I never thought I would say this but my first choice for the Jets to draft is AJ Hawk. He has all the tool in my opinion. Check this article out. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...aft/stories/040206dnspodraftlede.21b1de0.html Hawk heavy on talent, but LBs don't carry draft weight 06:56 PM CST on Saturday, April 1, 2006 By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News A.J. Hawk knows how to play football. He also knows how the game is played in the NFL. Which is why the Ohio State All-American, maybe the most complete player on the 2006 NFL draft board, knows he won't be the first overall selection. Or the second. Or even the third. NFL Draft Hawk heavy on talent, but LBs don't carry draft weight Rick Gosselin's latest rankings (updated 3/31) Photos of top players Online only series: 3/31: Tight ends can be found on rebound More NFL draft | Gosselin There are six cornerstone positions in the salary-cap world – quarterback, running back, wide receiver, left offensive tackle, pass rusher and cover corner – and Hawk doesn't play any of them. He plays linebacker. "It's a position where they say you don't want to draft a guy too high, because how much of an impact can a linebacker have?" Hawk said. "We're not a defensive end who's going to come in and get 15, 18 sacks a year, and we're not a running back who's going to come in and rush for 1,500 yards. "There are three or four of us on the field, so I guess you can justify not taking one too high. All I want is a chance regardless of where I'm taken. I'll gladly go to any team that wants me." There will be plenty of teams that want Hawk. In this draft, there may not be a more dominant player at his position in his college career than Hawk. Hawk was a three-year starter at Ohio State, a three-time All-Big Ten selection, a two-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year and the 2005 Lombardi Award winner as the best lineman in college football. Hawk may be an even better athlete than he is a football player. His performance at the NFL scouting combine in March rivaled any of his performances on the field last fall. NFL talent evaluators run players through a battery of drills at the combine to test athleticism. The 40-yard dash measures the speed of a player, and the vertical jump indicates the explosion in his legs. The short shuttle (stops and starts) is a barometer of agility and the ability to change direction, and the three-cone drill (sharp turns) indicates short-area quickness. Hawk checked in at 6-1, 248 pounds and ran a 4.59 40-yard dash. Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun, who led the Big Ten in scoring and finished second in rushing with 1,636 yards, ran a 4.60 40 on the same track. Calhoun, who projects as a first-day draft pick, is four inches shorter than Hawk and carries 47 fewer pounds. Hawk's vertical jump was 40 inches. Ohio State teammate Santonio Holmes, who is considered by many NFL teams the top wide receiver in this draft, had a vertical jump of 38 inches. Holmes is three inches shorter than Hawk and carries 69 fewer pounds. Hawk finished the short shuttle in 3.96 seconds. A 4.0 is considered superb for any player at any position. Holmes ran his short shuttle in 4.26. Hawk finished the three-cone drill in 6.82 seconds. Again, that put him in a range with elite offensive skill players. Holmes ran his in 6.83 seconds. Hawk is every talent evaluator's dream – he plays like a big man yet moves like a small man. His measurable skills translate onto the football field. The explosion in his legs allows him to strike a blow when tackling. He posted 100 tackles in each of his three seasons as a starter and finished fifth on Ohio State's all-time list with 382. This following a high school career in which he amassed 582 tackles. Speed and change of direction allow Hawk to cover running backs on passing downs. He intercepted seven passes in his college career and broke up 13 others. Short-area quickness allows him to shoot gaps on blitzes and harass quarterbacks. He managed 9 ½ sacks in 2005 and 15 in his career. That athleticism will allow Hawk to play any linebacker spot in any NFL defense – middle, inside, outside, strongside, weakside. He did even more than that in high school. He spent two years as the school's point guard in basketball and also punted for the football team. CHARLES REX ARBOGAST/AP Teams won't use a top-three pick on a linebacker, but Ohio State's A.J. Hawk might be the best player in the NFL draft. At 6-1, 248 pounds, Hawk can run 40 yards in 4.59 seconds. Hawk is as strong in the intangibles as the tangibles. The respect he commanded in the Ohio State locker room was obvious. His teammates voted him a captain before the season and squad MVP of the No. 4-ranked Buckeyes afterward. And for all of his accomplishments, Hawk is as grounded a football player as there is in this draft. He approached the process as if he expected to be a second-day pick, and that included participating in the full combine workout. Other marquee names like Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and D'Brickashaw Ferguson opted not to participate and jeopardize their lofty draft standing. But Hawk has taken nothing for granted – and doesn't act as if he invented the game, as so many top prospects have in so many drafts before him. He sits atop this draft board in humility. "I've played with 10 other guys who were really good," Hawk said. "I've done that for four years at Ohio State. And my whole life, since high school, I've had great coaches. They put me in a position to make plays, and I've tried not to disappoint them. I try to rely on my instincts. I try to go hard every play and get in on every tackle." Unlike Maurice Clarett in the draft class before him, Hawk expressed an appreciation for all that Ohio State has done for him. He talks with awe about the university and the opportunity the Buckeyes gave him to walk the path paved by All-America linebackers Randy Gradishar, Tom Cousineau and Chris Spielman. "At Ohio State there's so much tradition, especially at the linebacker spot," Hawk said. "It was an honor to be there, an honor to play there. I had a great four years there, great coaches. "The older guys would come back and let us know what they did and how they did things, how to handle yourself on and off the field. I grew up hearing about them from my dad and other people. I couldn't have asked for four better years." If Hawk sounds too good to be true, he is. He may be the best player in the 2006 NFL draft – and it won't even take the first overall pick to get him. E-mail rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Is it possible to trade down and still get Justice and carpenter or similar type talent for the #4 pick
The reason they can take Hawk is because he has Pats written all over him. He could be there Ted Bruschi. Also you want a edge pass rusher you can egt him in the 3rd rd.Stanley McClover could be the guy.
I am a huge aj Hawk fan but I think we must trade down to detroit and grab there 40th pick we must pick up Vernon Davis I am telling you this guy is our future. With the 29th pick we must draft Manny Lawson then with the 35th pick we should go after Thomas Howard with the 40th pick draft Whitmore and with the 3rd round pick draft O'Callahan. I think the Jets should get Faine from Cleveland I think that he will be much polished than Mangold. Carpenter will be good but I have to go with Lawson and Howard with size and speed. O'Callahan can play RG and Whitmore can play RT. We addressed the TE need and the Offensive line need. We can pick up DJ shockley or Croyle later in the draft and address a RB and QB next year
