Agreed. Not to dismiss Blackmon as overrated, but I don't think there's a single WR prospect in this draft who has proven himself more on the field than Floyd. Guys like Blackmon and Wright are undoubtedly talented, but benefit from bloated numbers in pass oriented offenses playing alongside NFL ready QBs. IMO he is a top 10 prospect, so if we have the chance to take him at 16 we should do so. You can find the occasional diamond in the rough as far as wide receivers go, but it's been far too long since we drafted a legitimate WR who wasn't a project. Don't really care what his 40 time ends up being at the combine, just watch his film and you'll be a believer.
If DeCastro, Ingram, Richardson, and Upshaw are all gone when we pick I'd trade down. Michael Floyd is slow and you don't build a team inside out! We are not a slow WR away from the SUPERBOWL. I'd hang myself if we select him.
What do you think of Gerrell Robinson? He's the same height as the WRs you mentioned and faster I believe, plus can probably be drafted in round 3 or 4 rather than 1 or 2.
Maybe if you go watch some film on him you'll step off of the ledge. If your definition of slow is based solely on 40 times, then maybe you should reevaluate this definition. Dwayne Bowe ran a 4.51 at the combine, and AJ Green also ran a 4.5. These guys aren't slow. Floyd is expected to run between a 4.4 and a 4.6 at the combine. So tell me, what's wrong with having a 6'3 230 lb wideout with 4.5 speed and great hands/body control?
If you told me the Jets were upgrading the LB core significantly, solidified the offensive line, and nabbed a starting material SS on top of Floyd, I would be all shits and giggles. The guy reeks passion. But, with our luck Holmes will buy him a bottle of Cristal the night he's drafted and they'll both get arrested for punching babies. But I think he is a luxury because we have all the aforementioned holes. Sadly trade down is the best thing for the team in this scenario. The linebackers need serious work. I'd like to see you do a mock after the FA dust has settled.
Agree 100%. I'm just a little sick and tired of all the Floyd bashing, I know that we have several major needs but in this scenario he would be the BPA. Since the safety class is so weak it's probably a given that we sign a FA to fill that need. That means Tanny and Co need to figure out who will be there at 16 and 48. I'd imagine round 2 or 3 would be an ideal time to take an OL in this draft, so it seems like it's gotta be either a WR or LB at 16. Like you said, it will all depend on what they can get in the FA market. I can't wait until all this dust settles, and we have a better idea what our needs will be come draft day. My guess is that we sign (or possibly trade for) a proven OLB who can get pressure on the QB. No more project pass rushers.
Who do you see us signing or realistically trading for to help with our pass rush? There's not really a single name that comes to mind that we can realistically afford or one we could trade for that wouldn't command a fortune in draft picks and/or players.
Yeah, you have to draft pass rushers because teams won't let them go once they've proven themselves. Every now and then you get a guy who is hurt or hasn't fully proven out and his team lets him go but you almost never see a primetime pass rusher change teams these days. An 8 to 10 sacker? Maybe. 14? Never. Unless he has injury issues.
To me Upshaw is not that kind of pass-rusher either. 8-10 sacks possibly, but I doubt he ever gets to elite pass-rush status at 14+ per season. Thiis why we should be looking at Mercilus or Ingram if they are there at our pick. Hell if Ingram makes it past Seattle I wouldn't mind moving up a few notches to snag him. Praying the Dolphags fuck up and somehow draft Barron or Tannehill.
Upshaw looks very much to me like the BPA at 16 if he is there for us though. If he's eventually Bart Scott's replacement he's still more solid value than Ingram in the system Rex runs. Ingram is going to be a 4-3 end who might be able to make the switch to 3-4 OLB. Upshaw is a 3-4 LB who will play well somewhere back there although you might well be right that ROLB is not the spot for him. It'd be nice to be on the right end of a James Farrior move for a change. The Jets keep drafting people on the defensive side and then switching schemes every 5 or 6 years and making those players less valuable. They also have a real tendency to draft project players on that side of the ball and have them not work out all that well. Victor Hobson would have been ok inside in a 3-4. He was too slow to play outside in a 4-3 although the Jets persisted in trying to do that for about 2 seasons to long.
Are you kidding? Upshaw a better value than Ingram? Please. The Jets need more than just a solid OLB, they need an elite pass rusher. Ingram is very versatile. He has already lined up all over the place. I don't think he'll have any problems transitioning to the OLB position if the Jets are fortunate enough to draft him. He has the potential to be the elite pass rusher that Upshaw can only dream about being.
It is pretty hard to see Ingram failing to get to the quarterback a ton even from the new spot from what I've seen. On the other hand Upshaw is the complete package with no question marks about switching roles to combine for very low bust potential and high probability of immediate efficient production relative to Ingram. At heart I agree with you, Ingram seems to bring that something extra to the table that we need so badly. But at the end of the day if they're both up there at 16 (impossible dream) it would be a crazy tough call about who to pull the trigger on. Too bad we'll never find out, will just have to settle for giggling and shipping in the pick immediately if either one of them are left on the board when we go.
Can Ingram drop back in coverage and maintain his zone? Can he keep up with a runningback releasing on a seam or sideline route? Moving Ingram to OLB may work or it may not. Upshaw can handle the responsibilities that come with the position right off the bat and he also has the upside potential to be a superior ILB if the Jets can find a better player at ROLB or if Scott suddenly declines and a hole opens up there. The Jets should take the best player available on the 16, not the best pass rusher, the best player. You know why the Jets took Bryan Thomas on the 22 in 2002? Because they really wanted to move Shaun Ellis to DT and they needed a complementary pass rusher opposite John Abraham. That was the whole point of the move. Nobody in their right mind thought that Bryan Thomas was the best player available on that pick but the Jets wanted a pass rusher and they thought they had a hidden gem in Thomas. The Ravens took Ed Reed 2 picks later. Who were the Jets safeties that year? You don't want to know. But the Jets needed a pass rusher to make everything else work so they took a 2nd round talent on the 22 instead of the best player available.
This is what scares me most about the draft. Having said that, I'm still hopeful that one of the two (Upshaw or Ingram) will be there at 16, and I'd be fine with either with a slight preference for Upshaw.
Let me first say that we normally agree, so I don't see this as that big of a disagreement. Rex said last year that he doesn't care if the OLBs can drop into coverage or not, so your first point is without merit. If the OLB can do that, it's gravy. Secondly, I dispute whether Upshaw will be able to keep up with NFL RBs on those routes. He is not that fast. I agree that he's more NFL ready at the OLB position and a more complete player at OLB at this point, but many people have Ingram rated higher than Upshaw. I agree with that, so I thin if both are there at #16, Ingram IS the BPA. The problem is that I don't think that Ingram gets by Miami at #8 and Upshaw may not get by Buffalo. The Jets will probably be faced with either staying put and taking the BPA or trading down and taking Perry, Mercilus or another player. Moving Ingram to OLB may not work, but I doubt it since he has had such great flexibility in college. Also, the Jets run a lot of 4-man fronts and Ingram could play DE in those, so he would hardly be a wasted pick as you suggest. It was that doofus Herm Edwards who had the stupid idea of moving Ellis inside. Not only was that a bad idea, but it was a horrible idea to hire Edwards to begin with. That's been one of the Jets' major problems over the years, i.e., they constantly have changed offensive and defensive systems which have made the few good players they had poor fits, and they've had to practically start all over. That comes from not having a President who is a knowledgeable football man rather than a real estate developer, and having a novice GM who is an accountant and attorney rather than someone who is a real football man. So that goes on the Jets' owners.
I don't think it's unrealistic to say that Rex will do everything in his power to acquire a consistent pass rusher, preferably an OLB but possibly a DE. Tanny will work his cap magic as usual, and if pouha doesn't come back, that will only free up more money to throw at someone like robert mathis or ahmad brooks. In a perfect world we end up with mario williams or dwight freeney, but i'll admit that this scenario is highly unrealistic.
I always enjoy reading a good mock the only thing i think is unlikely is that I dont see the Packers getting a 1st round pick for Flynn, especially not a top 10 pick (unless they gave the Skins their own 1st round pick).
It IS unrealistic. It shows that you don't understand the way Rex plays the 3-4 alignment. Unless he changes that dramatically, he doesn't really expect DEs to rush the QB. Phillips in Houston uses his DEs to rush the QB. Rex uses them to set the edge and tie up blockers first and foremost, then push the pocket if they can. I'm also getting SO tired of you ignorant fans who worship Tanny. You guys need to wake up. Tanny created the cap mess the Jets are in now by the way he restructured the contracts of some players, guaranteed the contracts of others, and having to sign big ticket FAs to cover his wastefulness of draft picks constantly trading up and/or trading picks for players. He is at the crux of the Jets' problems, and things will not get much better until he is replaced.
