Kearse is going to be under the radar this season, he will miss Locker. Kearse would be a steal in late rd 3. Another WR I really like is BJ Cunningham, nice size and excellent hands. Another OG in a later rd woundn't be a bad thing, although I believe Bill C is very high on Caleb S. I'm still very high on getting a solid RT early in the draft, Reynolds is a solid player with lots of experience. Our depth at OT is razor thin. With LT leaving after this year, the Jets should address another RB late, for depth.
I was thinking about the LT thing last night. LT gets us so many 3rd downs its unbelievable, that being said not many teams carry 4 rbs and I don't know if I see us spending a pick on rb that might not even make our roster. Unless we decide to get rid of someone we have. Lets not forget we have Bilal Powell and he could very well turn into a great rb for us
Saw Jermaine Kearse in particular due to Locker and he had a terrible case of the dropsies which is concerning. What's nice from him though after a terrible day of having 2+ drops or dropping a critical converting catch, he'd go on and have a really nice day so he can shrug it off. Do wish he was more consistent though. His tendencies to poorly drop were one of the things that hurt Locker's completion rate.
I like Cunningham as a 4th or 5th rounder. Steady receiver, doesn't go down after initial contact. Ideal No.2 or No.3 WR in the NFL. Doesn't have much upside and may not light up the vertical tests come combine time but he's a steady producer and possession WR.
Solid mock, three weeks ago I would have completely agreed with Irvin and I still do for the most part, but with Hunter looking so awful that may change. I really like the Reynolds pick I think we should look at double dipping at a couple of positions if we have the picks for it. Id also like to explore the option of perhaps potentially looking for another offensive lineman
Bryan Thomas is gone so it's wholly believable that we could spend our first round pick on an OLB. I don't think Bruce Irvin is a first round draft prospect right now, but Von Miller wasn't a top-5 draft prospect this time last year. I also like Courtney Upshaw as he seems to fit Rex's MO of drafting big OLBs. I'm still holding out some hope for Vlad Ducasse but obviously that's waning. Vlad will more than likely start some games for us this season so if he doesn't show anything, drafting a replacement is a must. Right now, I have a hard time seeing the Jets re-signing Burress. Even if we don't re-sign Burress, I do hope we sign a receiver in free agency so we don't have to draft a receiver in the first round. I'd still really like to see us spend a top-2 draft pick on a receiver, though. Bart Scott is still going to be around for a while so a fourth round pick for a backup ILB is a little too high for me. I really think Nick Bellore (or even Josh Mauga) could eventually be the starter next to David Harris. I'd like to see us draft a safety earlier than the 5th round. I'm finally starting to warm up to Eric Smith as a starter, but then I remember how awful he can be in coverage. A 3rd or 4th round pick for a safety is what I'm thinking. More defensive line help in the late rounds is fine and a running back to take LT's roster spot also makes sense.
The problem with the bolded, and guys with more knowledge than me please correct me if im wrong, is that Bellore and Muaga are best suited to play the same role as Harris. Bart and Harris may both play inside but their roles are extremely different. Bart is nicknamed the madbacker for a reason, he's fucking nuts. He is essentially the fullback of the defense. He destroys the oncoming blocker into the hole, be it a FB or a pulling lineman or whomever, and forces that guy to take him 1 on 1, allowing Harris to come clean through the hole and make the tackle. Its a position lacking in glory, but Bart is one of the best, if not the best in the NFL at it. That said, this year Bart has been exceptional at making the plays himself. Hopefully that continues, because it really makes us even better when stopping the run. As for my input on the draft, I like it. If we can get a guy who is destined to be a premiere pass rusher, we have to take that opportunity in my opinion regardless of what else we need/ is on the board for us. Receiver wise, I want us to draft a young WR regardless of whether a FA WR is brought in (plax or otherwise). We want to maintain a young core of elite weapons for Mark to have for years and years. Something most people forget, not you guys on the draft board, but most people, is that Receivers need 3 years to come into their own. It will happen often where a guy comes into the league and does very little in years 1 and 2, and then explodes onto the scene as an all-pro in year 3. Roddy White, Reggie Wayne are good examples. A guy like Brandon Lloyd is an example of it taking a little longer. Even the truly elite guys, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson who were great from day one, improved drastically in year 3. While all positions need 3 years to determine exactly how good they are, WR are notorious for starting slow and coming on strong year 3. Which means we need to give Mark a young gun soon, so that 3 years from now when Tone is starting to slow down, the draftee will be ready to step into his shoes as the #1, if not sooner. Safety wise, I would love a playmaking safety almost as much as an elite pass rusher. But it's just not likely to happen anytime soon. The guys we have are more than serviceable. But unless we can find an upgrade to Smith in FA, I think we pass on drafting a top safety prospect. As to the premise of drafting yet another RB, I question it. I thought the reason we drafted Powell this year, was so we would have the ideal 3 back situation next year once LT moves on/retires. Whats the sense in carrying 4 RB's again next year if you really like the long-term prospects of the 3 guys you already have?
While this has been true in the past, this isn't always the case in today's NFL. Hakeem Nicks and Mike Williams were prime examples of this last year. Dez Bryant and Julio Jones look primed to have a major impact this year, as well.
Sure, you can find a guy who can do that. But still the majority take time to develop and hone their craft. The majority just don't spend that much time working on their routes in college simply because they are bigger/faster/stronger than their opponents so they don't have to. I guess the question really is, do you really want to count on finding an immediate impact guy at the WR position at the end of the first round (hopefully) a few years down the road? I don't. I'd rather draft a guy now, if he shows up and is ready day 1 fantastic bonus. If not, we still will have other guys in place to keep us stable and strong until he's ready to make a serious contribution.
Whoever we draft at wide receiver, I don't want to have higher than third on the depth chart. The best case scenario would be to have an inexpensive veteran start across from Holmes while that rookie develops.
Yup, thats exactly how I feel. Which is why I want us to sign a vet this offseason for a couple years to play opposite Holmes, and draft a young gun to develop behind those two for a couple years.
I've thought that as well. Mauga's game seems to be based around his speed, which doesn't fit what Rex likes to do with his WILL. Although, it could be he's just using the cards he was dealt and could adapt to Mauga's skillset if need be. Bellore just looks small to me, more like a Safety. Even some of the broadcasters in the preseason incorrectly identified him as such. It's not like high school to college, what size he is isn't gonna drastically change...unless he starts juicing.
