I'm going to start off here by saying I'm a big, big believer in drafting OL and building around the OL on the offensive side of the ball. That said, this was one of the weakest OL drafts in my memory. There were no OT's that IMHO were shoe in first round grades, maybe a few I could argue for slipping in to the bottom of the first but no middle or top of the draft OT's...that's the first time I've said that in probably a decade or more. When I'm talking grades I refer to that as that round or the last 10 picks or so of the prior round. Like I said, IMHO there were no sure fire 1st round OT's, and no one I could say was a likely starter at LT from the gate. I didn't really like any of the Centers and had the highest grade there of the 3rd round. The only position I had anyone with a first round grade in maybe the top 20-25 picks was a guard, Forrest Lamp...but I wouldn't have taken him before 12 or 13..definitely not top 6 and definitely not over Adams. Everyone else IMHO had a third round grade or lower. Now I should also point out I grade not based on this draft but where I would put them in an average draft for their position. I don't bump players up in rounds because the draft is weak in their position. IMHO to build the best team possible you look at and grade players based on where they would fall in terms of an 'average' draft for their position. Now with all of that said, every year for the past 3 or 4 years I've been saying DRAFT OL....D'brick was getting old, Mangold was getting old..the rest of the Oline overall has been somewhat questionable overall during that span. I'm an O-line first person...with that said, I have no problem with the Jets not drafting any OL during the first 4-5 rounds...none at all. I do with they'd taken a flier on an O-line in the 6th as there were a couple worth taking a flier on, but this was a horrible draft year for O-line and to take O-line just for the sake of an O-line would have been a waste. Last year however, last year I was pissed, it was a good year for O-line...especially in the 2-5th rounds.
When your team has this man6 holes, you can't fix them all in one draft..... OLine prospects where terrible..... So we fixed our secondary and added depth to our WR's..... Two things that needed to happen..... Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
As you said, a team can't draft what's not there, and shouldn't "reach" for a player just because of need. Why waste the precious resource of a draft pick, and waste the precious cap space on a player that you don't believe is a top quality prospect or won't fit your system, or is only a marginal upgrade over a player presently on your roster? IMO one would be dumb to do that. It's better to wait until the next offseason and hope that in FA or the draft that there will be better players at that position of need so that you can substantially upgrade that position. IMO one of the best guiding principles for GMs (in addition to BPA), is drafting to the strength of the draft. This year's draft was historically deep at CB, and maybe at TE, RB, WR, OLB, and S as well. It was one of the deepest and best drafts in my memory. IMO this was the year to draft a TE, RB, WR, OLB, and S. Conversely, it wasn't a very good draft for OTs, OGs or Cs, or QBs. IMO in a draft that isn't strong or deep in QBs, it doesn't make sense to draft a QB in a lower round. One should wait until a draft that is strong and deep to add a QB. The same goes for OL. I do think that Mac made a mistake in not drafting an OT last year, but that's in the past. Hopefully, Beachum will be able to return to his pre-injury form and have at least a solid year, if not a good one (or at least not get any of our QBs maimed or killed). Regardless, since he's older, and I think signed only a 2-year contract, I think Mac absolutely has to draft an OT next year even if he drafts a QB in the 1st round next year. Hopefully, he can upgrade the OG and/or C positions in FA, or in the middle or lower rounds of next year's draft.
I do think the OL can be upgraded. Shell is an unknown. Beachum was pretty bad last year, but it takes time to recover from a serious injury and surgery. Hopefully, he can return to his pre-injury form (or close to it) this season, but even if he doesn't, he's an older player, and Mac needs to draft an LT next season to either start or begin grooming for the 2019 season and beyond. Carpenter should be good for another year or two. Winters has improved a lot, but still his position could be upgraded, but since the Jets just re-signed Winters, I don't expect that to happen for a year or two. Some posters just aren't realistic. They think the OL should be upgraded of "fixed," so that means that the GM is supposed to go out and sign FA OL and use high draft picks on the OL. Never mind that there were not good choices in FA at LT and those that are pretty good would have cost more than the Jets could afford, or that it was a lousy draft for OL. Because they want it, the GM is supposed to make it happen. They are being irrational. They are letting their frustrations and impatience overrule their better judgement. In addition, anyone who follows college football and the draft, falls in love with players or likes players that they've seen play and think they'd be great on the Jets. Then we get frustrated/angry when the GM doesn't take those players. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. It's hard not to fall into that trap. Even though some of us are more knowledgeable than others of us with regards to talent, we don't know everything that the GMs and scouts know. We can't possibly begin to know everything they know. Even so, they make some mistakes because they're human, and because projecting players isn't an exact science. It's more of an art, which means it's more trial and error. When the "experts" make a mistake it can embolden those of us who are passionate followers of the team and of the draft. This is made worse by a common attitude in society today where may people don't trust "experts" and instead think they know as much or more than those "experts." We'll see this season just how good or bad the OL is. Then we'll see next off season what Mac does to address any problem there, and how effective his solution is.
I wanted Beachum a couple years ago as he's known as a superior pass blocker than a run blocker and that's exactly what we need at the left tackle spot. I guess we'll see how he recovers. Not a bad signing given the crop of talent available in free agency but it's worrisome to continue to have left tackles with a gigantic injury history.
Can't see how we don't resign Mangold and move Wesley Johnson to guard or something, the OL is in a scary state.
Our shitty OL got no help from a shitty OL draft class. Should that be any surprise 1 day after the draft? Some of the big uglies taken were significant reaches from about round 5 onward. Frankly looking back...at least 2/5 times Mac traded down were after runs OT right before our pick. That tells me they had their eye on acouple prospects but were only gonna take them at the right spot. It didn't work out. Instead they were wise to not only pick from much stronger position groups...but to not draft solely based on raw "value" per usual;and instead hand picked guys who fit into a specific set of traits from which to build an identity & culture chosen at the right spots. Like it or not...the significance of the skill positions & boundary players on both sides of the ball has dramatically increased...we'll get our franchise LT & acouple other long term pieces up front in due time.We were coming out of this draft w. major holes irregardless of what transpired..
Great post. Couldn't agree more. Not gonna say it can't use an upgrade but to think that this was a great draft need is silly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
