What's your Jets draft grade?

For what it is worth, I just got done watching the post-draft press conference and here are the basics for Ryan and Tannenbaum's decision for taking Powell:

Rex:
-Loves having a corps of fresh backs to throw at defenders to close out games, especially late in the season.
-Running back was already a position of strength on the team with what Greene and Tomlinson did last season and what McKnight showed against Buffalo with a 158yard performance. Feels that adding Powell to that rotation only makes the position stronger.
-Mentioned the fact that someone could go down with an injury so having Powell there would be a contingency he'd be happy with
-Carried 6 running backs on the roster last season until they cut Woodhead and maintained 5 running backs for the remainder of the season. No issues with roster spots in Rex's mind moving forward.
-Referred to Powell as a 3-down back; he can run, catch and block. It seems pretty obvious that Rex sees him taking over for Tomlinson once LT is done on the Jets.

Tannenbaum:
-Graded Powell much higher than the 4th round. Too high a value to pass up at that point in the draft.
-Described the selection as a "stay true to your board" pick. Highest player on the stack.

 

We don't seem to agree very often, but we do on this, except I gave the draft an A, although I think it's silly to grade drafts at this point.

I'm disappointed as most Jets fans are that we didn't get an exciting OLB and/or S prospect, but I absolutely love the first 4 players the Jets took. I think Wilkerson and Ellis both have the potential to be very, very good pros if not perennial All Pros and turn the Jets' DL into a dominant force. Powell looks like he could be better than Shonn Greene and be the Jets new starting RB within a year. He already has better hands than Greene and may have better vision, balance and speed. Kerley can be a dangerous slot receive and will be the best PR the Jets have had in a long, long time. I think he could possibly be as good as Leon or Brad Smith as a KR as well.

I also like the McElroy pick. While I didn't really want to spend a draft pick on a QB with all the other needs the Jets have, the need for Sanchez' backup is there. McElroy has a lot going for him. He's smart, played against the best competition in college, is poised, accurate, and probably has pretty sound techinique. He also played in a pro style offense. He may not be the most athletic or have the strongest arm, but for a backup prospect and the 7th round, I'm very happy with him. McKnight is an ok prospect and a gift to Sanchez to keep him happy.

Regardless of what Kerley, McElroy and McKnight do in the NFL, Wilkerson and Ellis alone could make this one of the best Jets drafts ever.

 

It's quite possible that Tanny and Rex feel that the only way to get a real impact guy at the position is at the top of the draft. The last two years, we havent been in a position to really take one. When you couple the lack of value with the great talent that fell into our laps I don't fault our guys for passing on the available talent.

However, we really need to get some young talent infused into the position in a hurry! I look at next years FA class as a good place to take a chance...

 

Yeah, that was more for the people complaining about not getting an OLB. I was hoping for one as well, but you have to stay true to your board and not reach for a player just because he fits a need. The team didn't feel the value was there. I'm curious whether people here did. I like the players we got late in the draft, even if I didn't think the positions were necessarily where we'd go.

Even Scotty, who people are writing off, is a good prospect in the two things that matter most for a slot receiver: quickness and hands. He's not a physical specimen, he's not the most athletic guy out there, but he worked his way back into football after it was taken away from him, and left Colorado as the all time leader in receptions. He just plain catches the ball.

 

I thought we called it a Mangini pick?

I just keep getting the feeling that Tanny has cold feet about drafting a rush linebacker since Gholston. I'll give Tanny one more draft to put my mind at ease on the subject. I mean, I know we have been short of picks the past few years but I mean we haven't had one healthy pick, even a developmental guy (maybe count Basped last year). We need to get a rush linebacker, its not a question any more if you want to have an elite defense and run a 3-4 you need a top notch rush linebacker. That isnt the rule, as clearly we have had some success, but the two teams in the SB had a linebacker creating nightmares for the opposing QB

 

I think we had a great draft. It's funny, because almost everyone on here talks about drafting BPA, but when we don't fill all of our needs, everyone is up in arms about not drafting a position of need. I'm not saying I didn't want an OLB or S, but I'm definitly happy with the guys we picked. Plenty of the guys most of us would have been happy with in the 4-7th rounds went undrafted-- Lefeged, McDaniel, D Williams. Maybe they are this years Donavan Warren.

At some point, we will have a free agency period, and if there are any needs, I'm sure they will be addressed via trade, or FA.

 

I kind of know what you mean but I really cannot get hold this year's draft against him on that front. ***WARNING*** This is going to read like an apologist's interpretation but here goes:

Wilkerson was a better value to the team at 30 than Ayers would have been given Wilkerson's versatility and athleticism, probably a better pass rusher in a 3-4 as well.

Reed, Carter and Sheard all would have been reaches at that point and we didn't have the ammunition to trade back into the second for them, not without blowing a huge portion of our draft on one pick.

Houston and Moch went early in the third so when it came down to the Jets the options for a pass rushers at that point seemed to be either Acho, Gabe Miller(went in the 5th) or Jeremy Beal(went in the 7th). Thanks to his "character issues", Ellis fell to us in the third we had the chance to take a huge DT who graded out higher than Acho did and the Jets went with it.

Maybe the Jets thought Acho would fall farther in the 4th or maybe they just didn't like him, but every pick after Ellis seemed to be a "trust your board" selection. Powell was graded to go in either the 2nd or 3rd round by most other teams so again, that's a value pick.

Two of our final three picks were spent on WRs which seems to tell me that the Jets are putting more of a premium on surrounding Sanchez with talent. Kerley seems to be a great substitute for B. Smith and getting a WR with whom Sanchez is familiar and has the attributes to be a great safety valve out of the slot in McKnight are two moves that help build an offense for a young QB either through a presence in the passing game or through field position if, in fact, Kerley's role with the team is as a KR.

As for McElroy in the 7th, I don't think there could be better value for a backup in this draft. Clemens has literally no reason to stay with the Jets this year, the Jets have really no reason to keep Ainge and O'Connell is only on the team still because he was injured while in TC.

Every pick we made after Ellis reads like it was done simply for value. Maybe the Jets had a few guys targeted that were snapped up by other teams - Tannebaum specifically send in the post-draft presser today that the Kerley pick came about mostly because the Jets had no other options they liked in the 5th - or maybe they thought that they could get a few guys in free agency when that time eventually comes. The point is, given the guys who fell into the 7th or out of the draft altogether, it seems as though the FO just was not enamored with them enough to select them and going against your board to fill a need is not a good idea, especially for a player you're not that enamored with in the first place.

 

I am not a draft guru. Reading extensively about the picks it looks like the first 3 picks I really really like. The last 3 meh. I realize that is just a function of their place, 5 round or later.

My grade at this juncture is a B. I mean I still do not understand how you can accurately grade a draft the next day. We all know it takes years for that grade to become clear.

Right now 2010 looks like ass. The ass of a 500 pound woman, that just ran a block, in 110 degree humid weather to get a salami and hasn't showered in 3 years. However, if Wilson, Connor and Ducasse become starters, the worm will turn. 2010 may not be such a disaster after all.

 

I weigh early round picks heavily, so while I didn't like the day 3 picks overall, I give it a solid A.

 

Right now B- for me.
Although I think the picks are good picks, the first two especially, I think we could have pursued our needs a bit more aggressively. Had that been done I would have awarded a higher grade.
Just have to see what happens in FA now.

 

For the snap judgemnt of the day after, I'll give it a solid A.

We added young, impressive youth, our D line. Both players should be able to make an impact this year and become studs in the near future.

Powell is another runner for a supposed run first team. It shows little faith in McKnight, but he's part of last draft. For the pick it self I like his size and style for our offense.

Kerley and McKnight add some talent young receivers to our grp and are perhaps a bit of a buffer if we do not resign Holmes. Thye should be fighting it out for 4th/5th recivers duty or a special teams job in camp. Not bad for late rounders.

McElroy is going to become Sanchez's understudy. Not a bad pick for a 7th rounder and has more upside than any of the QB's on our roster has diplayed to date.

Its a good draft. Helps shore up some holes and adds quality depth with some later value picks. No we did not get a rush LBer, but most of the good ones went between the picks of Wilks and Ellis, so the value was not there. The dafter is an A to me untill a couple season tell me otherwise.

 

It looks like a B+ the morning after:

Wilkerson - straight A - was described by Kiper as being arguably the best pick of the first round.

Ellis - an A- grade, great value at that point but there are risks

Bilal Powell - C+, a good pickup and value but he doesnt fill a need and we do have needs.

Jeremy Kerley - B+ - good pick and good value.

Greg McElroy - B-, a good player and very good value but there were bigger needs that could have been filled.

Scotty McKnight - C+, good be a decent role player but again there were needs that we should have gone after.

 

I gave the draft a "B", but the draft team deserve an "A" doing the best they could with what little they had.

I've been looking on enviously at who the Giants have drafted but we could only ever be in their position by not making the post-season. I'll stick with "B" grade drafts and AFCC games thankyaverymuch

 

I didn't like that they didn't draft any of the S or LB available, specially in day 3.

But I can't really complain. It's very simple, they knew we needed a S and a LB (I can't imagine them saying today "damn! we didn't got a S! I forgot we didn't have one!"), and there were plenty available for the last rounds (McDaniel, Sash, Williams), so they obviously thought they were not worthy of a pick, they're convinced (after overanalyzing them -or at least watching a highlight reel in the last couple of minutes) that what they got was the best choice.

Wilk and Ellis will be great.

Powell will replace LT either 2011 or 2012. Rex pick. They looked like they shoplifted him instead of drafting him.

Kerley at best brings depth, at worst is a starter next season. (best/worst used on purpose).

McElroy (I keep picturing him as a tennis player with bad temper) was praised in this boards before and everyone seem to like that pick in a mock. I wanted a S but there were S available and they didn't liked them. That's fine.

Scotty... if he had been drafted by any other team nobody would be saying it was a reach. In our case he's not only not a reach, but he has a plus. It's funny how people can spin it to use that plus as a bad thing.

 

I'll give the overall draft a B+; Days 1 & 2 get an A; Day 3 gets a B-

I didn't understand the Day 3 picks at first but I'm not an expert. After thinking about it overnight and reading up on some of the picks they make more sense now.

Kerley was drafted to be the new Brad Smith. He will return kicks, play some WR (prolly not this year), contribute on ST, and take over the wild cat. That's pretty good value in the 5th round.

Powell must have been Rex's pick this year, his defensive minded player on offense. What a luxury to be able to rotate your backs in the game to keep pounding the defense. I could see Powell getting some late minutes mid to late season.

McElroy is what it is. An uber smart QB who will be another player/coach for Dirty when Brunell retires. Sorry Kellen, Kevin, and Erik....you had a chance but its time to move on.

The McKnight pick(s) was a favor to Sanchez who was watching the draft at McKnights house according to the Daily News. I guess Sanchez and Rex both get 1 pick per draft.

 

Go read the Welcome to NY Scotty Mcknight thread.

This kid was not drafted solely because of his relationship to Sanchez. IT didnt hurt, but the kid absolutely can play football, and has a chance to make an impact in NY.

 

Let's be clear... this isn't a draft that will make you go "Wow" straight away... but if you think about it it makes a lot of sense.

Wilkerson: excellent pick... discussed a ton already but basically he can be used in many ways on our DL (and versatility is important in Rex's D). Can bring pressure to the QB from the 34DE position, once coached up, or demand 2 men on him to create space for other rushers.
He said he wants to bring more "disruptive ability" to our DL and that's exactly what he'll do.

Ellis: Will allow us to give Pouha and DeVito a rest improving our run D (remember the Steelers game?). Also a long term prospect to eventually spell Pouha down the line.

Powell: This isn't a draft pick for this year (well, unless injuries occur... hope not but Greene does take hard hits). It gives us one year to develop (physically and technically) a rookie at a position that requires a high level of conditioning.
Fix the ball handling, make him stronger and this kid will become a very good back considering his vision and tough running style.
Greene + Powell + McKnight will be an exciting trio for years to come.

Kerley: We needed a guy like this. We have to be prepared in case Holmes and B. Smith leave. Not saying he's anywhere near their level at WR or as a return man but he's a quality pick in rd 5 and has given us some flexibility entering negotiations with our WRs.
Edwards+Cotchery+Kerley+Turner+McKnight+???(fast as hell WR that can play ST, Lockette maybe? Or Smith re-signs?) isn't a bad WR group.

McElroy: Nice prospect for the future. He's either going to be Sanchez back-up for a long time of we're going to trade him for a higher pick in 3-4 years... lot of confidence in him. Also having such a smart kid next to the Sanchize won't hurt him... Sanchez+Brunell+McElroy would be a sick trio.

McKnight: He's going to work his ass off with his best friend Sanchez. Chemistry means so much between a QB and his slot guy... also it's not like he can't play... he's been so productive at Colorado and that's not a Div II school...



Question... do you think Jason Taylor will be brought back another year but this time be asked to rush the passer a lot more than he was last year? I could see it happening.

All in all I love this draft. If we can somehow get eithe McDaniel or, even better, Deunta Williams once the lock-out is lifted I'll be in the streets jumping.

 

I think it's a strong possibility for a few reasons. Taylor was cut the day he signed that contract last year. No way in hell the guy was getting $10 million this year...he knew it, they knew it, even Cimini's dumb ass could figure that one out. If they had absolutely no intention of bringing him back he would've retired...he's officially a Rex Kool-aid drinker. The guys not gonna pull a Farve and go begging for a roster spot at Buffalo. It's here, Miami, or hang up the cleats.

Let's face it the guy didn't light the world on fire last year but he had some serious impact plays when they mattered (was anybody else smelling a Brady comeback week 2 until Taylor took his head off? I know I was...)

He'd be cheap, he wouldn't have to play any end most likely, and he's a hell of a locker room guy, which is something we may be in shorter supply of with Pryce, T. Rich, AND Ellis possibly gone.

 

I don't see how these 2 picks can get the same grade.