The draft is 2 weeks away, and we're seeing some names shoot up the boards that were previously in the "also ran" category. Christian Watson is the poster child. We're also seeing some buzz around names that have yet to shoot up the board, like Nik Bonitto. Many of these are athletes with ridiculous measurables but significant question marks, like Watson who has an RAS of 9.96 and put up great film but who played against limited competition North Dakota State, and Troy Anderson who has an RAS of 10 (wow) but also played against limited competition at Montana State. IMHO, the Jets have an enormous advantage in evaluating these players because our coaches got to coach many of them at the Senior Bowl. We are uniquely positioned to find the next Tyreke Hill in the 6th round because our coaches have had a better opportunity than other teams to evaluate whether the question marks represent real problems. If the coaches are excited about any of these prospects, I would strongly favor trading down (with both 1st round picks if necessary) to grab as many gems as the coaches believe they have identified. Which three or four Senior Bowl prospects do you think have the most potential to be a hidden gem? (And by "hidden gem," I don't necessarily mean a 6th-round guy, but anybody the coaches got to evaluate at the Senior Bowl who gets drafted after Round 1 but whom, four years from now, will be a star that makes everyone say, "How did that superstar get drafted so low?") My choices: Kerby Joseph (S) Christian Watson (WR) (if he ends up going in the 2nd) Alec Pierce (WR) Isaiah Likely (TE)
it's a neat idea puts ALOTTA trust in the talent EVAL... whcih we know has been a bugaboo for quite a few years
Yes, it does. My view is that, over the long haul, talent eval for the draft has a higher impact on a team's success than just about anything else. If JD and this coaching staff are good at it, then let's take advantage of that. If they aren't good at it, then let's find that out and then move on from them.
Remember, the NFL team with the best draft this year will be the team that takes lesser-known players who in a year or so are names we know. If that is us, it'll mean outrage amongst Jets fans in a week or so. Which is what we are all accustomed to.