Link: Best Player Available?
Generally, when you look at the best teams in the league that stay near the top, they do it because they can afford to draft the right players that keep the core of their roster in place. Teams like the Chargers, Colts, Ravens and so on. So, with a QB the team feels very comfortable in as their future, and pretty solid depth at most positions, the Jets are entering the draft in a different place, writes the Post’s Mark Cannizzaro.
The Jets, in fact, after addressing their most pressing needs with such aggressiveness, enter this draft more flexible than a 14-year-old gymnast.
When the Jets finally are on the clock with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft tonight, their choice will be harder to predict than in many previous years because – gulp – they’re not really in desperate need at any particular position.
So you will be virtually guaranteed that one thing the Jets won’t do with their first-round pick is reach for a player to fill a need.
“We have a great team right now without the draft,” Rex Ryan said. “There’s no, ‘You absolutely need this or you need that.’ We’re set up. We’re in an ideal situation. We’re going into the draft where we can take the best player. That’s where you usually make the best decisions.
“Usually, when you make mistakes in the draft, it’s all about reaching for a guy or a need and you let a better football player go by. We’re in a position where we can take the best player regardless of position and just strengthen our football team.”
Last spring, when talking about Gholston and comparing him to T-Sizzle’s early “struggles” in Baltimore, Rex talked about the idea of basically taking a first round pick and starting him … why else would you draft someone in the first?
It’s unclear of just who the Jets would take, but sounds like they’re going to try and adhere as strictly to the board as possible, whatever it tells them. While this might not pay dividends in year one for a team, it’s clearly better for the team in the long-term. Still, with some of the rumors swirling about Faneca, Ellis and Thomas, it might not necessarily mean that an offensive lineman drafted at #29 won’t start in 2010.
24 Responses to Link: Best Player Available?
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stay put and take the BEST player available. this is a luxory that few teams experience in the nfl draft. unless berry is somehow there after the first ten. oh yeah, get mesko late tanny.
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nelson17 says:
This is why I woukd love for them to trade up and get one of the safetys. Or would it be impossible to give up a lot of picks to a team like the Lions to go get Suh?
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Dylan says:
I would take the BPA at either CB, DB, LB, OT/G, DT, or DE. I would not take the BPA if they are a QB, RB, TE, or WR. Rex said he wants to draft a starter in the 1st round, so I really think it is going to be either a DB or a G. A safety will have a good chance of starting from day one, a CB is going to be our nickle and will get a ton of playing time, and a guard like Iupati would start immediately over Faneca. If we draft a LB, they aren’t going to start.
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Zartan says:
All i know is, Tanny is getting better and better. With a great coach, it’s scrry how good this team can be and for as long as the two(Rex) are together.
Hate to say it at this moment but i know at some point Woody and Rex are going to have a falling out. It will not be for bad play from the team.
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JetsFanInSouthFlorida says:
Dylan,
Iupati would not start immediately over Faneca. He might be the reason the Jets cut Faneca, but if he isn’t cut, Faneca is the starter.
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hopefully we will trade back & pickup extra picks…..this draft is deep with most of the talent on the same level.
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JetsFanInSouthFlorida,
What I meant to say is that if Iupati is on the roster, then Faneca won’t be. The Jets would either cut him or try and trade him for a late round pick. I think that Iupati could start at guard immediately. He is probably already better than Faneca in pass protection. I don’t think he is too far behind in run blocking either. Iupati is going to be a very good interior linemen.
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MS says:
If Berry is still there at #7 how much would it cost to move up and get him? Could trade #29, 2011 1st, and Leon to get to #7 or do we need to give up more. If this was the case I would do it and pick up Gerhart or McCluster later on.
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Chris says:
Cutting players like Faneca and Thomas in this year doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Considering the Jets carried alot of ‘less’ talented guys on the roster last year, I don’t think they’ll have capacity issues.
I’m not a huge fan of Ellis at this stage in his career but I think he probably falls in that same category. The additions of Pool, Cromartie, LDT, Taylor and Holmes are hopeful to help but I think it’s very important the Jets maintain their existing core. Getting rid of those guys would be a huge mistake.
For the draft, I’d still support a guy like Iupati because the Jets line depth on both sides is brutal. 5 of the 8 starters are over 30 and those positions can also be very unpredictable in terms of production, injury, etc.
They’ve added the necessary playmakers and have some younger guys returning. I think now, more than ever is the time to go back to the basics. I think both Griffen and Iupati could easily make argument for the best player available and I’d be surprised if one of them were not there.
I’ll admit that Tanny has done a better job than I would’ve thought last April but they still need to handle this draft very well to continue to progress up.
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Bent says: If the Jets can get value for Faneca and then draft a lineman, then I expect that’s what they’ll do. While I don’t want to see the unit broken up because continuity is important, Faneca was poor for three quarters of the season, so they can upgrade there.
However, if they draft a lineman and Faneca stays one more year, think how much our jumbo package will be upgraded by!
MS – According to the draft chart, that’s not nearly enough (assuming Leon is worth a 3rd rounder).
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reality jet fan says:
Please keep faneca!
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BrowningNagle says:
no need at any particular position…
take “best” player available…
need to cast for ‘Hard Knocks’…
need to sell PSL’s…why do i feel as though the Jets are crazy enough to take Tebow as a pet-project?
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Eddie DiGio says:
I dont see Faneca going unless we get Iupati…Iupati is RIDICULOUS…better than Snee was coming out of college
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Bent says:
“we having a TJB chat during the draft tonight??”
Of some description, yes.
You’ll have multiple options to interact with other fans. Details to follow from Bassett in due course.
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I have Twitter and FB but TJB is my home….lol
I wont be back in NY/NJ until early tomorrow morning…I need a connection for draft night
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MEL31602 says:
For what it’s worth Gosselin at the Morning News has us taking Patrick Robinson. He has Hughes Odrick and McCorty all gone by that point (with Odrick lasting to SD at 28). He says the Jets might also consider trading down if that happens and I agree if those three are gone that is probably their best option. Although he somehow has Kindle not being in the first round in which case I would jump on him at 29 instead of taking a CB.
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If we trade back I want Robinson which could happen considering the Tebow/McCoy noise recently
I think Robinson at 29 is a little of a reach even though I think hes the best CB outside of Haden
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Bent.
No one will trade for Faneca. In this year’s draft, nobody will do it. It’s not effective for cost, he maybe has 1-2 yrs left and like you said, he showed signs of decline last yr.
That being said, I don’t know if anyone in this draft, even Iupati can come in and be as effective, especially in some of Callahan’s schemes. But I’d love to have him because he would be exactly what this team needs in terms of staying good beyond just this year…
For my money… OG and DL are the best two options in the top two rounds. There are so many good guys in those top 61picks, any combo of the following would be amazing…
Griffen
Iupati
Odrick
Alualu
Joseph
Asamoah
Price
JerryAnd if Bruce Campbell fell to 61, they’d have to take him. From there, I suspect the Jets will move about in later rounds and there will be some nice depth to pick up add’l DB’s, OL, DL and possibly WR/RB.
Enjoy!
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Drew
You dont like McCourty?
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My opinion is still Odrick if he is there at #29, do not trade up under any circumstances unless it is an absolutely ridiculous deal in our favor. If Odrick isn’t there, then my second option would be trade out of the 1st round into the early second and gain an extra pick or two, hopefully a 3rd rounder (Cleveland would be my target team since they have 3 3rd rounders and might want to move into the late 1st for McCoy). There will be plenty of comparable players in the early second to what we would see available at #29. We may not get Jerry Hughes, but instead a CB like Robinson or a NT like Linval Joseph instead. If we can’t get anyone to bite on a trade down, then BPA with my hopes on McCourty\Kindle\Hughes.
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Stefan says:
The Jets will not pick at 29. The Jets will play their first round pick if they don’t trade out of the first round, because they will have traded up to get who they want. This is what Tanny does.
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My opinion is still Odrick if he is there at #29, do not trade up under any circumstances unless it is an absolutely ridiculous deal in our favor. If Odrick isn’t there, then my second option would be trade out of the 1st round into the early second and gain an extra pick or two, hopefully a 3rd rounder (Cleveland would be my target team since they have 3 3rd rounders and might want to move into the late 1st for McCoy). There will be plenty of comparable players in the early second to what we would see available at #29.
Would they take an RB if he was the BPA when they pick? Interesting stuff.