on the other hand haven't quite proven themselves as a #1 - but who would most likely be better out of the gate than anyone we draft, then I'm warming to the idea of: - take Hamilton at #4 - take Linderbaum or Ekwonu (assuming Neal os gone by then) at #10 unless JD is offered a ton to trade back. - with their 3rd pick take the best Edge, WR, CB - with their 4th pick take the best Edge, WR, CB that they didn't take in their previous pick, or possibly TE at that point - with their 5th pick best TE, LB, CB assuming they've by now gotten an Edge and WR. I'm not married to this approach, but it's one I'd consider based on how the FA and draft falls.
I know Burks is a big guy but he didn't light up track on the 40. I would prefer to be safe and take Garret Wilson at 10 and take Okwanu at 4 who I think has more upside than Neal.
Yeah, I get that the Jets need a pass rusher but I would rather add Okwanu at 4 and then pick Wilson at 10.
Takling Wilson might be the right move, but trading down and taking Burks or waiting and drafting him in the 2nd round if he falls that far, might also be the right move. I was shocked and disappointed by Burks' Combine results, but they are only part of the picture. The video doesn't lie. He thrived against the top competition in the country. He has skills. It's not like he ran a 5.0 40. Every year, or almost every year, we see players who weren't rated all that highly due to lesser athleticism come into the NFL and become topflight players, if not All Pros. Heart, desire to be great, discipline and determination are part of the picture as well. Burks may not possess those traits. If not, then he definitely isn't the right move, but if he does posess those traits, he still might be a great addition to our WR corps no matter where we take him, although disgression would dictate that he is no longer under consideration at #4 or #10.
I don't think a 1st round WR is worth it in this draft. But IMO you, and others, are putting WAY to much emphasis on 40 times. There are so many factors that play into a successful WR, and their 40 time is pretty far down the list. For example, last year the top 40 times by a WR were from Anthony Swartz, Rondale Moore, Shi Smith, and Racey McMath. In comparison, Ja'Marr Chase finished 8th, and Elijiah Moore 5th. They could have been even lower except players like Devonta Smith, Jaylan Waddle, Rashod Bateman, and Kadarious Toney (all number 1 picks) didn't even record a time. If you were as sold on Burks as you have been acting, there is no point getting to worked up over a combine 40 because you already know all of the skills he brings, and the potential impact he can have in our offense. Combine, pro day heroes are secondary by a long shot compared to the film. But they get a lot of attention because there is nothing else to talk about ATM. We have to relearn this every year. We absolutely need to know his attitude, work ethic, and goals. I'll take that over a 40 time any day. If he has the drive to be a top player I'd stay with him.
The thing is - Burks' athleticism and measurables were always cited as his main selling points. It turns out he's arguably an average or below average athlete overall. I'm totally against drafting guys who are mainly combine warriors but Burks' athleticism was used to excuse other flaws in his actual play. I don't really see the big selling point for drafting him. Said this before about him but I don't think he's big enough to beat DB's purely with size and he's not quick enough or a good enough route runner to beat them purely with separation.
Yet he did it routinely against SEC DBs. Many of those same SEC DBs will be playing in the NFL. They will improve and get stronger, and so should Burks. As I've said, I could have been mistaken about him, but I think it's too early in the process to summarily dismiss him. Putting up the production he did in the SEC has to count for something, especially when he was the only threat/weapon that Arkansas had and the Ds were all keyed on him.
What I see when I watch that game against Alabama - arguably the best test of his NFL ability - is a guy who didn't gain real separation on his routes, didn't have sharp cuts, and while he did make a few nice contested catches, in the NFL he's going to be facing better, stronger DBs and won't be able to "body" them like he did in college. FWIW, I think he'll go in the first round, but I'd prefer someone else for the Jets, maybe Wilson, and maybe Dotson - my only hesitation on Dotson is he's similar in size to Moore, but from what I've seen of him he fits the scheme really well and while not possessing blazing straight line speed, is shifty fast and hard to bring down.
I disagree that Burks won't be able to body DBs in the NFL like he did in college. They're stronger in the NFL, but Burks will get stronger as well, and there aren't too many WRs who are 6'2" 225 lbs. One of the things that Burks does well is he knows how to use his body to shield DBs from the ball. In that game, and with most of his games, it didn't matter that he didn't get real separation, he still caught passes, ran away from DBs, broke tackles, and scored TDs. He played in the SEC, not the Mountain West or the Big 12. It's fine that you don't want him. I'm not sure I do any more, since his athleticism isn't what I thought it was. I'm not totally ready to dismiss him yet, however.
