Okay, I'm going to put these out in 3 installments. First is the offense, then the defense, and then I'll put up a new Jets mock. The 2008 Jets season was a disappointment, and not just in terms of wins and losses. Yes, we fans knew it would be tough to get back to the playoffs following a dismal 4-12 campaign, but a massive free agent binge combined with a very promising draft looked to fill holes and put players in position to make plays. Looking back now, the 2008 season seemed to offer more questions than answers. As the team unraveled down the back stretch of the season, it seems that the Jets would have a long way to go before they could compete for a title. The 2009 Jets team will have plenty of holes that need filling before the season starts next September, and the team’s financial situation is a little dire, given their wanton spending last offseason. The Jets will need to reload through the draft. The following is a presentation of the positions which should be addressed, and the best players to select in order to bring the Jets back to prominence. I am not in the business of draft prognostication, and this should only be taken as a primer, an introduction as to who the Jets could and should select at the draft in April. The biggest question with this team is the quarterback situation. If Brett Favre decides that he wants to come back and play another year, he will undoubtedly be given the chance. However, if he decides to hang ‘em up once and for all, the Jets might have another QB controversy on their hands. Kellen Clemens seems to have fallen out of favor; if not with the new Rex Ryan regime than with the fans. Instead, Brett Ratliff has become the new fan favorite. However, the Jets could just as easily dip into the draft to select their next franchise QB. Only a handful of players are legitimate draft options for the Jets at QB, I don’t see them drafting another 4th rounder with Erik Ainge on the roster. Mark Sanchez will probably be gone before the Jets draft at #17 of the first round, but if he is there, the Jets ought to take a long hard look at the USC product. Though he started for just one full season, Sanchez declared for the draft, probably off the great game he had in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. He’s not the most polished QB, lack of playing time will do that. However, there’s no doubting that he has the physical tools. Sanchez might be a better option if Favre comes back; sitting behind a legend would be a good thing for him. Rhett Bomar was a big time QB prospect out of Oklahoma, but was forced to transfer to Sam Houston State after getting in hot water with some NCAA violations; namely, taking money he didn’t earn. Bomar was good-not great-at Sam Houston, but had a fantastic week of practice at the Senior Bowl, culminating with a solid performance in the game. Bomar should be available in the 3rd round, and has all the tools of an NFL starter. Josh Freeman has been compared to Joe Flacco: both are big strong QBs from not-so-great programs. Now, Kansas State is still a Division 1-A school, but Freeman has played in all of one bowl game; in 2006 as a freshman. Freeman is a physical specimen at about 6’6, 250, and has been productive enough given his surrounding cast to merit a 2nd or 3rd round draft selection. Despite his great arm, questions surrounding his accuracy swirl around Freeman, and his draft stock might slip as a result. I think he’s got big bust potential. One position that certainly didn’t need a fix in 2008 was running back: the tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington combined for close to 1800 yards and 19 touchdowns. However, Jones is getting up there in age, and at 31 entering the 2009 season, his best years are probably behind him. The Jets have too many holes to go for a running back in the first or second round, but this is a deep draft for running backs, and there could be some solid options left in the 3rd or 4th rounds. Shonn Greene is a big bruising back at 235 pounds, but is surprisingly quick in his cuts. Greene is coming off an incredible senior campaign at Iowa that saw reach 100 yards in every game en route to an 1800 yard, 20 touchdown season. If he’s sitting there in the 3rd round, the Jets would be hard pressed to find a better compliment to Leon Washington’s speed. If he runs less than a 4.55 at the combine, though, he’ll be long gone before this pick. Rashad Jennings comes from the D-1 AA Liberty Flames, but has an NFL body. He stands about 6’1, 230, but can really move. I wouldn’t be expected if he runs his 40 time is around 4.5 seconds. The questions about Jennings will be more about his pedigree than anything, because he’s got the numbers and the size. We’ve seen lower tier running backs succeed in the NFL: look at Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook. And if you’re going to question his level of competition, Jennings had a really good Senior Bowl, leading the game with 41 rush yards. He would be a steal in the 4th round. Arian Foster really reminds me of a poor man’s Curtis Martin. He’s not that fast, and he’s not that strong, but he always seems to find the hole and pick up nice chunks of yards. He struggled in his senior season, but as a junior put up great numbers with Erik Ainge at Tennessee; 1200 yards rushing and 39 catches. He might’ve been a 2nd round pick if he came out for the 2008 draft, but could fall to the 5th round this year. He’d definitely be worth a look that late in the draft. Another position the Jets might look to upgrade is wide receiver. Jerricho Cotchery looks like a great #2, nothing more, and Laveranues Coles is starting to slip. While the Jets do have guys like David Clowney and Chansi Stuckey waiting in the wings, they look like little more than complimentary pieces than potential starters. This draft has some real good receivers, especially at the top, and the Jets are likely to take a long hard look at one of them with their 2nd round selection. Derrick Williams was the #1 recruit in the country coming out of high school, and made the decision to try and help resurrect a struggling Penn State program. Well, he led that team to two Big Ten championships in his four seasons, through his great versatility. Williams is not a traditional wide receiver, often lining up in the backfield both at QB and RB, but might be most effective as a kick returner, where he can put his blazing speed to work. Still, he has good enough size, at 6’0, 200, and runs routes well enough to start on the outside and be a great deep threat. He had a great Senior Bowl week, even if he struggled in the game. Kenny Britt exploded onto the national scene with a 1400 yard junior season at Rutgers that led him to declare for the draft early. With 6’4, 215 pound size he’s got the prototypical NFL wide receiver body. He also runs great routes, and helps out in the run game with solid blocking downfield. The only question is whether he has enough speed to separate from defensive backs, and if he can run the 40 well enough at the combine, Britt could easily move himself up to the 1st round. If he falls to the 2nd round, Britt offers, at the very least, a promising red zone target. Louis Murphy looks like a great wide receiver. Though he never really had the opportunity to stand out at Florida, the guy’s about 6’3 210, and has been timed under 4.4 in the 40 yard dash. He had his best season in college this past year, catching 38 passes for 650 yards and 7 TDs, and yes, that’s a 17.2 yard per catch average. Murphy is a great downfield home-run threat type receiver, one who would be better suited for the slot. His lack of productivity in college might lead to a drop in his draft stock, and I’ve seen him pegged as late as the 3rd round in some mocks. The Jets could do far worse with their 2nd or 3rd round selection. Ramses Barden has the best size of any receiver in the draft, standing a whopping 6’6 with a 230 pound frame. The biggest knock on Barden is that he came from Cal Poly, but recently the NFL has seen a trend of small school wide receivers being successful at the next level (Marques Colston, Greg Jennings, and Donnie Avery come to mind). You can’t question Barden’s productivity: he has 2800 yards and 36 touchdowns over the past two seasons combined. Barden might not have elite speed, but according to reports, proved himself at the Senior Bowl. He might fall to the 4th round with a poor 40 time, but if he can run even close to 4.5, with his size, could find himself a 2nd round pick.
