Needy Jets Have Golden Opportunity Saturday By Tim Mulholland The New York Jets' brain trust must be at its best this Saturday during the NFL draft. It?s been a rocky couple of months for the Jets, changing regimes and facing salary cap troubles. GM Mike Tannenbaum was able to relieve the cap pressure, but at the expense of many clubhouse leaders and veterans. Right now, the roster has so many holes it more closely resembles Swiss cheese than that of a playoff-caliber football team. With a handful of picks in the draft including two first-rounders, two third-rounders, and three picks in the top 35, the Jets have a great opportunity to get younger and better. Here is a look at the positions of need for the Jets heading into Saturday's draft. Offensive Line: Traditionally a strength, the offensive line has struggled in recent years. Last season, it was greatly exposed as the Jets suffered in the running game and lost 2 quarterbacks to season-ending injuries. With the departure of the unquestioned leader of the offensive line - Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae - the offensive line prospects look even bleaker. But with the strong class of linemen this year, including top prospect D'Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia, the Jets could potentially get a lot better. Other options include looking into strong 2nd tier linemen such as Eric Winston of Miami and Marcus McNeill of Auburn. Quarterback: Over the past few seasons, the New York Jets have ridden the rollercoaster known as Chad Pennington at the quarterback position. Pennington, who came on strong in the 2002 playoff campaign, has since been inconsistent and injury-prone, with two major shoulder injuries in the past two seasons. Looking for relief, the new GM traded a sixth round pick to Washington for backup Patrick Ramsey. However, Ramsey has also been inconsistent and disappointing since being drafted in the first round out of Tulane. With the potential to get at least one of the "big three" - Texas' Vince Young, USC's Matt Leinart, and Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler - New York could very well get the franchise quarterback they desperately need. Other options include looking into rounds two or three and selecting Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens or Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle. Running Back: Future Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin has been a staple of the Jets' franchise since he signed on in 1998; but the fourth all-time leading rusher is getting older and showing signs of fatigue, failing to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. At some point, Tannenbaum must look to bring in his successor. There are many solid options available especially at pick number 29 where the Jets could look at DeAngelo Williams of Memphis, Laurence Maroney of Minnesota, or even LenDale White of USC if he is available in the second round. Outlook: Rumors have been swirling all around, one week the Jets are intent on trading up, the next week their allegedly looking to trade down. Ultimately, look for the Jets to stay put with picks 4 and 29 in the first round. If Matt Leinart is selected before the 4th pick, look for the Jets to draft D?Brickashaw Ferguson with their first selection. However, if recent reports of the Tennessee Titans settling on Vince Young at pick #3 and Leinart falling to the Jets are true, it will be impossible to pass up the former Heisman Trophy winner. As for pick 29, look for the Jets to select a running back here, but it is also quite possible they could look at center Eric Mangold of Ohio State as well. http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/newyork-jets-draft260406.php
Seriously, this guy doesn't have a lot of in-depth close knowledge of our team. The guy makes it sound as if our o-line has been in shambles in recent years when we had the leader rusher 2 years ago. Last year, our line was devastated by injuries and had players out of position. Maybe you could get away with that in college, but the NFL makes teams pay for having to deal with that. I agree with the Leinert assessment....we should either take him at #4 or trade him to Oakland and select Cutler/Davis/Ngata at #7 and take with us an extra 2nd rounder or so. Either way, in my mind, it's hard to go wrong. All will be very good players at the least for years to come (in my opinion).
