Have at it, comments welcome Round 1: Muhammad Wilkerson DE Temple. Something tells me that Houston and definitely Kerrigan will be gone. I’m not as sold on Jabaal Sheard as other people. I like Wilkerson he projects to be a good defender who can collapse the pocket if needed. I would prefer a pass rusher but we could use the help on the D line. Alternative Pick: Phil Taylor NT Baylor The way I see it, if we are going to address the D line early on we may as well address a position where we have Kris Jenkins who cant stay healthy in addition he and Pouha are 30+. Taylor is looking more and more like the next quality nose tackle. Round 3: Brooks Reed DE/OLB, Arizona This is the Jets pass rusher that we couldn’t get in the first round. He isn’t an amazing pass rusher, but he has a good motor and instincts. I also like he is pretty good at flipping his hips which is awesome for coverage purposes Alternative Pick: Luke Stocker TE, Tennessee I would go with a safety or corner but I just don’t know enough about the group to pick a definitive name. However, I’m getting a little annoyed with having Mulligan or Hartsock as an option in the passing game. Stocker isn’t the “rocked up” WR like Keller, and he isn’t an amazing blocker but he offers more offensively than either Hartsock or Mulligan. Round 4: K.J Wright OLB, Miss State. Wright is one of the top all-around linebackers in this class. He is a nice athlete who can blitz as well as coverage. I really like his athleticism and think if he gets a little more coaching he could do some good things. Alternative Pick: Marcus Gilbert OT Florida I know Vlad Duccase is likely the future at right tackle, but he didn’t see much playing time even after Woody got hurt. Gilbert is a huge tackle who has a good skill set to develop into a right tackle. Also Wayne Hunter is not a spring chicken. Round 5: Terrance Toliver WR, LSU There is a chance that a receiver could be leaving, and we would need a new one. He reminds me a bit of Edwards play from this last year. He isn’t going to wow you with great quickness, but he finds ways to get open and knows how to use his frame for making catches. Alternative Pick: Mike Mohammed ILB, Cal Mohammed is a gritty player with a fantastic motor. He isn’t really athletically gifted but he makes up for it with a great drive. Round 6: Colby Whitlock DT, Texas Tech Perhaps the Ropata Pitoitua of this years class. Whitlock is going to have to “redshirt” because by every account he has to get stronger. Outside of his strength he looks to have all the tools to do well. He is agile and knows how to play the run and blitz. Alternate Pick: Greg McElroy QB, Alabama He seems to be doing ok in Senior Bowl practices thus far. He doesn’t have great mechanics but he has played in a pro style and he is a good game manager. Clemens is gone, and Brunel is better suited for simply “advice”. Round 7: Josh Jasper K, LSU Yeah whatever taking kickers is stupid. I still don’t have tons of faith in Nick Folk even though he was clutch in the postseason. Josh Jasper epitomizes Rex Ryan confidence. Before the game he has his teammates sign a dollar bill which he keeps under his sleeve to show he is “money”. Jasper is also a pretty good kicker Alternative Pick: James Brewer OT, Indiana Not an impact player but you can’t coach 6-6 323.
I would be shocked if Reed is there in the 3rd round. His stock seems to be climbing after showing well at the Senior Bowl. nice mock though.
I like Wilkerson in the first round, but the alternate selection I'm not too sure about - I just feel like you can get serviceable nose tackles later in the draft. If we drafted Luke Stocker in the third round, I'd be pissed - too high to draft a tight end, unless we plan on getting rid of Keller next year. Brooks Reed will most likely be long gone before the third round. KJ Wright has good size, but I don't think he'd be a good fit as a 3-4 OLB. He's just never shown much of anything as a pass rusher. Toliver in the fifth would be a nice pickup. Same goes for Muhammed. I like Colby Whitlock a lot, but I wouldn't compare him to RoPo - I'd compare him to Mike DeVito. James Brewer might become a second rounder. I can't see him being around in the seventh. I don't have a problem with Nick Folk - he was pretty good down the stretch. If we had to take a kicker in the draft, I'd rather get someone like Kai Forbath or Alex Henery. Overall, nice job on the mock.
I like Alex Henery in the 5th or 6th if he's there, but I disagree with the theory of "serviceable nose tackles". The Jets need an athlete at the position, not a body. None of the top 5 teams running a 3-4 have simply a serviceable nose tackle, they have athletes at the position: Pittsburgh, Casey Hampton Baltimore, Kelley Gregg NY Jets, Jenkins/Pouha Miami, Paul Soliai Dallas, Jay Ratliff They are incredibly successful in their positions, and anchor the defense. It can be argued that on a team with average talent on defense the Jets relied heavily on the front three to provide a foundation for the success of the defense. Bart Scott is on the decline. Jason Taylor is done. Bryan Thomas is on the decline. Shaun Ellis is 34, and his contract is expired. Jim Leonhard is coming off a severe leg injury, similar to Leon Washington's injury last season, and is by most respects an excellent safety in a Rex Ryan system. There is no depth behind him. Brodney Pool is talented, but is a liability in coverage; Eric Smith is excellent in run coverage and special teams. Cromartie may not be resigned, and Kyle Wilson struggled his rookie season. The Jets have a lot of needs to address on defense. Not just at nose tackle, but nose tackle is a glaring one.
Thanks, comments are all valid The thing is I don't see KJ Wright as a pass rusher, or at least not the premier one. Like I said he has a good overall skill set who can sort of do it all. Even if he is a guy who only projects for 5 sacks (assuming we had someone getting 10 + across from him) but can contribute in coverage. That works fine for me With Whitlock, I didnt really mean as far as skill set, I meant as a developmental guy to contribute down the road
I've been waiting for somebody new to come around these parts... Athletes at the position, huh? Casey Hampton was a 1st round pick. Kris Jenkins was a 2nd round pick. Sione Pouha was a 3rd round pick. Paul Soliai was 4th round pick. Kelly Gregg was a 6th round pick. Jay Ratliff was a 7th round pick. You just named five very successful 34 nose tackles in the league and only one of them was a first round pick. Now that you see where these players were selected, try to tell me that you can't find talent at the NT position late in the draft. (By the way, Bart Scott isn't on the decline.)
i didn't say you couldn't draft a nose tackle in the later rounds, but the players I listed are beyond "serviceable"; they are franchise players at their position regardless of their draft status. now if you are saying that their are nose tackles equally as talented as Phil Taylor later in the 2011 draft, name one besides Kendrick Ellis; because those are the only two that I see that fit in the Jets 3-4 scheme.
Phil Taylor is incredibly overrated. Stanford's Sione Fua and Notre Dame's Ian Williams are two guys that come to mind.
Mr. Electric, I saw your response to Kid Supreme, but I still don't understand your wanting to accept a "serviceable" NT, when it is arguably THE most important position in the 3-4 alignment. At the other most important position in the alignment, pass-rushing OLB, they have players that are way below average. It is amazing what this D has accomplished with average or below average players at the two key positions. It is a credit to Rex, but is why they cannot get over the hump and to the SB and why they cannot generate any consistent pressure on the QB. I'm not saying that one has to use one's first round pick on an NT, but I think one should find the best prospect one can at the position due to it's importance and being at the center of the defense. Pouha has played well, but is 32 and has been stated, we cannot count on Jenkins or Tevaseau. There needs to be a sense of real urgency about finding a quality NT to rotate with Pouha in 2011 and replace him in a year or so. It would be even better if the kid could beat out Pouha for the starting position and be an upgrade. Even if Jenkins is back and by some miracle manages to stay healthy for the entire season, he most certainly won't be back next season. The Jets have to have someone groomed and ready to take over. At Pouha's age and with the steady pounding he's been taking, we don't know when his play could quickly begin dropping off. Due to the importance of the position and the increased number of teams playing a 3-4 alignment, one cannot count on finding anything more than "a body" with the requisite size to throw at the position later in the draft. Particularly with the Jets so close, they can't wait 2-3 years for a kid to develop or turn out to be only a middling prospect. They cannot afford to have a draft like last year's where for all intents and purposes, they got absolutely no production or impact from their draft class. The players they draft have to come in and produce immediately. They have too many needs if they truly hope to overtake Pittsburgh, Baltimore and even NE. With all the draft picks NE has and the way their kids on D improved during the year, they will be right back there, probably as tough as ever. Unless the Jets have a great draft and are able to re-sign most of their FAs, they are going to take a step backwards. Part of the problem with both Bradway and Tanny is that they wait until the last minute to find replacements for aged players. Then it becomes critical and the rest of the NFL knows what they need. It limits their ability to move up or down and/or use deception and allow a player to fall to them. I believe that is part of the reason that Tanny then trades up, and we all know that the Jets cannot continue to have 3-4 player drafts, now matter how good a quality the #1 pick is. It is also why the Jets are then forced to overpay for older FAs like Pace and Faneca who are either on the downside of their careers or were never that good to begin with. IMO with their #1 pick the Jets should be looking for the player that will have the greatest impact and if possible fills their greatest need on D. Hopefully, that player will be a pass-rushing OLB. If not, I think NT is their next biggest need and the position where a player can make the biggest impact. They have a lot of options at DE: DeVito, Gilbert, Dixon, Pitoitua, Kroul and Ellis.
First time I read the draft, I didn't notice the Alternative picks..I thought you saw us getting Wilkerson, Taylor, and Reed lol. Reed could turn out to be a 1st Rounder by draft time though. I like the McElroy pick in the 6th. I never thought about it, but backup QB is a pretty serious need, if Clemens is out.
1) I'm very intrigued by the Wilkerson pick. As I've mentioned in another thread I think he can become a viable option if better (as of now in the draft process) prospects like Watt, Heyward and Houston don't drop. Both Wilkerson and Taylor will have to fortify their stock to be considered BPAs by the time the Jets pick... but I can see both of them having good combines and cementing that late 1st rd status. Speaking of NTs I wonder how well Powe will workout at the combine. 3) You might have been a little optimistic because I don't think neither Reed nor Stocker will be there with our 3rd rd pick (it's a very low 3rd rounder). That said many things can change from now 'till draft day... and for what I've seen now they'd both be good picks. One question I have is how physical does Stocker play? I know he's big but he's not known to be a Gronkowski... Maybe I'd prefer going S instead of TE just for the fact I think some talent (like Williams 'cause of the injury) might fall. After those picks I have no idea... except for the fact I'd like a slot WR (like Dane Sanzenbacher or Maehl) instead of a big guy like Toliver and I like the idea of drafting a kicker if a good one drops to our pick.
The nose tackle is not the most important position in Rex Ryan's 3-4. Jay Ratliff, Sione Pouha, Kelly Gregg, and Paul Soliai were late rounders that developed into damn good players at the position. If he stays healthy, Sione Pouha will be a Jet for at least three more years. This team needs a guy that can work in a rotation with him. Pouha hasn't played THAT much football. His body doesn't have the same wear and tear on it that most 32 year olds have. How do you know we can't count on Martin Tevaseu? He's got great size and he's strong. You don't call up a player to play in a conference championship game if he can get the job done. I feel like I'm saying this a hundred times a week: Sione Pouha is incredibly underrated at the position. He was an unsung hero on this defense. I rarely see NYJ fans give him any credit. Where did this "replacement" idea come from? I think Kris Jenkins will be back and he'll be ready to play. He'll be a rotational guy at best, but if he signs a smaller contract, I'd have no problem having him on the roster as a short-yardage lineman. Like I said earlier, Pouha hasn't taken the same beating as the majority of the league's 32 year olds. No, they're not. Our team is here to stay - we're going to be contenders as long as Rex Ryan is in town. You gotta stop being afraid of New England. The Jets are 3-2 against those faggots with Mark Sanchez at the helm. My head is on the verge of exploding. How are you going to knock Sione Pouha was being "old" and then call Shaun Ellis an option? RoPo's coming off a serious injury, DeVito's an overachieving rotational player, Jarron Gilbert, Marcus Dixon, and Matt Kroul are unknown practice squad players. Nose tackle is not a bigger need than defensive end. [/head explosion]
IMO I think Brooks Reed is still under the radar. Even if he isnt their in the third I still see him as a late round 2 prospect at best
I have a feeling in a month or so Brooks Reed is a guy the Jets are going to be looking at in the 1st round. Could even be a guy the Jets are thinking about in the TGG 7 rounder...hmmm... And to piggyback off of Mr. E, the way the nose tackle plays in Rex's system is a 2 gap player. Guys that can move laterally are more important then penetrators. Not that you can plug anyone in there, but if a guy is strong enough, think Kelly Gregg, he doesn't have to be the traditional 330lbs.
I don't think Rat should be mentioned in the same breath as the others, he's a Bum Phillips' NG, not a regular two gap NG. He's suppose to penetrate opposed to absorbing...
Gotta tell ya, I've been screaming for us to draft a high-pick NT for the last 2 years, but you've made some pretty convincing points here.
