Grade: C- (After many of the responses to this thread by the Cool Aid gang, I agree I over-reacted, but I am sticking to this grade (I before graded it a F-). If I could, I would change the thread title to: JETS AGAIN Striving to Be Mediocre Clemens in the 2nd, and Schlegal and Smith in the 3rd. What are we just clueless. Clemens would have easily lasted to the 3rd round(Croyle/Whitehurst lasted into the late 3rd and are rated much higher), and Schlegal and Smith may not have even been drafted (more likely late 2nd day picks or walk-on players). Quote from Smith himself (Newsday, 4/30): Was stunned to be picked this early. "I really thought I would be later," he said. "I was getting ready to pack it in and call it a night." Thats comforting when the player drafted even felt the JETS FO reached here. My issue with Clemens. He is coming off a serious injury (he has not played in a game since breaking the ankle). Game time speed/strain is very different (especially when its J.Taylor/R.Seymour/T.Spike trying to knock your head-off), then a few docs checking you out. He is RELATIVELY unproven even at the collegiate level, especially when compared to the big 3 (and even vs. Whitehurst and Croyle). This translates to a major bust potential. Getting round 2 next year was a good thing, but that does not have anything to do with grading the Clemens pick (ie. Which I have heard from multiple posters of why this was a good pick. BUT, its not because they drafted Clemens they got a Round 2. They could have picked anyone they wanted with the Round 2 pick and still got the round 2 in 07). It hurts me to even get into our Round 5 (Pociask) and Round 6 (Coleman) picks, but we all know these were clearly walk-on picks. The Round 5 (Pociask) and Round 6 (Coleman) picks are just jokes. Both are walk-on talent - we could have invited them to try-out without wasting valuable picks. Good players are still getting picked-up in Round 5 and 6, but obviously were are not picking them (McNeil/Eslinger/Haas/Bloom/Scott/Blue/etc). Picking up Bernstein in Round 7 will be a little redemption. Round 3, 5, and 6 were just disasters. I know I am going to get heat for all this, but feel we have been reaching like crazy throughout this draft, and have been picking up way too many players with serious injury history (Clemens/Smith/Coleman/Washington) that could have been picked up after the draft as walk-ons (Smith/Schlaegel/Coleman/Pociask). The JETS FO is showing just how green they are. I am sure Belicheck is chuckling, since he got better players with later picks. It takes real skill to have one of the best draft selections in the entire NFL and not get even ONE playmaker. The last time we picked the "next Anthony Munoz" was Dave Cadigan from USC in 88 (pick #8). That worked out real well. Justice and McNeil will be as good if not better Pro then Ferguson, which both could have been easily picked-up in round 2 The way the draft Board played out showed we overvalued O-line. Justice/McNeil/Latui/Winston/Giles all lasted past the middle of the 2nd round. Meaning we could have started collecting high quality O-line after our 4, 29, and 35 picks. Justice could have been taken at 35, but the JETS FO realized they screwed-up in projecting how the draft board was going to play out, and didnt want to have to justify to everyone why they picked 3 straight o-lineman in a stacked draft of playmakers. A much more impactful draft would have been: 1) Davis at 4 2) Addai at 29 (took the Colts GM about a nano-second to pick Addai after the JETS passed on him) 3) Justice (or even McNeil) at 35 4) Croyle/Whitehurst with 1st round 3, and Bing/Simpson with 2nd round 3 5) Round 4 pick best available O-line (Matua/Giles/OCallaghan/Scott/etc still available) 6) Round 5 and on add D-line and 2ndary depth, FB (Bernstein), and WR depth In case the JETS FO didnt realize we need some playmakers on both sides of the ball, and we have not done anything to address this. Dont misunderstand, I think Ferguson/Mangold/Clemens all have a chance to be solid pros and Schlaegel/Smith have a 50/50 chance to make the team roster as a back-up, but we definately did not maximize the value of this draft by reaching for players (Schlaegel/Smith) and the o-line position too early in the draft, and missing the chance to get playmakers in round 1. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Its funny how all you folks that disagree with this original post are so dismissive/condescending/attacking. I have not heard any logical/well thought-out responses from any of you dismissive posters. Just a "your stupid", "your a moron", "your a pessimist", give me a response that requires some use of your brain - ie. based in some analytics, research, logic, etc. Its not a crime to use your brain and own analytical research (its called watching some college football - which obviously most of you have not after reading some of your responses) to critique the draft and the JETS FO. The JETS FO has made some massive blunders in the past (B.Thomas/D.Cadigan/B.Nagle/A.Becht/D.Robertson/K.Brady/etc), so its our right as a fan to criticize IF we believe they made a mistake AGAIN. It is a fact that the JETS organization has had one of the worst drafting histories of any team in the NFL. Thats why we have not won the Super Bowl since Namath, and WE year after year say "same old JETS". One of the major reasons why we have had such poor success in making a serious Super Bowl run is because of our horrible draft history, and the JETS FO unwillingness to dare to be great, and instead only choosing just to be mediocre. Sometimes you have to take that risk (in this case Bush/Young/Cutler/Leinart), for a chance to be great. In my opinion the 2 o-line picks in the 1st round was a classic lets shoot to be mediocre ("same old JETS"). Well I am sick of being the same old JETS - sorry - and I really felt this was finally our chance to change the tide with a new FO and holding the best collective draft picks of any team in the NFL (from probably the most compelling group of collegiate players seen in 20+ years). With all that said I have been a JETS fan for over 25 yrs and will be for life - one of the proudest JETS fans you will meet - had my chin up even under the J.Walton regime. I am calling it here, based on my own analysis of the players the JETS drafted, we will look back on this draft as having missed major playmakers (V.Davis, Cutler, Hawk, Huff, Addai, Leinart) and value picks (W. Justice, Giles, McNeil, Holmes - I can go on and on), while overeaching big time (I throw Ferguson under that category, as well as Clemens, E. Smith, Schlaegel, and Pociask). The only round I liked was Round 4, since we finally went after some potential playmakers in B. Smith and Washington, but too little too late, as the later you get in the draft going after playmakers your odds to hit a homerun go from about 1 in 5 (if top 5 pick) to 1 in 100 (if in Round 4). Bring it on...The Cool Aid gang...
Well maybe more a C-. Just a little upset Seeing Justice/Latui/etc still on the board in round 2. If we get Croyle will be a little redemption. I have been a JETS fan since 80' - back in the days of Mehl, Walker, McNeil, etc. Just sick of bad draft days.
I swear some Jets fans love to bitch for the sake of bitching. Who the hell knows how good or bad of a draft this is until the players have a chance to play.
Go root for the Patriots then...I am sure you like their draft picks...... Solid line.......QB with an arm..........let the play on the field define this draft....and this front office......
WORST THREAD EVER! If this is the worst draft ever for you, you must be really young. I don't think it's a bad draft, there's a long way to go and we have a lot more picks coming up. I would would have liked to get a skill player as well we have a lot of needs. If the line gets better there are plenty of capable people to run through big holes.
the ignorance being displayed in these threads and posts is staggering.. There has only been 3 people selected by the Jets.. and we hav a thread suggesting this is the worst draft ever.
Hmmm the experts on ESPN and NFL Network are all praising the Jets saying what a great job they did by building the team with a line and then grabbing a QB that would have been a higher pick if not for an ankle injury. To hear somebody on National TV say "The Jets Get It" is pretty dam refreshing. I understand those guys can be wrong but not every single one of them is wrong and when every single one of them say the same thng I'd tend to believe them over some pissed off Jet fan. We still have 2 picks today, I'm excited. If you think this draft is an F- you clearly don't understand how football works. I give it a B+ so far and when we grab our OLB in round 3 it will go up to an A. We have had the best draft of any team in the NFL.
