Our needs on the defensive side are numerous. Yes the Jet's have the #1 rated defense.....but were playing a game of fool's gold. Rex is using smoke and mirrors to get the best out of our defensive players. Eventually, the well will run dry, if we don't upgrade real soon....youth and depth. The age of our premier D-line players is above 30. The role-players have filled in well, but aren't the long term solution. The Linebackers are set in the middle, concerns of an outside force still abounds. The secondary except for Revis, is one huge question mark. I do believe Lowery is going to develop into a solid, but unspectacular player. The safety positon is a question mark with Rhode's status. I like Leonhard & Smith, good solid players that do well supporting the run, but lack coverage skills. We really don't have a Safety on our roster that excels in coverage, I thought Rhodes would be that person...I was wrong, what a pussy. Rhodes got his payday and is coasting . A player like DeAndre McDaniel or Darrell Stuckey would improve our secondary, both players have shown the ability to play in coverage. The Jets are couple of years away from contending and anyone who thinks different is in fantasyland. A rookie QB, lack of a slot WR (we could use Chrebet), aging defense, lack of depth in the secondary, no pass rush......Jets need Draft picks..not quick solutions.
Yes, the Jets need to add a passrusher, but this draft is so deep at the position I honestly don't see the need to invest a high pick on one. We could get a guy in the middle rounds that might only be a little bit worse than some of the players going in rd 2. What I honestly think will happen is that Rex will identify a handful of guys that he likes and make sure that we get one of them, whether it's in the 2nd round or the 7th.
I actually would rather Norwood than Hughes because of his versatilty, i just have this feeling that he is going to to be under valued and chosen later than he should kind of like David Harris. Dont get me wrong i love Norwood as a prospect i just think at the end of the day Hughes will be chosen higher than Norwood.
An NFL scout analyzes Brandon Graham’s game: • NFL position: 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker • Draft grade: First or second round • Plays like: Colts DE Dwight Freeney. “He may not be as fast as Dwight, but he has the motor. And I say that effort is something that you can’t coach it. Guys either have it or they don’t.” • Plusses: “He comes off the ball really, really well. Does a good job of keeping his pad level down and plays with a high motor. Dude is just non-stop. He’ll chase things down from the backside. They even have him drop a little bit in coverage, so he’s kind of versatile. … That’s his forte, frustrating the passer. I think he’s got a little bit more attributes about himself. … He really is a strong guy. And just a great kid. You go to Michigan and talk to people about him, this kid is one of the best character kids off the field. Nice kid. … If you would look at him on film, you would never think that he’s as nice as they say he is.” • Minuses: “Maybe a little bit stronger at the point versus the run. He tends to have some issues with runs right at him because he’s not a big 6-4, 6-5 guy, 310-pound guy. … His height is the thing that may hold him back a little bit because he tends to get engulfed sometimes by those bigger offensive tackles, But his initial quickness is definitely a plus. Once he gets those tackles turned kind of sidewise or lunging and trying to overextend, then he can get around them.” • Overall: “We just kept running the film back and looking at situations and looking at things that he did when it wasn’t even making a play, just seeing how he’s trying to get there when the play’s on the other side and he’s passing up other guys that are jogging and 55’s running past them. If they had (a few more) guys playing like he plays with the effort he plays, they’d be a good football team. They wouldn’t be trying to fight to get bowl eligible, they’d already be that.” This Guy already plays like a jet!. Graham is arguably the best outside linebacker in the nation. Brandon is very aggressive and he has the ability to slip blocks in the box and make plays. Always arrives to the football in a nasty mood. Quick enough to play sideline-to-sidline. Very smooth and fluid in his footwork.
Maybe the best 3-4 OLB, there are better OLBs than Graham......Lewis & Weatherspoon to name a few. I like Norwood better, but they are different players. Norwood is a better off the edge rusher and plays with finesse (still strong for his height) and faster than Graham. Graham with his strenght pentrates the backfield to make plays. Too many people just don't have the knack of recognizing a football player. Graham looks every bit the part....always hustling, being aggressive and a sure tackler. For a big man, Graham moves very well. I don't think I would compare Graham to Freeney. Graham reminds me of Cliff Avril....even better. IMO, Lions are playing Avril out of postion and he would be an even better 3-4 OLB. At this point in time, I don't think Graham breaks into rd 1, but would be gone by our 2nd rd pick. Graham's combine will determine his draft position. If the Jets draft Graham, Jetfans won't be disappointed.
He seems much better suited for a 4-3 team.....weakside. A team like Philly, Saints or Giants may be looking at Sean.
You know what'll help the pass rush? Getting someone to play across from Revis Christ once Sheppard leaves town after this season's over.
We certainly aren't lacking coverage sacks this season. What we need is a guy who wins 1 on 1 matchups on a consistent basis, someone who can apply pressure on his own without needing a scheme or a 6 man blitz to do so. The lack of such a pass rusher is the reason we have to send the house on pretty much every 3rd down with overloads and db-blitzes. Giving Rex a pass rushing terror off the egde gives our D a whole new dimension.
Just popping in this thread to say one thing regarding George Selvie. Back in 2005, Elvis Dumervil was an absolutely ridiculous pass-rusher. When draft-day rolled around, people focused on measurables such as his height and weight far more than his production. He slipped to the 4th round and was a solid DE. Now as a 3-4 OLB, he's become a phenomenal pass-rusher. All the draftniks said he was a tweener without a position and he was a very good player at both! I'm not saying to ignore the Combine and height/weight etc. when putting together your team, but its dangerous to ignore production at a high level. Unfortunately, Selvie has had a big drop in production this season so its not a perfect analogy, but I think the epic failure of Gholston shows you can't put 100% weight in the combine either. Perhaps its me tying two Big East players together just because I watch this conference more than anything, but I would absolutely love to take a flyer on Selvie.
Comparing Dumervil to Selvie makes no sense. Elvis Dumervil was ridiculously productive as a two year starter at Louisville. He wasn't drafted high because at 5'11, he's incredibly short for a front seven defender. Selvie had one big season and he's done absolutely nothing sense. I think he can be a situational pass rusher for some team, but in my opinion, he's just too light to take on NFL blockers.
Yup... I think that's it... get a bad-ass pass rusher playing opposite to Pace and you have those 2 OLBs with Jenkins pushing from the middle... that should get a QB to throw it away fast!
norwood was consistent in college all four years , in what round do you think he goes? edit: consistently productive
too much of a reach for the first and most likely not available in the second but if he drops i'd love to see the jets grab this kid. Productive players > physical freaks
I don't think Eric Norwood can be considered a reach if we take him in the first round. If the Jets win Sunday, we're a playoff team...so we'll have a pick in the 20s. That's where Eric Norwood SHOULD be drafted.
Norwood is a late 1st rd pick, if he slips into mid-round 2, I would be shocked. One of the nation' s top pass rushers, an incredible motor. I would have loved to see Norwood on a defense that had more talent than SC, it would have been scary.
Ehh, USC has some talent on defense. Offense was really the problem this year. Statisically, South Carolina had a very good defense. Eric Norwood played all over the place this season because of injuries. The guy played 43 OLB, 43 MLB, 43 DE, 34 OLB, 34 ILB and some DT. Instead of making that list, I shoulda just said he played every position possibly in a normal front seven. When Carolina switched to the 4-2-5 defense, Norwood played linebacker. The 4-2-5 was a must after LB Rodney Paulk went down. Norwood was the only player in the back seven that weighed over 210 pounds. Teams started to key on him and a lot of the time, offensive linemen would get to the next level and take him out of the play. The 4-2-5 wasn't very effective against strong rushing teams like Bama and Tennessee. DE's Cliff Matthews and Clifton Geathers will be serious NFL prospects next season. The only inexperience on the team was at corner, freshman Stephon Gilmore will be first rounder if he stays on track. CC Whitlock and Akeem Auguste are also good corner prospects. The Gamecocks have a ton of talent at every position...except defensive tackle and that hurt Norwood a bit. I wish the Cocks had a legitimate SEC nose tackle like Mount Cody, Kade Weston, or Dan Williams. That made a difference this season. I'd definitely take Norwood over Kindle and Hughes.
I never said SC was a terrible defensive team, they are good, not great. I was making the point Norwood would be an even better player on an elite defensive team, such as Bama. Norwood was head & shoulders better than any other Gamecock on defense. The Gamecocks are overmatched against elite teams. Tenn, Ark, Georgia..... they gave up alot of yards and their offense can't play catchup. I was impressed with the Gamecock's effort vs Clemson. I really like Geather's NFL potential, if he keeps his head on straight and stays out of trouble. Gilmore did look good for such a young player.
