I am not unhappy with the players that we picked. However, I am bothered by the number of picks we have given away. In this years draft, we gave away our 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th picks. We gave away 3 players in the 100 best college players available this year. What would have happened if we stayed put? 25th pick: Lots of flexibility and value here. We could have taken Staley a very nice T prospect which we have a strong need for. We could also have taken Grubbs for OL help or Spencer the DE to help to generate a pass rush. All needs of ous. In addition, we could have traded down and acquried additional picks (in the top 100) and then gotten the any of following: Branch who could have played NT or DE in our 3/4 and given us flexibilty to play DRob at NT or DE as well. We could have nabbed Houston or Blalock. If we had traded down we now would have had at least 1 and possibly 2 additonal picks in the top 100. We could have taken a flier on a guy like Paul Solai, one of the rare NT prospects in the draft. We could have solidifed our run blocking, pass rush, picked 1 or 2 CB prospects (this draft was deep at CB). We had a ton of flexiblity. I like the guys we picked and hopefully they will work out great. Although I did not think that ILB was as pressing as other needs we had. It is a high risk to base your draft on just 2 guys in the top 100, when if we played our cards right, we could have filled those needs and had 5 or 6 players on the roster from the top 100 filling other need areas. If I had my choice of 2 guys in the top 100 vs 5-6 guys, I'd go with 5-6.
There's a case to be made either way. I'm not particularly enticed by the idea of drafting more DEs - we've already invested in quite a few, and best we see how they play out. Additionally, the scheme obviates the pressing need for DEs to generate pass rush, as the ones we've acquired to date will help in allowing our LBs to continue their progress in breaking through, including David Harris. The acquisition of Thomas Jones has to be considered, in practice, drafting a RB. You can make a case to go after the OT prospects at 25. The possibility exists, of course, that had the Jets stayed pat, other teams (the Giants, for example) might have acquired OL line help instead of continuing the run on cornerbacks. All that said, its clear the front office felt the need at CB was far more pressing than the need at OL, and acted accordingly. Personally, I'm much more comfortable with an aggressive strategy in this case.
Im content with our picks but IF we stayed this would have been the picks i wanted: 1st - Grubbs 2nd - Trade up and get Blalock
That would make our Line complete for years to come. Then we can also trade up our 2nd 2nder to get CB Houston .. that would have been good for me .. but im still content with our draft. Im just doing this for the sake of doing it.
The only way I would have liked this draft better was if we pulled off getting Grubbs, Branch and Chris Houston. Instead we got out #1 rated CB and ILB.
I don't dislike the players either. I think moving up in the first was a luxury we couldn't afford however. I think Harris will help against the run but I would have still liked to see that big NT if any even existed. On offense, I guess Jones is better but he will have to be as we did nothing to improve the O-line on the right side. So, bottom line is we are still a few years away.
Had we stayed put maybe we get: Spencer Marten McCauley Beekman We get a top rated OLB, but clearly a second tier tackle, CB and guard. Instead we get a top rated CB and top rated ILB. During the FA signing spree, the point was raised that since we never used Hobson inside last year and we had Barton on the block, that maybe we saw ILB as a bigger need than OLB. If so, it appears we addressed it nicely. I'm still concerned about our OL, but it appears we that the biggest needs identified by our FO were addressed in the best way possible. Lastly, look at the other teams who moved up or down but basically cleared out their midround picks (NE, DEN, DAL). It appears we weren't alone in thinking the middle of this draft just didn't have the talent available this year.
Based on the way things fell we wind up with: 25. Spencer 59. Kalil 63. Martens 89. Uncertain That would have given us a successor at LG for Kendall plus insurance for Mangold (Kalil) and our Right Tackle (Martens) and an excellent shot at a dominant OLB in Spencer. We'd still be looking at CB.
That will never happen. That would make our o-line complete but we can complete it with FA's and late rounders as well. We DON'T need our entire o-line to be first-second rounders... There are a lot of good o-line players in the back of the draft.
We could have traded DOWN and acquired additional picks. And drafted like Blalock Harris Robison Jackson
1- Alan Branch 2- Tanard Jackson 2- Quentin Moses 3- Manuel Ramirez Thats what i would have done if we stayed put.
We could have done a lot of things, we did what we did.What if ...... you grew up and moved on to the rest of the draft and see how it pans out?
I bet if we stayed put we would have gotten Harris with our 25th overall pick. Harris was projected by many to be a first rounder. You guys have to get over it. If you look at the players taken in the late 2nd round, there wasn't any players I really liked. We had the 2nd to last 2nd rounder. The players everyone wanted here was gone before mid-2nd round. Just get over it and move one! and don't ask what is the definition of messageboard.... lol
What is the definition of a messageboard? Also, many of the players that would have been great for us dropped and were picked up 3rd round and are being picked up now. We picked up one DE: Kenyon Coleman. The rest are tweeners (READ: OLB) who generate a pass rush. In the 3-4, DEs are run stoppers, not pass rushers. It is the NT's job to collapse the pocket in passing situations. If we were running a 4-3 scheme, we would need pass rushing DEs. We aren't and don't. We do however need DEs to replace Ellis, in the case that Coleman isn't nearly as good as we think he is, and for rotation since our team likes to rotate its defensive linemen.
I've always hated the "what if" game... If we had stayed put obviously the whole draft would have changed, our picks and the picks of others. Our FO was aggressive, knew what positions they wanted to fill in this draft and who they wanted to fill them with. No hoping so and so would be available at 25 or 59 or 63... we have made our bed for this draft, now lets let the coaching staff get them ready for the season. :jets: