By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)
2013 NFL Draft
Dee Milliner, Alabama CB (R1 P9)
Sheldon Richardson, Missouri Dline (R1 P13)
Geno Smith, West Virginia QB (R2 P39)
Brian Winters, Kent State G (R3 P72)
Oday Aboushi, Virgina OL (R5 P141)
William Campbell, Michigan OL (R6 P178)
Tommy Bohanon, Wake Forest FB (R7 P215)
Things started off smoothly in the draft for the new regime of the Jets. Grabbing Dee Milliner, cornerback out of Alabama. Widely considered a top 5 talent, Milliner dropped due to injury concerns. At 9, getting this talent was great value and it filled a need at corner after trading Revis. Make no mistakes though, he won’t be Revis, but he’ll be better than Kyle Wilson for sure.
Next up was the defensive tackle out of Missouri, Sheldon Richardson. At first, this was a head scratching pick. Richardson was undersized to play DT in a 3-4 and the this extended the Jets streak of selecting a defensive linemen in the first round to 3 years. It was suspected that the Jets would move to a 4-3 or at least use the front more often than in past years, but they decided to go into a different direction entirely. A huge need for the Jets was OLB which was not addressed in this draft, but the plan was to have Richardson play defensive end and move last year’s 1st round selection, Quinton Coples, to outside linebacker and play the pass rushing role. Coples played OLB going into his draft and teams looked at him for that position. Coples led the Jets in sacks last year at a meager 5.5 sacks but note this is from the defensive end position. Expect production to increase for Coples as a pass rusher with this move. As for Richardson, not a true nose tackle, defensive end seems like the perfect place for him, making this pick less head scratching.
Next up is the quarterback from West Virginia, Geno Smith. Projected to go in the top 10 of the draft, and even considered by some to go 9 to the Jets, getting him 30 picks later is excellent value. After round 1 ended, the Jets had looked desperate to try and trade up in the 2nd to go get Geno which would’ve been a huge mistake as he fell to them anyway. It’s good that they didn’t lose another pick just to get Geno 5 picks sooner. But it also begged the question of why the best QB in this draft fell to the 2nd round. This was answered with how he interviewed and his persona. Apparently, Geno Smith is a diva and was texting and tweeting from his phone during interviews with NFL teams. Geno’s drop also caused him to fire his agents which was another diva-ish move. It comes to question if you can lead when you blame others for your bad interviews though and should be a red flag for the Jets. Also keep in mind that if this was the 2012 draft, Geno would’ve been a 2nd-3rd round pick anyway and was only projected as a top 10 pick due to being the best of the worst of the QB crop this year.
With their 3rd round pick, the Jets selected Brian Winters from Kent State. An offensive linemen, Winters brings versatility to the position. Winters played right tackle in college but was drafted and looked at as a guard. Anytime a player can play multiple positions makes him an attractive pick, and although the Jets need a guard desperately, Winters can also fill in at tackle if needed.
The Jets traded their 4th round pick for Saints RB Chris Ivory. As many positions, RB was a need for the Jets. Ivory was the 3rd RB on the depth chart in New Orleans behind Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram. Ivory did see the field seemingly a lot despite this, and played quite well when given the ball. Ivory is a power back that likes to run over people which fits well with Rex Ryan’s ground and pound mentality. Overall, this was a very good trade for the Jets as they acquired their starting RB for only a 4th round pick.
With their 5th and 6th round picks, the Jets continued to address their offensive line depth. Oday Aboushi and William Campbell were both drafted as offensive linemen. This seems to be only for depth with only Aboushi being able to see the field if he switches from left tackle to right tackle and current Jets starter Austin Howard does not produce. Campbell was a defensive tackle in college and only played guard in 2010 briefly. With all the Jets needs, this was a bad pick as taking a project for offensive line doesn’t seem like a smart idea.
With their final pick, the Jets took fullback Tommy Bohanon. Bohanon has some nice hands for a FB and can add to the passing game but not much is expected from a 7th rounder.
Overall, the Jets had a very good draft, but with so many needs at so many positions, it was hard to have a bad draft. With solid picks in the first five rounds, and a very good trade, the Jets started their rebuilding process quite well. Geno Smith will have to change his personality under the bright lights of New York and hopefully he can be the quarterback of the future for the Jets.
Overall Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment