First it is a little presumptuous to say how good this draft class will be. After all, it is only one season into it. That being said it could be way better than 2000 as it stands right now it is not far off. We have the makings of one hell of a O-line for the foreseeable future with Ferguson and Mangold. We possibly have two game breakers in Washington and B. Smith. Then for now we have spare parts and special teams players in E. Smith and Coleman. We also possibly have the QB of the future riding the pine (not a bad thing in his rookie year). The only pick that can be construed as a bust (I am hesitant to say) so far is Schlegal. Who knows how and if he can improve. The most encouraging thing about this draft and our future ones is this: This coaching staff coaches players up. It demands discipline but not Coughlin my way or the highway discipline. The staff is flexible in that they put players in position to win and if you perform well in practice you get to play in the games. This is why I am hesitant to call Schlegal a bust because I think if there is any talent to foster, this staff will do it. I can not think of one young player that has regressed as the season has come along, not one.............. B. Thomas, E. Coleman, D. Robertson, all the rookies I named earlier, V. Hobson, shit basically the whole damn team. It is a welcome relief to see draft picks get taught, play and get better. Now our next trick will be to get them to stay, which is something the last regime just could not do.
you're forgetting Rich Kotite's two stellar drafts: 1995-- pass on Sapp and take TE Brady AFTER you just put franchise tag on TE Mitchell 1996-- WR Keyshawn #1 and WR ALEX VAN DYKE with the first pick in the second round. This is when you already had WR Chrebet and had just signed WR Jeff Graham. Mangini's first draft is already better than the sum of Kotite's two efforts.
Best draft pick ever was Mike Haight out of Notre Dame. He was so good he didn't even start a game because it would have been unfair to the other teams! Go HAIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Graham didn't do much and Cherbet was still very inexperienced when that draft happened. If we had nabbed Marvin Harrison (pick 19 I think) instead of Van Dyke I doubt you would be complaining about the pick. Also, Hugh Douglas had one hell of a career (unfortunately in Philly for the most part). As bad as Kotite was as a coach, his drafts were the least of our problems. While this year looks to have been an amazing draft, 1979 was the best draft in the last 30 years hands down. Marvin Pwell, Wesley Walker, Joe Klecko, and Matt Robinson wa quite a haul with only one first round pick.
It's certainly a valid argument to say that this is one of the best drafts in Jet history, considering how much playing time our picks have seen, and their commensurate effectiveness. Obviously, the 3-5 year rule of draft evaluation still applies. I actually believe this is a better draft than 2000. Pennington and Ellis panned out, but Abraham and Becht were busts, given their selection position.
you're wrong because coaches like Kotite can be replaced but you can't go back and redraft--once you waste a pick like Van Dyke (1st pick in round 2) it stays with the team--bad drafts and bad draft picks don't just affect that coach--it impacts the team for years even after the coach is gone.
Van Dyke actually played for this team on the field in the ACF Championship game. As a Jets fan, I would think that you would have the bar set much lower for a bad draft pick. Think Blair Thomas, Mike Haight, Johnnie Lam Jones. Dick Steinberg got us some talent in the two years that Kotite was the head coach. It wasn't his fault that Hugh Douglas didn't fit Parcell's system. I Askew if Tannebaum, Bradway, and Edwards made any bad picks. If you want to focus everything as a comparison to this year's draft, why the hell was Schlagel inactive yet again this weak? The fact is that the year before we drafted Keyshawn, our passing game sucked bigtime. Cherbet and Graham were probably the worst starting WR tandem in the league. A second WR wasn't a bad idea at the time. With our extra first rounders, we have had some great drafts in recent years but compared to the Jets' entire draft history, the Kotite years weren't all that bad.
Excllent catches, I was going to post them but you beat me to it!! I would also put up the mid-1960's drafts, not so much the one with Namath, but for all the other talent that we got that lasted into the early 1970's. That 1977 draft to me was the best....Walt Michaels and John Idzik's finest hour...you got 3 players who lasted a decade-plus (Kleucko, Powell, Walker)....Matt Robinson became the #2 overall pick in 1980 (forget who we got).....Dierking and a few others had productive seasons into the early 1980's. Guy I know worked in the Jets scouting department then; it was alot easier to find jewels in the later rounds. Today, everything is so covered on cable/internet/Mel Kiper/etc. it's alot tougher. Also, note the extra rounds !!
In 65 we got Namath and Verlon Biggs in the draft and Chuck Knox who was at the Bowl game scouting Namath for the Jets signed out of college as undrafted FA's George Sauer Jr. and Jim Hudson who played for TX along with Pete Lamons. They signed both Sauer and Hudson undrafted and drafted Pete Lamons the following year.
I think that this recent draft class for the Jets could be near the top. Its weird because they're arent very many "stars" like Klecko, Lyons, Gastinuau. These are guys that Mangini hand picked to fit his scheme and only two players havent made some kind of impact this year...out of 10 picks. (Titus Adams, Jason Pociask) D'Brick is a great pick for years to come, as well as Mangold who may be even more valuable. Leon Washington has really came into his own, Brad Smith has done great things. Drew Coleman and Eric Smith have started a few games each.
In 2000 we had 4 first rounders.... you better have a good draft with that... besides... Abe for all his talent, couldn't and still can't stay on the field and Becht couldn't catch aids from a hatian male prostitute For what we had and the manuvers we made to get it... This draft IMO was the best!!!!
Say this for Rich Kotite, he was able to get the team to line up in the order of their jersey numbers. No small feat!
Clemens is going to be the determining factor whether this is the best draft in franchise history. If he becomes a long term starter down the road it'd be tough to argue with the '06 draft being the best.
I agree that Anthony S. WAS a bad draft pick for us this year, but he was the exception in an otherwise GOOD draft. With Kotite and Bradway you usually had the a guy who was the exception in what was a BAD draft. And not that it makes any difference, but I think Kotite's picks of Brady at 9 overall and Van Dyke with the first pick in round 2 were as bad as any we've had.
In your 77 draft, you forgot to bold Scott Dierking and Kevin Long -- both effective ball carriers and guys Mangini would've loved, and Dan Alexander who was a terrific, physical guard to those great 80's Jets
After watching the video JETS posted, I was just shocked. Why in the world would the Jets draft a TE, when that season they FRANCHISED a TE already? And the season after that they took a TE! And over Warren Sapp at that. Man, I'm glad I was young those days, otherwise I would have bugged out uncontrollably.
