Good summary of our draft.

gustoonarmy · Jul 1, 2006

But then we get a C+???

I know many of you will have read this already but for those who haven't.....

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/review/teams/newyorkjets.html

New York Jets '06 Draft Review
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Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

You have to give the new Jets regime a lot of credit for avoiding the temptation to simply appease the New York media and a rabid fan base by making a flashy pick and instead choosing to make what they felt was the right football move for the franchise. This draft was the start of what could be a long rebuilding process for the team and while they added a lot of depth it remains to be seen how many players with starting potential this class will ultimately produce.

In round one the Jets did a great job of playing the draft game, linking themselves to just about every top prospect available to keep their true intentions unknown to outsiders. Even though they certainly had the ammunition to trade up for Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart was still available when they were on the clock the team instead opted to build from the ground up by addressing an offensive line that was in shambles. With their first pick the Jets selected offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia, an elite left tackle and one of the best pass blockers to come along in years. After losing Kareem McKenzie and Jason Fabini in back-to-back offseasons there were some major questions at tackle and Ferguson, who would have been a Top 5 pick had he come out as a junior, will step in and answer those for the next decade. Center Kevin Mawae was also a cap casualty so with their second first round pick, which they acquired in the John Abraham trade, the Jets brought in the best pivot available in Nick Mangold of Ohio St. In fact, many scouts felt that Mangold was the second best offensive linemen available after Ferguson so to land both was quite a coup and will really help solidify their offensive line for years to come. Even though their first two picks weren't very sexy they were both extremely solid and low-risk, which is exactly what the doctor ordered because this franchise really couldn't afford a mistake.

After passing on high profile signal callers like Leinart and Jay Cutler in round one New York finally landed their quarterback of the future in round two when they selected Kellen Clemens of Oregon. After missing a good portion of his senior campaign due to an injury Clemens saw his stock soar in the last month leading up to the draft. Even though he lacks top-notch physical tools Clemens is a very smart and a great leader with premier intangibles who will be groomed behind Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey as a rookie. Personally I don't see Clemens as much more than an average starter at best and he is probably more of a very good backup but he was a player the team had targeted. After a solid but unspectacular start the Jets draft efforts took a downward turn in round three where they made a couple of major reaches. The first was Ohio St. inside linebacker Anthony Schlegel, who was very productive in college but probably more of a two-down thumper at the pro level. New head coach Eric Mangini might have seen a little of Ted Johnson in Schlegel. With their next pick they chose safety Eric Smith of Michigan St., another prospect who rates high on the intangibles scale but low in terms of sheer talent and measurables. With their first pick of day two in the fourth round the Jets rolled the dice on Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, who is going to be tried out at wide receiver. It is always risky trying to project players to a new position but Smith is a great athlete and has the talent to make the transition if he puts his mind to it, although his impact as a rookie will likely be minimal.

With their next pick in round four the team might have gotten a steal in Florida St. running back Leon Washington, who saw his stock slip after a sub par senior year behind a young offensive line. With Curtis Martin getting up there in years and not much behind him there will be an opportunity for Washington to work his way into the rotation and maybe even start one day. In round five the Jets brought in some depth at tight end by selecting Jason Pociask of Wisconsin, who was overshadowed by Owen Daniels with the Badgers but could make his mark as a blocking specialist in the pros. With their sixth round pick New York added some much-needed depth at cornerback by bringing in Drew Coleman of T.C.U., who is a little undersized but very fast and athletic. With their final pick in round seven the Jets may have landed a solid contributor in defensive tackle Titus Adams of Nebraska. A talented run stuffer, Adams will provide great depth at nose tackle, which was a concern because Dewayne Robertson is not an ideal fit in the 3-4 scheme that they are shifting towards.

All in all the Jets did a great job early of addressing needs and seem to have landed the type of players who will fit their new system both on as well as off the field. However you have to wonder if the team went overboard and emphasized intangibles at the expense of talent in many cases with the likes of Clemens, Schlegel, Smith all presenting what seems to be marginal upside. This turnaround won't happen overnight and while a lot of the players they chose might never develop into frontline starters in the NFL they will add solid depth while Ferguson and Mangold provide the instant impact. Will passing on Leinart come back to bite them one day though?

GRADE: C+
Click to expand...

dwalsh · Jul 1, 2006

weird, i just read that for the first time yesterday.

Scott Wright sees the draft differently than many of hte other experts; but he has been pretty good at his mock drafts over the years.

His reasoning doesnt really support the C+ he gave us, with what he said i would have guessed a B+. His main reasons were that we made a couple "reaches" in the third round. It is nearly impossible to judge the draft now; wait a few years and see what the players do in the NFL, then give hte teams grades

Good summary of our draft.

gustoonarmy 2006-2007 TGG.com Best International Poster of the

dwalsh 2006 TGG.com Rookie of the Year Award Winner

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Good summary of our draft.

gustoonarmy 2006-2007 TGG.com Best International Poster of the

dwalsh 2006 TGG.com Rookie of the Year Award Winner

Share This Page