I am not trying to compare Walker to those guys. Just that it’s common for players to struggle against behemoth tackles, especially when they aren’t speed rushers. I would obviously want big production from a rusher at 4 too. But does not seem like there are many options.
i'm not saying take Walker, but if you are considering it you should look out the front window and not rear view mirror issue will be whether they think they can coach him up. Great size and speed.
I get this and I agree that Walker's production doesn't warrant taking him at 4 in a vacuum, but the reality is that he is going to be gone by 10 so if we want him we have to take him at 4.
Keep in mind the guy who wrote this article is the one calling himself an ex-scout. I've read a bit about him previously and it struck me that he was a glorified coffee runner with the Jets. Pretty sure scouts make more that $21,000 a year but that is what he was making. I'm not saying he doesn't have any insight but I think we probably have quite a few posters on this site with just as good or better insight.
Walker is a tough evaluation because on the field he was good but not great. His athleticism is off the charts but his motor/football iq is average. The thing is he could be Danielle Hunter or Vernon Gholston… that’s the problem. He’s a low floor/high ceiling player.
I wouldn’t have ever thought Travon would rise as high as #4, but I see a few flaws in the guy’s analysis and wish I had more information. I do totally buy into the theory that drafting a workout warrior is recipe for failure. See Vernon Gholston. See Dewayne Robertson. BUT, Travon’s post-season rise wasn’t all based on his Combine performance. He was also reported to have a dominant week of Senior Bowl practice, so his Combine was looked at as confirmation. I've said this before, but if you're looking solely at stats, Travon played both end and tackle as part of a heavy line rotation. You can't not consider that when looking at his stats. I'd also like to see his snaps-per-game stats because, as with most of UGA's 2021 games, two of the games this scout watched were over by the second quarter, so UGA was subbing in backups most of the second half. Of the four games this guy says he watched, Clemson and Kentucky would be two exceptions, so that was good. The seventh best defensive tackle in the draft? I'd like to see the stats of the guys he ranks 3 - 6 if you put them on a defense filled with NFL draft picks and tons of speed off the edge. Travon was always considered the Georgia DL with the highest draft potential.
Interesting and right on cue. Bucky Brooks just put out his latest mock, with Travon Walker climbing all the way to #2 and the Jets taking Sauce Gardner at #4 and Kyle Hamilton at #10. I could live with that. Although, given the options he gives at #4, I'd prefer Evan Neal. My two cents.
I good with Sauce at 4, but will be very disappointed with Hamilton at 10. I'd much rather address safety on day 2/3.
I think a 1st round of Sauce and Hamilton or one of those two and London are the only two 1st rounds that would have me fit to be tied and think JD had lost his mind. I would absolutely hate either of those 1st rounds.
I'm hoping the Jets trade for one of the WRs from the Titans and Seahawks, without losing # 4 & #10. I can understand drafting a WR at # 10 if no trade occurs. I prefer getting a CB and Edge with the 1st 2 picks. JD preaches building the lines, difficult to think he wouldn't address one of them in Rd 1.
Hamilton is a very good safety, but I'm not getting the hype that puts him in the top 5. Sauce's tape screams out top 5 to me. We need a great receiver. If JD thinks he can get one in round 2, then I'd be fine with Sauce at #4 and whichever top edge is left at #10. If JD isn't completely confident in a particular round 2 receiver, I'd say Sauce at #4 and Williams at #10. I wouldn't throw a fit if we can get KT at 4 and Williams at 10, but I'm a Sauce fan.
I like Sauce too, but he would be a luxury pick. CB is not a need, and Hall is too good to bench. The upgrade would be minimal. Echols and Dunn have a year's experience in the scheme and NFL and they could be better. Edge and WR are much more important. There's no way the Jets think they can wait until the 2nd round to get a WR. They know that 6-7 WRs will probably go in the 1st round like they did in 2020. They won't get anywhere near a topflight prospect if they do that, and they know that they need to add a topflight WR in the draft since none were really available in FA. LB is a bigger need than CB. They'd be better served taking Dean or Lloyd or Muma than Sauce.
I'd love to add Brown and he might be worth the draft capital it would take, and would love to add Metcalf to our WR corps, but not at the cost of draft capital it would take to get him. That would likely prevent us from getting a FS or LB, or TE, or RB or 2nd WR in the draft, depending upon what picks we had to trade and what round they were in. Brown would cost the same things most likely, but i like him better as a WR, and I think Moore and he would make dynamic duo. Otherwise, I'd rather just draft 2 WRs. We'll have to agree to disagree on CB. I don't see it as a need at all. Hall is too good to bench, and Reed isn't going to be benched. I've also heard that Sauce isn't a good tackler, and if that's true, there's no way we should take him. I don't think we should anyway. He's a great prospect, but a luxury imo. The upgrade from Hall to Sauce would not be that big imo. The upgrade from Jeff Smith or Mims to a WR like Watson, Dotson or Pickens would be sizable. We have an excellent young group of CBs. They have a year's experience in the scheme and in the NFL now, and their play should be better now, especially with the addition of Reed, and a stronger pass rush. I think we should wait until next year, as we may not even need another CB, and I sure wouldn't take one over Edge or WR. Those are still glaring needs, and imo glaring need trumps BPA 10 times out of 10. I agree that JD will address Edge in the 1st round. I'd be surprised if he takes an OT. If so, that means they've got doubts about Becton or about Fant signing an extension. Hopefully, we want have the injury issues that we had last year, but imo we shouldn't take any chances at WR. We can't have Jeff Smith, Tariq Black, Montgomery, or any of those PS level WRs taking the field fhis year or ever again. That's why we need to take two WRs early, and not take the 2nd one on day 3. The WR taken on day 3 may never contribute anything, but even if he does, more than likely it won't be much his rookie season, it would be next year and going forward.
Is he Vernon Gholston without the college production?? 6 sacks with all that speed and athleticism. IDK... The guy we should be talking about is George Karlaftis. Best power rusher in this draft and just turned 20 years old (Hutchinson is nearly 22). He had 14 sacks this year. 38” vertical, 120” broad jump, ran a 4.71 shirtless in sub freezing weather. Is freakishly strong, trains MMA 1 hour every day. Will come in day 1 and never have to question his attitude, work ethic, or desire. Throwback player who would instantly become a fan favorite. The sort of player who the Jets historically pass on only to get picked by the Steelers or Ravens. With that, the Jets did meet with him... so perhaps on their radar.
I agree. Karlafatis was consistently ranked as the third DE up until about a month ago. I'm not sure what was/wasn't seen in him or these other prospects recently to push him down multiple spots in the DE rankings. I think if we trade down from #4, or even trade up from the 2nd round to the late teens-early 20s, we should be ecstatic to pick him up.
IMO Karlaftis was overrated early in the process. I watched a lot of game film on him. He's very raw. On a lot of plays, he was content to just run into an OL and stand there. There was little or no effort to disengage, to find the ball carrier, or to hustle after him. When he did "pursue" the ball carrier (and I use that term lightly), he jogged after the play, didn't run full out. After seeing a video about him and his family on YouTube, it made me think he's just young and raw, and it's not that he is a lazy player who doesn't care. I think he does love the game and will work hard. I think also that as people started watching more film of JJ and Walker, and then seeing how Walker performed at the Combine, and JJ at the Sr. Bowl, the media and fans started changing their minds, as they often do. I doubt that the NFL teams suddenly moved players up or down. I think they pretty much had their basic evaluations done, but final evaluations were never happening until they saw how players performed at All-Star games, did in interview, how they tested at the Combine, and performed at their Pro Days. I think the latter two are basically just to confirm what they already believe. I think it would be rare that the Combine or a Pro Day would dramatically change most NFL teams' rankings. One of those rare exception was probably Ojabo tearing his ACL at his Pro Day. That probably will cause him to drop, but I'm sure that some team will still take him fairly early unless NFL teams never ranked him that high to begin with.
