I'm fine with any pick in the first round that fills a void, as long as its not spent on a project player (ducasse, hill), a workout warrior (gholston), or a player at a position of luxury (Wilson).
The game has changed. You can't win w/ a ball control offense anymore. You have to be able to make big plays. In 2008/2009 we had arguably the best OL of that entire decade. But did we win anything? No. Our offense still struggled against elite defenses b/c Good pass rush always beats good OL & b/c we lacked top end play makers. I'm not suggesting that OL isn't important..quite the contrary. But it's certainly not the be all end all to building a successful offense. Pound for pound all things being equal..you always take the skill guy over the trench man. The skill guy is harder to find..and the skill guy's plus plays have a much higher impact on winning & losing.
The OL has been a problem since '11. We need better guys, namely on the right side. The running game, or the passing game for that matter, will never be like it was in '09-'10 unless we fix the OL. Whatever they do, they better draft a QB. We can't go into next season with Mark Sanchez at the helm.
The Oline was only a problem in 2011 because of Wayne Hunter. It was average this past year, but not a "problem" by any means. Get a better QB in here and we'll see how much better they are.
The counter point to these arguments is "Name a team with a dominant O-line that has a terrible offense." I don't know what the appropriate defensive adjustment is when the opposing O-line is spanking you. The game has changed a lot (unfortunately, for the most part), but winning in the trenches is still the surest way to win, on either side of the ball. It's a better bet that picking a QB in the first round ever three years till you get it right....
No They Jets are already heavily invested with Mangold and Ferguson having big contracts. The Jets need some t aren't at other offensive position be it TE, RB and QB. We also need some youth and speed at linebacker.
I can't help but notice that stud D-lineman ALWAYS go in the top half of the first round, but the 'big fatties' up front that protect the QB 'can be gotten in later rounds'. Maybe that needs to change?
