Anybody who consistently watched FSU last year, who pissed away an easy path to the NC game mostly bc of EJ Manuel, would vomit if we selected him anywhere before the 3rd round. And taking a finesse Guard with a top ten pick, when the best Guard prospect in decades was selected in the teens, is even more absurd. Whitney Mercilus, anyone?
I love Manuel and want him in the 2nd rd, but I disagree with your reasoning. The two are mutually exclusive. Just because the Jets (may) think he's the QB of the future doesn't absolve the pick from being a reach. I'm not gonna sit here and say it would necessarily be a bad reach, but I still believe it's a reach nonetheless. Just a difference of opinion.
Manuel is a project. He has a great arm and he's a great athlete but he's not a passer. Does he work his way through progressions, does he secure the football, does he panic as soon as he's pressured? He has the raw skillset that would make anyone excited but he's a long way from being a solid nfl passer.
Reach is the most over used word by people that want to sound smart about the NFL draft. If you can't get your guy the next time you pick then its not a reach. Sure a trade down is sometimes the best situation but it isn't as easy as just trading down. You think the Dolphins are disappointed reaching for there guy? Hell no they're not, the fans now have hope and the team now has hope all because they reached for their guy last draft. I support Idzick reaching for his guy, he just better be right.
Totally agree on this. Player values aren't in stone somewhere. Every team values a player differently - totally subjective. Only real test of how successful a draft was can't be done for several years.
This is pretty much the mantra for all teams looking at quarterbacks. I dont agree with the selection but I understand it. Cant find a real sexy pick in the group but they are all good picks
Manuel reminds me of Josh Freeman more so...inconsistent, problems with ball security, middle of the pack arm, good leader. Its no surprise I did not like Freeman coming out of KSU so I can see why I am fan of neither guy. The one thing I'll give Manuel credit for is he BALLED vs ND in the Champs Bowl and did it while with a messed up leg. He's tough as hell and really willed his team to get that win even though that ND D doesn't compare to last year's and our offense should have had a better game that day. Then another game of his I see and he lets Mike Glennon and the Wolfpack defeat him after putting up a meh game. Consistency with Manuel is so frustrating....I am usually weary of those types of QBs in the NFL. However, I don't see what WW85 did wrong. If you like a QB high enough, you take him without any questions regardless of the spot. I remember I was of the minority who liked Locker on here....and while I was surprised with how high he went, I could also understand the pick and felt he could help the Titans. I'm not a fan of making a mock draft for the sake of being different but that's only because I totally see Idzik being a safe, sure drafter and if going chalk is the best way to go, then why change a single thing?
My biggest complaint with Manuel is the idea of him being a luxury/project pick. Can we say with all certainty that Manuel is better than the large crop of QBs all coming out next year (McCarron, Boyd, Bridgewater, Manziel, etc) If the answer is yes, then I would accept a QB pick early. I think we'll have the flexibility, cap-wise and pick-wise to grab almost whoever we want next year, and if Rex leaves, I'd believe a new coach would want to pick his own QB. So, IMO, we should look another direction at this time than a 1st-round QB.
It's hard to get excited about a guard and a project QB in the first round, but the offense needs help and two big athletic guys might be that help. Also, Sanchez will probably be cut after this season and someone has to replace him. Good quarterbacks won't fall fram the sky right into the team, so Jets will have to take a chance somewhere, although the 13th pick is a steep price to pay for Manuel. Overall I would be fine, but not excited.
But using that theory you could say something like, the Jets love Lattimore and he is the RB of the future therefore we're taking him 13th overall.
I am not sold on Manuel especially that high. I do however agree with the Bill Polian philosophy that you take your guy where you think he belongs not where somebody else thinks he belongs. I just don't want to see the Jets invest that much in a franchise QB when I'm approaching this season as Rex's last with the team. (This is just my opinion) I love the Cooper pick although I think Warmack is the better of the 2. If you think the Jets will also run the WCO next year than Cooper is the pick but he is an elite talent so I think regardless of the offense it's almost a can't miss pick. Jefferson out of Nevada, I know a lot of Nevada fans who thought he should have stayed. They think he didn't reach his potential and he had some fumble issues. The Wolpfack have also had some very highly productive RB's under Ault (Kretchmeyer, Luke Lippincott and Vai Tua) taht haven't had NFL careers. I think Jefferson is a product of Chris Ault more so than him being a legit NFL talent but if we take him in the 6th can anybody really shed too many tears about that?
I hate the guard at 9, but otherwise a really solid draft. I don't dispute that we need one early, but I realize that absent trades, it's going to be hard to find an immediate starter. Cooper is a nice player. I like Manuel. He seems like a smart kid that's going to put in the work, and his measurables are off the charts. I've been impressed by his maturity and his tape. I think he'll be a solid player.
It's not the same. You can get Lattimore later in the draft with one of your picks. Manuel will not be around at 39.
You got balls of steel, WW85. I love EJ Manuel. But only at something like 25 or lower. I'm completely on board with Cooper at 9. He & Warmack (who I had in my mock) are practically the 2 of the 4 surest things in this draft (next to Joeckel and Fisher). That doesnt necessarily mean that all the others are crapshoots. I just think all 4 of those have All-Pro stamps in their future. No Earl Wolff???? EDIT ---- no way Gratz is there in the 5th. He wont get out of the 3rd round.
I don't think Cooper's is "just as good" as Warmack because I don't think he is as complete a player. Yes, there's all the talk about Cooper's athleticism, his quick pulling guard feet and all, but when it comes down to it, not every play is going to call for some 'balletic' guard to pull. There are still the nuts & bolts fundamentals of OL play that need to be considered: the crushing run blocker who keep drives going on those 3rd & 1's, the ability to "stone" pass rushers with country strong, stand-up strength ALONG with the Cooper-like ability to pull and move in space in order to get to the next level (read: Warmack literally "walking" Manti Te'o's ass down the field on Lacy's TD in the BCS championship). What slight edge Cooper may have in the 'quick feet' department, Warmack imo makes up for it in that besides his ability to dominate both in run and pass blocking, he also plays faster than his FORTY YARD dash at the combine might suggest. While strong in his own right, Cooper did play at around 295 lbs as a senior and I'm not sure how that's going to translate to the NFL, especially as a game wears on. Warmack on the other hand plays big in a big man's game. Beast...and, with the ability to pull. The complete package who played (and dominated) against the best competition in the S.E.C. -- just my 2 cts. Overall, a mock with a lot of tempting picks (though not crazy about EJ). The Beast: [youtube]Ytbh2ikyKcA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no A wasted first round if there ever was one. OMG that would send me to the psych ward. A guard at 9 and the crowd would burn down Radio City Music Hall. I don't even want to comment on Manuel. Take Nassib or even Barkley before Manuel.
I don't want to sound like an asshole but have you even watched these players before? I sincerely doubt it if you think Cooper at 9 or Manuel over Barkely/Nassib isn't warranted. Comments like these give me such a headache.
Why Yes I Have You always have to be worried about players shooting up the draft espically after the combine. See Vernon Gholston and way before him Mile Mamula. No guard is worth the 9 pick in the draft not in this day and age. Look at Brandon Moore he was a Pro Bowler and he was a free agent converted defensive lineman. DeCastro was better than both the top guards in this draft and went 24 I believe to Pittsburgh. We have more pressing needs than a guard so unless that guard is gonna rush the ball into the endzone, throw a TD pass or catch a TD pass we do not need one at 9. Idzik should be driven right to La Guadia if he made that pick in the first round. That is the problem with the internet and these stuipid mock drafts. The buzz says we need a guard and a bunch of wannabe draft guru's say yeah we need a guiard and let's waste the highest pick we have had in a decade on a guard.
Barkley Is Better Than Manuel I've watched him since he was a freshman and he can make ALL the trows. He had a moron as a coach in Lame Kiffin but the talent he had around him is better than the Jets talent at the skill positions. Marquis Lee and Robert Woods are good receivers.
See but heres where you're wrong on a few things. DeCastro is NOT better than Cooper/Warmack, when you compare them both and go back to watch their games its clear they are on the elite level. DeCastro was a VERY GOOD player, these guys are ELITE. I dont care what position it is (besides punter, kicker, and fullback) when you're ELITE at your position in a draft, you can be considered in the top 10 or so. And this whole "catch a touchdown, run in a touchdown, or throw a touchdown" concept is ridiculous. The game is won in the trenches, having an elite offensive line is one of the key elements (or THE key) to all the recent upcoming great teams (49ers, Seahawks, Houston, etc). I'd much rather take a guy who I know is going to be exceptional at his position at 9 than a gamble like Nassib, Barkley, Mingo, etc. This isnt some "draft guru" hype, its reality, football reality. These guys have proven to be incredible talents, ones of which dont come along each year.
