Do Jets need to draft punter?

They can sign one after-

 

I'm pretty sure Rob Malone is around 235 or 240 now. Not that it matters much, because he's a punter. It could mean he's a lot stronger though.

I think the Jets will sign a free agent or a UDFA to compete with Weatherford. I don't want to draft a punter.

 

No way they draft a punter. They will sign one after the draft.

 

punter? how about a kicker

 

HELL NO. This is a deep draft, do not waste a draft pick on a punter.

MrE is right, UDFA is the way to go. You have the top 6 punting prospects listed up there in such a deep draft. Let's take a look at how many punting prospects were actually drafted in the past decade:

2009 - 3 (Kevin Huber, Thomas Morstead, Pat McAfee)
2008 - 1 (Durant Brooks)
2007 - 3 (Adam Podlesh, Daniel Sepulveda, Brandon Fields)
2006 - 2 (Sam Koch, Ryan Plackemeier)
2005 - 2 (Dustin Colquitt, Reggie Hodges)
2004 - 3 (BJ Sander, Andy Lee, Donnie Jones)
2003 - 2 (Mike Scifres, Eddie Johnson)
2002 - 2 (Dave Zasutdil, Craig Jarrett)
2001 - 2 (Nick Harris, David Leaverton)
2000 - 1 (Shane Lechler)

Looking at this average on drafts not nearly as deep as 2010, I'd guess that possibly 2 or probably 1 punter will be taken in this year's draft. Use your picks on players worthy of a draft choice.

Interestingly enough, the Seahawks drafted punters in 2002 (Craig Jarrett), 2004 (Donnie Jones) and 2006 (Ryan Plackemeier) - none of them is currently on their roster.

 

I'm fine with Folk I don't see a drop-off from Feely. I liked Feely for his humor and character but in terms of on the field shouldn't be an issue. Punter on the other hand I would love to get better. I think we need someone thats more accurate then powerful. We need to be able to pin teams within their 15-5 yard lines which allows our defense to have some fun.

 

I would be all for drafting a nice punter in rounds 6-7. It is probably the easiest way to get an early contribution from a late round pick. Chances are, no other 6-7 rounder will see the field for at least 2 years, but a punter could be an immediate impact player from day one.

I wanted Dustin Colquitt a few years back for these same reasons.

EDIT-- this is all said with the assumption that there is a guy worthy of the pick who can beat out Weatherford and can add a few yards per punt.

 

And I'm sure the Jets will have a good chance of securing on of the top UDFA punters. They are a Super Bowl-caliber team with an incumbent who could be easily unseated.

 

I absolutely agree to not draft a punter. It's simply not worth it. Look at the above list and how many of those punters do you say are top notch punters and the team that picked them is thrilled with their selection? Scifres and Lechler? The majority of that list sucks and are journeymen. Wait till after the draft and bring in one or 2 to compete.

 

Unless that punter is named Ndamukong Suh, then no.

 

Is T.J. Conley still on the roster? He had a better punting average than any of those guys.

 

He was also punting indoors most of the time. I think Conley should be given a fair chance to battle against Weatherford though.

 

MATT DODGE can aslo kickoff. We do have a need for that! Zoltan also can kickoff.

 

Yeah, if Folk is our kicker heading into the season, a KOS at punter would be incredibly helpful.

 

I would take Zoltan in the 6th and call it a day...that kid is a beast and we all know that field position makes a difference

 

Zoltan really struggled last year, and hurt his draft stock quite a bit. I think Boone is a more consistent punter, though he doesn't have the same booming leg.

 

our 7th round draft pick is so late that if we sign a punter there its a waste because hes just going to end up undrafted anyway. Draft someone in the late 7th who there would be competition to sign as an undrafted

 

Holy shit! Shane Lechler 2.0.

 

Maybe its just me but i'll never draft a punter