Me too, but Wesco was a 4th round pick, while Sills went undrafted. Sills had about 1k yards and 15 tds... is 6’3”+... And tested athletically about the same as Mohammed Sanu. I would have preferred Sills in the 7th to the Rutger CB. Seems Mac will only draft players with injury, character or other concerns once past round 1. The history of injured players he’s drafted is extensive and I can’t really think of one that has panned out... maybe Enunwa (but he tends to get injured).
I definitely agree about taking a WR in the 6th/7th rather than Austin.Though ill say that those who are familiar w the CB seem to think he can be very good & its a need. There were other WRs than Sills though.Harmon,Johnson,Davis,Morgan Jr.I watched acouple of his better games & came away unimpressed. Very straight line & nothing really stands out physically other than the size. Mac has an economics background & loves to “buy low”.What easier way to accomplish that than w players who slip due to injury in a league where very few play a full 16 games? But like you said it hasnt worked.
I think your summarily dismissing UDFAs as camp bodies is short-sighted and a mistake. NFL teams fairly frequently find gems as UDFAs. UDFAs can become solid starters, and I think some have been All Pros, and there may even be a few who have become HOFers. When one needs depth at a position group like WR, and there are WRs who were very good in college and who put up multiple 1,000 yard seasons, it certainly could behoove one's self to sign as many of those players as one can to increase one's chances of finding one who will stick and can contribute. Why do you fail to mention all of the DL UDFAs Mac has signed? He has signed 6 DL and we have little or no need on the DL. Were the DL UDFAs really that much better than the UDFA OL or CBs or WRs? If so, ok, but if not, then it could be that Mac is still just obsessed with the DL and yet again ignoring the importance of upgrading the OL, even if it's just upgrading the depth.
By no means am i defending the DL obsession w MAC that has developed basically since Wilk left...but here are some theories as to why.. 1. MAC doesnt want to give the perception that the team’s biggest strength prior to his arrival became a weakness under his watch 2.Sheppard & Fatukasi are colllosal busts 3.The change in the scheme up front is requiring more bodies These are just some ideas.Not sure why DL is getting fixated on so strongly. Its frustrating that DL was the strength when MAC arrived yet 5 years later its his chief pet project.
Those are good theories. #3 sounds the best. It's certainly better than hoping for #2 or thinking that Mac is just obsessed with DL for some weird reason.
I am sure there are a couple of outliers who have had good NFL careers, but given the # of UDFAs signed every off-season it's extremely rare. I'm sure there are more make the roster and contribute then even players drafted after round 1 during to the sheer # of UDFAs signed. It's a great place to find a #4 Reciever, rotational players, but it's rare to land a starter, and I won't even attempt to guess the odds of finding a HOFer. I pointed out the offensive players because you listed all the Defensive players and omitted the offensive players, then insisted I was wrong when I mentioned them claiming they were not signed.
As I said it's rare, but one can find them. One certainly won't find them if one doesn't sign them. EDIT: It's interesting to take a cursory look at how many UDFA OL other teams have signed. Some of these teams who signed quite a few UDFA OL either already have good OLs or drafted 2-3 OL as well as signed several UDFA: (Patriots 3, Eagles 4, Cowboys 3, Steelers 2, Chiefs 2, Chargers 4, Bears 4, Lions 3, Falcons 3 after drafting OL with their 1st two picks in the draft, Saints 3, Bucs 2, Rams 3, Niners 2, Seahawks 2)
i understand the concern about udfa players. but, there is a lot of time left and those guys up in foxborough usually are very successful going dumpster diving , signing other team';s cuts before the season starts. hopefully, gase and williams can advise mac about players they know on other teams that we could get later to help us.
Patriots, and Eagles had good lines last year but who did they lose? That has to be factored in as well. The rest were above above avg lines to very bad. The Chargers O line? Really? If the Chargers O line is your definition of good, you should be happy with the Jets O Line Jets drafted 1, signed 2 We Currently have 15 D lineman to 14 O lineman. And the off season is just beginning. There will be plenty more bodies rotated through camp, possible trades, which Mac had shown a willingness for in the past. There's a limit to how many players you can have on the roster. Can't just sign an infinite # . personally going to wait and see how the final roster looks before blowing a gasket proclaiming the off-season a bust and the season over.
I started out naming just teams with good OLs, but obviously went on to include almost every team in the NFL. I should have edited/changed my text to indicate that. Thanks for pointing that out. I will edit accordingly. As far as comparing our OL to DL, seriously? You can't even being to compare the two! How many of the DL were 1st round picks or high draft picks compared to the OL? Comparing total numbers of players at a position group at this time of year mean nothing. It's about quality, not quantity. The offseason is not just beginning. FA is pretty much over. The draft is over. Those are the two best ways in which to add talent, fill holes and improve one's roster. Camp cuts and post draft cuts are the worst ways, and the talent there is generally older, or never good to begin with. No gaskets blown here, but imo something is wrong if a Jets fan isn't very concerned with the center position at this point, especially given Mac's track record.
Just compared #s 14 vs 15. Not when drafted or anything else. I'm sure the majority of teams in the league have more D players drafted higher then o lineman on the roster as well. Macs record shows he is willing to trade for a player , he traded for Marshall, Clady, Fitz ,Damario Davis, Kearse , Henrey Anderson, several others as well. If Gase, (who was extremely complimentary of Harrison) doesn't think he has a center, Macs track record would indicate he will try to work a trade for one. The Saints could be a potential trade partner for a Center. Time will tell.
All of these UDFAs are long shots, but many tend to stick, whether rostered or practice squad. Robby Anderson and Middleton have been two of the better ones Mac has found. Lawrence Thomas started at DE before switching to FB. Frankie Luvu will get another shot this year. And I’d love to see the team give Jalin Marshall one more tryout. Looked good in the AAF and I think could backup Crowder in that versatile slot role that Gase likes to employ. In terms of this years crop, the two OLs are interesting and will have a good opportunity but who knows. I’d like to see the salaries. Usually can tell who has the best shot by how much the team gave to get them signed over other teams.
I'm looking forward to following WR Jeff Smith this off-season. He has good size and tremendous speed @ 4.34. This may not be his year but I hope he can, at minimum, make the PS and continue to develop. He has potential to replace Robby as the deep threat should he walk after this year.
