CORNERBACK What we have (that matters): Darrelle Revis, 25- Stud, five star, all-pro, best cornerback in the game of football. If he gets any better, he's the best corner of all time. Lito Sheppard, 29- Gone, but could potentially come back at a lower price. Likely not a Jet in '10. Dwight Lowery, 25- A valuable player, but better off as a reserve. Still, he's getting better and will be apart of this team. Donald Strickland, 30- Played really well in the time that he was healthy, but still may be let go. Drew Coleman, 27- A free agent, and he's pretty much terrible. Marquise Cole, 27- Solid special teamer, young enough to keep around in that role. Why it's a need: The Jets are lucky enough to have the best corner in the league, but that doesn't mean that they can forget about the other side. We all saw first hand what the #2 and #3 receivers can do even if Revis locks down the other team's best guy, and the Jets need to fix that problem. The defense got away with a lot because of the pressure they created, but they can't always rely on that. If there was a position that the Jets could find a starter at this late in the first round, it's as the #2 corner, so they could make that their top priority. If they wait and draft a guy to develop it might not be so bad, but I'd imagine they'd want to provide some competition for Lowery, and they don't have the luxury of free agency this offseason. Best possible role: Immediately taking over the starting cornerback role opposite Revis, pushing Lowery to the nickel back spot. Likely role: Competiting for playing time with whoever the Jets bring back at the position, with an eventual battle with Lowery for a starting job. Target Players: (to note, did not include all corners, just those I thought would fit in well) Round 1 Perrish Cox, OK State- The ideal pick, big, very fast and very physical. He's a vocal guy that seems to really like big spots and facing top wideouts. Not afraid to go up and make plays in run support and would excel in a man defense. Kyle Wilson, Boise State- Smaller than Cox, but with similar athleticm. Wilson seems to me like he'd be maybe a more consistent option, but with a lower ceiling. Very smart player, makes plays, and is a jersey kid. Devin McCourty, Rutgers- Dark horse candidate that will likely rise up to about this range. Fast and a great tackler, the only knock is that he needs to get a little bigger. Round 2/Mid Rounds Donovan Warren, Michigan- Skill set of a first round cornerback but never given a chance to really succeed. No surprise he left early to get away from the mess at UM, could easily rise back to Rd 1 with a good 40. Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest- Looks like he's just solid across the board, with only his speed really standing out. Would be a guy that could go late in the 2nd and still be in a good position to start. Amari Spievey, Iowa- Fairly fast and strong, but excels when he gets up in the face of receivers. Speed isn't great though, and not the smartest cornerback in the world. Domonique Franks, Oklahoma- Underrated corner prospect because people didn't pay much attention to the Sooners this year. True man corner with good size and speed. Javier Arenas, Alabama- Smaller corner, but very fast. Would probably be a better fit than his teammate Kareem Jackson. Jerome Murphy, USF- Another Jersey kid, Murphy has great tools and could probably develop into a starter this season. Later Rounds Alterraun Verner, UCLA- Aggressive and smart, he's a 4 year starter at UCLA and had 5 picks last season. Walter McFadden, Auburn- Shined in Auburn's bowl game, housed an INT from about 90 yards or so. Size/speed is pretty good too. Walter Thurmond, Oregon- Injury ruined his senior season, but would have been a much higher pick if he was healthy this year. Crezdon Butler, Clemson- Didn't play as well this year as he could have, but I like his potential. Needs some time to learn though. Brian Jackson, Oklahoma- Great attitude, super aggressive, but has had some struggles. May not be a starter, but would be good as a role corner. Derrick Strait-ish skills. Devin Ross, Arizona- Lightning fast and once a top prospect when he chose to go to Arizona. Could still have a lot of that potential left in the tank.
Notes on guys that didn't make my list: Chris Cook, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, and Myron Lewis, I'm leaning towards safety on all three, the furthest on Lewis. Kareem Jackson, not sure he's a guy that would excel in a pure man scheme. Patrick Robinson, he sucks.
I think Warren is going to go in the first round, I think he is the best corner after Haden (by the way Haden has some big ass ears). I just think Kyle Wilson is what we need I think we need, he is a pure cover corner, and that is what we need we need the guy who is best available to turn, run, and cover these guys. I'm not that high on Cox. Though I do like Ghee
Awesome thread again GH. These are some really good analysis threads. Toast Robinson does suck. I really like Chris Cook as a safety too. AOA will have to run well to get drafted higher than the 6th round.
great stuff. Just going to add: Mark Carrier is Donovan Warren's godfather and the man who told him to leave school. For what it's worth... probably nothing.
Kyle Wilson makes sooo much sense... perfect compliment to Lowery (one is more physical, one is faster) plus he can be a huge factor in the PR too... otherwise I like Franks in the mid-2nd... Love these threads GH PS May I also add that the Strickland will be gone speculation was probably the work of a beat-reporter who had nothing good to write about. He doesn't have any big bonuses coming up... why not keep him at least through TC before eventually releasing him? If healthy he's a good nickel and with Revis, hopefully Wilson, Lowery and Strickland we'd have a kick-ass backfield!
I still think Lowery can be our #2 corner, so I wouldn't mind if we spend our earlier picks on linemen or a linebacker, and picking a developmental CB in the later rounds. EDIT: Of course, it's not like I would complain if we picked up Wilson or Cox.
great thread, this draft is really deep at the positions we need help ... hopefully we'll be able to trade down and still get one of the top-5 man-coverage guys the combine should be fun
Surprised to see no love for Syd'Quan Thompson. My notes on him: Great motor, above average tackling and wrapping up. Great at playing the run. Doesn't shy from hitting. Good recovery speed and ball awareness. Good at shedding blocks. Underrated CB in this draft. Wouldn't mind seeing him taken in round 2 (assuming higher rated DBs aren't available), or stolen in round 3.
He's too small and slight for me to not have the top end speed. I think he'll go Rd 4 if he doesn't surprise me and run well.
nfldraftscout.com has him at 4.49s, which, yes, is slow considering his size, but is certainly fast enough for him to be a #2 CB on an NFL team's depth chart. He needs to improve slightly on his man-to-man, but his physicality fits right in with a Rex Ryan style defense. I would love getting him in round 4, but I see him being long gone by then. Of course, all this is predicated on us passing on CBs the first two rounds, which I doubt will happen...
I would love to see the JETS make some move to get rid of Gholston and use their first round pick to move up and get Joe Haden. With him and Revis, we would have the best dynamic duo in the league. But if not, Kyle Wilson would be a solid pick at #29.
considering the Jets needs, and what they may be losing during the offseason, trading up for one guy is not a smart move. Haden is a top 10 pick. The Jets would have to give up way too much for a CB. The Jets need more picks, not less. Wilson is my guy at 29 also.
