Every franchise goes through rookie and 2nd year guys getting injured. For the jets both guys discussed in this thread (and you can add McDougle) were drafted to add a new dynamic to this team; SPEED! I have zero faith in Milliner. He will never play more than 8 games. I'll be pissed if he finds a way to stay on the field in a contract year and toy with us. Devin had his ribs broken in camp. A wrist after that. Then the Torn ACL in November. As I said earlier, I don't expect a damn thing out of him until the summer of 2017. It's sad because he had that speed we need and was known for tracking the deep ball as well as anybody in college football in 2014
Yep could've had him too. Sometimes I think GM's outsmart themselves with draft picks. Not that DGB or Lockett were sure things but they def should've gone higher than Devin Smith.
I can definitely understand not drafting DGB. He was/is a big risk and project. Lockett tho.. he's just as fast and had double the career receptions.
Problem I had with it though is Green Beckham would've been a top 10-15 pick if not for his past. At that point in the draft he was worth the risk IMO.
Absolutely. I cringed when we picked Smith over DGB. I thought for sure we would take the guy with the potential to be a dominant no.1 receiver.
I never thought Mac would take Green because of the character issues. I don't think we'll see Mac taking players with big character concerns. He just doesn't seem like the type. If he does, I would think it wouldn't happen until he had gotten the solid foundation for the Jets' future laid, a strong, quality starting QB, and solid veteran character to keep the guy in check. Even then, I think they would thoroughly vet the player first and would have to be convinced that he had put those concerns in the past.
I can totally understand why you think that he was worth the risk as a fan. If you were a rookie GM, with the holes and problems the Jets had with having had a bunch of high profile busts in their past, would you still think the same way? I can totally understand why Mac wouldn't have rolled the dice on Green-Beckham. I wouldn't have either, but I'm much more conservative than others, and player character is more important to me than it is to many fans. Perhaps if the Jets didn't have the troubled history they've had with losing seasons, bad HCs, wasted draft picks, high profile busts, etc., and had a better team that was already very competitive, then Mac (or I) might have been more willing to roll the dice. As it was, I don't think Mac thought that he could afford to take a risk. He needed relatively safe picks where if the player failed it wasn't because of poor character, drugs, temperament, etc.
The jury is and should still be out on Smith. A buddy of mine who is a huge Ohio st guy says Smith is waaaaay better than Braxton Miller or Micheal Thomas although he said they are all different players. He loved Smith and said to be patient because the kid can play. I don't put a ton of stock in rookies especially ones who miss time through injury. He was hurt all through camp and the end of the year. I think with a full camp and if he is healthy he will help us. Time will tell
A buddy of mine once banged a dolphin in it's blow hole. Said it felt "muscular". True story. Not really. _
That's a decent point. But personally I think it shows no balls to not even consider a player like that. (Whether Mac did or not is unknown , never really heard mention of us linked to him) But like I said , 1st round? No chance. But after that I would want to see some risks being taken. The draft is not a science. Its a total crap shoot in most cases. So Id rather have the guy with the talent and a couple question marks away from the field rather than the choir boy with upside.
Devin Smith is another project WR who will be in and out of the line up and eventually cut next year.He reminds me of Stephen Hill and Dee Millner,Could he all of a sudden show up next year in a big way?Maybe but when's the last time we drafted a real playmaker at WR I'll keep waiting
My only real issue with Mac drafting Smith was that Smith did not project as someone who had the versatility play in the slot and contribute on STs. With our 2 starting WRs pretty much set in stone, I would have much preferred we drafted that would be able to contribute immediately in those areas before eventually taking over at the 1 or 2. Mac had other thoughts I guess.
I hear you, and basically agree. I didn't know anything about Smith before we took him. I liked Lockett a lot, and was hoping we'd draft him. I remember there was some discussion on the board that Mac might have targeted Lockett, because once Lockett was drafted, Mac traded down. I don't remember the timing and/or how accurate the poster or posters were who said that, but I'd like to think that was true. It would have been surprising for him to draft WRs in successive rounds, but that might be only because we're not used to seeing a Jets' GM draft offensive players. If Mac hadn't taken Smith, which WR would you have wanted him to take? I remember Lockett was an excellent STer and was very good in his rookie season, but which other WRs were good return men? There were a lot of players that I liked in the 2nd round that were taken after Devin Smith - Benardrick McKinney, Eric Kendricks, Ameer Abdullah, Ronald Darby, and Max Williams. Hopefully, Smith gets healthy and develops into a quality player.
