There are no franchise players in the draft and certainly no generational players - there are only prospects.
Tony Vegas tweeting that Jets looking to trade back. Names he heard were Jackson Powers-Johnson and Adonai Mitchell. IMO that's like pick 20 range maybe later. If they trade that far back they better be recouping a lot.
Jackson Powers-Johnson is a great prospect, but why in the hell would they want him instead of an OT? I sure hope he's wrong on this. If JD and Saleh think Smith will stay healthy the entire season or that Carter Warren can handle playing multiple games at LT, then they're both insane or on drugs.
JPJ played in the Senior Bowl which Joe Douglas likes to replace actual scouting with. He selected 4 players from the Senior Bowl the last time the Jets coached that game.
This. And people are losing their shit over a tight end. A tight end, ffs. I have lost count of the number of 'freak' tight ends who have come into the league, only to quietly fade from view.
I wouldn't mind Adonai Mitchell in the back half of round 1 and netting us a second and potentially third round pick. But trading back is easier said than done. If let's say for instance: Alt, Bowers, MHJ and Nabbers are gone who are these teams trading up for?
It should be noted that Rodgers doesn't even throw to his TEs that much either. I have friends that are Packers fans and have watched many games and he mostly goes to his receivers. The Jets themselves haven't had much success with TEs.
Well, Lukewarm and OK are pretty much synonyms, so I will give him a pass for that one . But both guys (Connor and Blewett) are great. I think we can take different things from each one. In general I use Connor as overall draft guide. He watches all the games and knows everyone in the draft. Blewett is more specialized where he also watches games, but would focus on select few prospects he thinks Jets might pick, and he studies every single play in every game of specific player via all 22 multiple times. The value he brings is he can tell exactly where the player is right now. That doesn't mean he can project where he will be in 3 years, but the picture he paints for the guys he studies where they are today is fairly accurate. They don't disagree often. The only time I remember is 2022, where Rogers had Neal in top 5, and Burks top 15. Blewett watched every play and said they have holes and had them much lower. That's doesn't mean Blewett is always right, no one is, but I would not discount his analysis. More importantly he provides the all 22 clips where we can see for ourselves. And what I am seeing is that respected opinions on Bowers vary and the film does not give me warm and fuzzy that he is this can't miss superstar prospect. Couple that with us having an above average starter at TE and a solid back-up both fairly young and the holes in more premium positions, and I think taking Bowers would be a huge blunder akin to McD a year ago.
I'm holding out hope that Nabers is available at #10. He starts immediately in the slot and potentially makes this offense scary. I think we will see Bakhtiari signed here at some point. OT is super important but if Alt is gone, I just don't feel like the other ones are top 10 picks. FTR, I would be pleased with a WR, Bowers or OT - in that order.
I would have to agree with this. IMO, If the goal (which it should be) is to draft a Tackle for the future, then let's go and get best available at 10 which might well be a RT and let him develop for a year. But to think whomever we draft can immediately come in on an emergency and fill the backup LT spot and provide protection to an immobile QB on year one is a massive stretch. After Alt, they all need some development particularly at LT position, and throwing any of them into the fire in typical Jets fashion will be a mistake. I know that this will be hated by many, but either get a backup in free agency that can man the post a few games early on the season or God forbid keep Becton and see how he fairs with the new OL system. His performance eroded when this lame OC team modified the OL approach. Then keep your options open, draft for the long run a T and develop him properly, move down some if the board allows it, or get an immediate contributor at WR or even TE. Say what you will about Bowers blocking, which, after watching our highly vaulted blocking expert penalty machine TE Uz contribute zilch, I can think Bowers would be a massive improvement from day one. He can catch and run like a RB, and has a better YAC average than the top three WRs on this year draft. Not too shabby. A desperate need for us to finally move the chains. Either commit to develop an OL properly or get a play maker at ten. My two cents.
Other than Fashanu, I agree that none of the others are top 10 picks, but we need a future starting OT more than we need Nabers. Think of what that OT could learn from Smith and Moses this season. He'd be ready to start and play at a high level day one next season. I understand your love for Nabers, but imo that shouldn't outweigh our need at LT. Besides, the odds of Bakhtiari being healthy and being able to give the Jets multiple games are less than Smith staying healthy for 13 games. Hopefully, if JD doesn't like Fashanu, or Fuaga or Fautanu, or Latham or Mims enough to take them at #10, he'll be able to trade down 2-3 spots and then take one of them. If JD is going to take a receiver of some sort at #10, I'd much rather him take Nabers than Bowers.
Fashanu is better in pass protection than he is in run blocking. I believe that he could fill in at LT when Smith goes down. Fautanu isn't the best option, especially at #10, but I believe that since he is older and has more experience, he could also step in and play decently at LT this season, but that's far from ideal, and the only way I'd want to draft him is to trade down 3-5 spots and take him. I know little about Charles Leno, Jr. other than he played for the Commanders, but he possibly could be a decent backup. I have zero faith that Bakhtiari would be healthy and able to help the Jets. He's made of glass. He'll go down in practice with a major injury. Unless some other veteran LT gets cut following the draft that is better, it appears to me that the best options are to draft Fashanu or maybe sign Leno or Becton.
I actually agree with you here. While I remain very skeptical about drafting a TE at #10 due to all the previous flops that have occurred when doing that, but if Douglas doesn't feel like any Tackle available at #10 can be used at least in a limited fill in role this year, then yes, taking a great receiver would be a good second choice. And I'm not rigidly against the idea that said receiver has to be a WR...if Bowers is truly everything he's hyped to be, he might well be the best option. But just speaking based on the admittedly limited info I - anyone here - has, I don't feel confident that Bowers won't become another overhyped flop. As to keeping Becton, I mentioned a little while back, that it might not be the worst idea, even though I don't think he's very good, he might well be "night & day) better in the new blocking scheme they're going to use. The problem is that I think Becton wants to be far away from the criticism and treatment he received here, and I doubt whether the Jets can retain him. But you never know.
Someone looking to jump Minny for McCarthy. Thats the only realistic possiblity I see at this time and its low probability as you correctly allude to.
Sometimes these discussions of value drive me nuts. It’s not like it’s a perfect science anyway. I understand if we’re talking about not taking a third round prospect in round one, but the discussion is “well I don’t want him at ten but I’d take him at 15”, to me that’s nonsense. We’re not dealing in absolutes in terms of rating and there are 31 other teams at play each with their own ratings and needs. It’s too hard to predict what will happen…shit, last year moving down only two spots cost us a trade and missing out on a much needed OT. so if we’d be happy with whatever tackle is there for us at 10 I’d say just take him and don’t get cute.
I am VERY concerned with Fautanu, and would not draft him unless we trade back towards the end of 1st round and even then I am not sure. When looking at older prospect (he is almost 3 years older than Fashanu and Latham), turning 24 soon, to me he is supposed to dominate younger competition. Remember when we got JJ at #26? He was older, but he had 14 sacks that year compared to 9 of KT, who was younger by two years and went top 5. Also JJ came into sr Bowl and absolutely dominated, probably the most dominant player there. So I can see taking a guy like that relatively high (and he went #26). But Fautanu top 15 to me is huge reach and will not even help with LT situation. Latham, Fashanu, and Fuaga were all higher rated than him in College and are much younger. Add to that he is under 6-4. Pretty much unanimously projected is a guard based on his play, but then did well at the combine and he is a tackle now? I don't buy it. Older doesn't mean better. I think he is a solid Guard prospect later in the first round, but I just don't see him as a LT or Tackle at all and would not touch him unless true tackle prospects, like Olu, Latham, Mims, Guytion etc, are off the board. I would take Fuaga over him too.
I understand and share your concern with Fautanu. That's why he wasn't included in the best options. He might fall in the "last resort" category. I think he would be a better option than Bakhtiari however even if Bakhtiari is a far superior and proven LT. That is solely because I don't believe that Bakhtiari would be healthy and able to play.
You make a lot of good points, and based on the measurables you argument makes sense, but the fact is that players can't be so neatly measured and judged. Sometimes players with great measurables fail, and sometimes players with lesser measurables go onto HOF careers. There's no way for any of us "armchair GMs" to be able to know enough to say with certainty who will succeed and who will fail. The real determining factors seem to be in character, drive, and commitment to being the best, and how do you accurately measure these? I'm sure that GMs and scouts have their methods of doing this, but it's info they hold tightly to their chest, like all good poker players do. This isn't to say we shouldn't engage in these discussions and arguments here. That's what makes things interesting during the dead time in between seasons, and plus it is a way to learn a lot about the things that can be measured. So who knows if Fautanu will flop, or if he might turn into a great - if unorthodox - Tackle? I do agree though, based on only the things I know, I wouldn't take him at #10.
