The teams I root for are no better, because there are different picks for the Jets and Giants in almost every mock I read, plus neither team is divulging much information about whom they might take. So I guess it's up to me to pick for them. Today I'm going to talk about the Jets, who hold the 6th overall pick. Let's go Eskimo!
The Jets have been linked to Marcus Mariota since the dawn of man, or since the end of the season. All the same questions, over and over. "Will Mariota fall to New York?" "Will the Jets move up to get him?" "Will I have a turkey burger for lunch?" To me, the answers should be no, no and hell yes! In all seriousness, I don't want the Jets moving up for Mariota, or drafting him 6th should he fall. I'm certainly not an NFL scout, but the fact that this guy played in Oregon's crazy up-tempo offense scares me. Plus he seems to be on the slender side, and for a quarterback that can run, that could be a recipe for disaster. Just ask RGIII. On top of all that, I just watched Gruden's QB Camp on ESPN, and Mariota said that he doesn't like the lime-light. There's nothing but lime-light in New York! This doesn't sound like a fit. Don't do it Jets. Also, there's still a small part of me that thinks Geno Smith can still be a competent QB in this league. He's got a strong arm and is mobile. He just needs to cut down on his mental errors. Having said all that, if the Jets are adamant on drafting a QB, I would go after a guy like Bryce Petty in the second round. He's got good size and a good arm.
Two other names that are being linked to the Jets more often than not, are Amari Cooper (WR) and Shane Ray (DE/LB). I love Cooper. No, really. We started going steady last week. He's the full package: good size, good hands, good speed and good route runner. I don't really remember a receiver coming out being this polished. In order for New York to nab him, though, he'd have to slip past Oakland and Washington. It sound like the Raiders are a very real possibility to draft him, so this might not happen for the Jets. And to be honest, as nice as he'd look in green and white, I'd prefer to see New York grab an edge rusher, because they haven't had a pure pass rusher in quite awhile. That's why Shane Ray's name keeps being mentioned in all these mock drafts. It sounds as though he's very quick, but doesn't have great strength. Like many of the top-tier edge rushers in this draft, he has good instincts and a good motor, but lacks the ideal strength to take on bigger tackles, and considering this is the NFL, all tackles are pretty big. I have to admit, I'm not sold on this guy. You can't only rely on speed in this league.
Someone I do like, despite his positive drug tests, is Randy Gregory. He's on the lean side, much like Ray and other top DE/LB prospects, but apparently has good upper body strength. If someone like that can put on a little weight and maintain his speed, he could become a high quality player. The positive marijuana test certainly sends up a red flag, but when people like ESPN's Todd McShay are saying that he's the best pass rusher in the draft, that's hard to pass up. Besides, he wouldn't be the first NFL player to get caught smoking pot.
Another guy that I would jump on if he were to fall, is Dante Fowler (DE/LB) from Florida. He appears to be one of the best all-around players in the draft, and would be the pass-rusher the Jets desperately need. It doesn't seem likely that he falls past the Jaguars at number 3, though. But if he did.....
Other areas of need for the Jets are at offensive line and running back. A guy like Brandon Scherff could most likely be had at 6, but I think that would be a bit of a reach. For either position (OL or RB), I would either wait til the second round or move back in the 1st. Maybe they trade back into the 1st round and grab Melvin Gordon. That'd be fun.
Now the real question is what will the Jets actually end up doing? In all honesty, I don't know, and that's not a cop-out. The new GM, Mike Maccagnan, has been pretty aggressive thus far in his tenure, so that leads me to believe he has something cooking for draft day. I'm envisioning a trade back into the 1st round rather than a trade up for the likes of Mariota. However, if most of the mock drafts are accurate, then Shane Ray will likely be hugging Roger Goodell as New York's 1st round pick, leading me to say, "ugh".
Next week I'll tackle the Giants draft preview. Be sure to check it out. It's going to be awesome. Really.
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