Not a clear number one right now. These seem to be the top 3 no particular order. Risner is playing tackle for Kansas state this season but has played center. Projects better as an nfl center. Elgton Jenkins Dalton Risner Erik Mccoy
I disagree regarding Beacham. Ijalana is gone and he sucks anyway. There is no backup at LT, and the Jets aren't going to be able to draft 2. The Jets need to keep Beacham regardless both as insurance and to help mentor the rookie if they draft an LT. I also disagree that he's too expensive. Good LTs make big money. You can make the point that Beacham is overpaid, and I'd agree with that, but $9.5 million for a veteran LT is not too expensive
I hear what you're saying and can't really disagree about the D talent being better at the top of the draft this year, but it's been that way pretty much since Mac was hired. Sooner or later, one has to say, "Eff it! I can't keep drafting D every year just because they're the top-rated players. It's an offensive league, our offense sucks and we need to upgrade our offensive talent."
Is Tyrell Williams really a weapon worth getting? We certainly need to draft a WR. Class is full of potential.
Then you trade back, if you cant do that, especially at the top of that draft, reaching is even worse. You would rather us reach for an offensive player?
I feel like Long was actually a decent signing Yes when he had a fucked up finger he sucked at C But he’s a nice guard and who knows next year he can come back at either spot and flexibility never hurt anyone I’m the only one to think this, but he’s fine for me.
Define "reach". If a player is rated as 1st round talent, and he fills a gaping hole for you, is it a reach? In my book, no.
Tyrell Williams is a decent player who could surely help. I agree w you about WR & it could be the sleeping giant for the round 1 selection.Both N’keal Harry & AJ Brown look legit.Both have pro bowl potential & both fit Darnold’s playing style for different reasons. Trading down to pick 10 or so would be a good spot to nab either. If for whatever reason Williams/Little/Cajuste are off the board or not an option & edge gets addressed via FA,this is the route i would go. The OL class looks deep in rounds 2-3 & therefore would not be the end of the line for addressing it. Beyond that, i think if asked privately if he preferred an OL or WR in RD 1 Darnold would say WR.Just seems given his instinctual nature he needs guys he can depend on to get to a spot & catch the ball. This is a scenario that bares watching as the draft draws closer
Not if it could be prevented, but imo that would be better than taking yet another player at a position where you're already set. Besides, there's reaching, and there's reaching. I already explained in a post last night my philosophy on reaching. Frequently, there may be only a fraction of a point separating players. Also, some positions are more important than others, and the importance of the position can outweigh the difference between how two players are rated. For instance, with LT being one of the 3 most important positions on a team, and with it being a huge need for the Jets, I'd take Little rated as an 8.4 over a DT rated as a 9.4. Since Edge Rusher is also one of the top 3 positions on a team and a huge need of the Jets, then this year, I might just take the edge rusher instead, but as I've told several others, it won't matter how great one's pass rush and D are, if Darnold suffers a major injury or can't develop because he's always running for his life every time he drops back to pass. When your present LT may only be rated as a 7, then a player rated an 8.4 would be a huge improvement, and that improvement could be enough to keep your QB upright, healthy and on the field.
If he's not a top 10 rated player and your team is picking in the top 3 of the draft, yet, you pick a late round first round prospect without trading back and at least acquiring more assets to help your team. Then, yes, I definitely think it's a reach.
I respect that but I dont believe this to be universal. Its very depth dependent in every draft. That's my only main philosophy when it comes to potentially "reaching" for a player. Then the next thing that follows close is the quality between two players. Especially at priority positions like edge and LT. On one hand, I get the argument for drafting a potential LT over a premiere edge rusher because the depth at OL in this draft specifically is awful, in comparison to edge rusher, where there is quality potential all the way into the 4th-5th rounds of this draft. The problem for me is a couple things. I dont believe in the LT prospects in this class, not at the top of the draft, and I feel they are only rated that high is because of how poor the quality really is at OL in general in this upcoming draft. So if we reach for a average LT at the top of the draft over a pro bowl caliber edge player, that trade off isnt good to me. Especially long term because we will be committed to that average LT for the sake of reaching and picking this player so high in the draft. Where as we could be patient, find a stop gap, and then jump on a quality LT later, who would be worth committing to. ..and we would have a quality pro bowl caliber player at edge to boot. I dont disagree that offense in general is what needs help the most on this roster. I think that without question but I wouldn't be foolish with it either. No sense in trying to fit a square peg in a round hole just for the sake of need. It's just a really unfortunate year to try and rebuild an OL in this draft in general. Leave it to the Jets. At least it seems we picked a good time to need a QB last year? Ha
OP suggests that high-priced FA O-lineman did poorly this year, but isn't it natural to expect that every year? Great O-lines are usually a product of chemistry built over time, and top FA linemen usually aren't coming into situations with solid, established lines. That's why the Brinks truck pulled up in front of their house to begin with. So they can help re-build a shoddy line somewhere else. In which case it seems natural that the FA's individual performance will dip in his first year with his new team. Just speculating.
I agree we might keep Beachum especially depending on how bad the injury to Shell is. We might end up with a situation of drafting a tackle who ends up playing RT for a year with Beachum at LT for one more year.
We’ve signed monsters to the OL in the past, so it’s not out of the question. I’d like to see a report on the productivity off ALL FA’s that change teams, though. I’d be willing to bet there’s a drop in production for a good amount of them, at least in year 1.
Based on your response, we're pretty much in agreement. I think that one has to look at each draft separately, not have a draft philosophy that is set in stone. One does need to look at the depth that may or may not be available at the various positions in the draft, and that can affect one's thinking. I also think that if one likes a player that one has rated as a 3rd or 4th round pick, one has to consider what are the chances of actually landing that player? Does one have a pick in that round? Does one have the draft capital to move up to get him if need be, or will one be able to trade down with someone and still get him? One also has to take into consideration the needs of the other teams that pick ahead of one's team. Does that team have the capital to move up ahead of you to take that player, and is that GM likely to make that move? I think that one also has to look at the next couple of drafts, who is likely to be in it at that position of need, determine if there will be a suitable player that one likes at that position, and if one can realistically wait until then. The problem with the OL in general, and LT specifically, is that in most of the 4 drafts during Mac's tenure, there have been weak OL classes, and few really good OL. As a result, most teams are in need of upgrading their OLs, so demand is going to be higher, and more teams will be likely to trade up or "reach" for the better OL. One can't continue with stopgaps ad infinitum, and can't count on a top quality OL being there at their pick. Just like QBs get overdrafted because of need, so do OL and edge rushers. If you're right about the LT prospects in this draft, then I'd probably go edge rusher too, but where is Mac going to find a stop gap LT? Unless Trent Brown is a real possibility or Donovan Smith is a fairly big upgrade over Beacham, then one isn't going to find one in FA, and the lower the one goes in the draft, the less likely one is going to find an upgrade/quality starter, especially at the LT position. Even if one of those (Brown or Smith) would be an upgrade, and makes it to FA, would he sign with the Jets? Even if so, it means the Jets are going to have a LOT of money invested in the LT position and still not have a premium player, because they won't be able to get rid of Beacham because they have no backup at all at LT and the odds of getting one that's worth signing are small. Beacham would have to be kept as insurance. I agree with you in not being foolish and trying to fit a square peg into a round hole just for the sake of need, too.
Generally it's very tough to change your team around a Free agent signing. In the Jets case when Parcells signed Mawae it radically changed the nature of our OL. Faneca who was closer to the end had a similar impact for a lot less years when he was signed. Both of them were extremely high character guys who were committed. Money had zero impact on their desire to be great. That's not easy to find. Lots of FA players are looking for their last paycheck and never play up to their past performance. How the GM identifies that is crucial.
