Combine Wrapup

Edition #587

Good morning! ☕

We are creeping towards free agency and the Jets were thrown a little slice of hope over the weekend as Mike Evans’s agent confirmed that his client and Tampa have not reached an agreement by their self-imposed deadline and Evans will now test free agency. There are no guarantees and the Jets will be a hard sell considering we have the longest playoff drought in North American sports. But he said he wants to play with an established QB, and we certainly have that. Evans to me is the perfect complement to Garrett, but I would still say it’s a long shot that he lands in New York. I’m still betting on a return to Tampa or a move to Kansas City…but we have hope.

🙏 Starting today with some sad news as longtime NFL reporter Chris Mortensen has died at the age of 72. Chris was diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer in 2016 and announced he’d be stepping away from his role before the 2023 season. "Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally beloved as a supportive, hard-working teammate," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. "He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion, and was at the top of his field for decades. He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones."

💨 Texas WR Xavier Worthy set the NFL scouting combine record with an official 4.21-second 40-yard dash. That breaks the record of John Ross who ran a 4.22 back in 2017. I’ve watched him for years at Texas and he’s legit lightning, but he did weigh in at 165lbs which is very light for the NFL. I think he can make some noise at the next level and that speed is going to be coveted.

🧱 Pretty much every single offensive tackle was asked what it would be like to block for Aaron Rodgers and pretty much every offensive tackle gave the same answer, it would be a dream. Joe Alt was one of those players and I think I speak for most when I say the idea of Alt blocking for Rodgers is a dream, but an unlikely one.

🦥 You know I've been skeptical on Keon Coleman has a first round prospect. The combine added to my skepticism as the Florida State man ran a 4.61 in the forty and I thought he looked cumbersome making cuts ans changing directions. His size is good, but I just have too many questions to spend a first round pick on him.

🦶 A new kickoff rule crafted by NFL special teams coordinators would allow teams to attempt an onside kick only when trailing in the fourth quarter and require them to declare in advance, according to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. Just 5.2% of onside kicks were recovered in 2023, but teams could potentially be allowed to utilize an unbalanced (6x4) formation to raise the odds of a recovery.

📏 All the top tackles measured in well at the combine although Fashanu’s 8 1/2 inch hands were on the small side for a tackle, and Latham is an absolute Jumbo Jet. He measured in at 6’5, 342lbs with an 84 3'/8 wing span and 35 1/8 arm length. That’s huge. However, Penn State OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu ended his workout with a right thigh injury and Georgia OT Amarius Mims grabbed his right leg toward the end of his second 40-yard dash try, he later confirmed he was dealing with a right hamstring injury. Mims injury is notable as the main knock on him is his inexperience due to missing so much time with injuries.

📈 We mentioned the name Troy Fautanu earlier this off-season as a player to watch through the process and the Washington offensive tackle has boosted his draft stock with a very good performance at the combine. His arms measured out at 34 1/2-inchs which is absolutely fine and I would argue that nobody moved smoother than him in the position drills. Remember this is a guy who played LT for a Huskies team who made it all the way to the Championship game and he allowed just 2 sacks and 23 pressures across over 600 pass-blocking snaps. If the Jets wanted to shift down to pick up an extra pick, this is the guy I’d be targeting between picks 15-20.

🤘 While we’re on the offensive line group. The combine showed how talented this group is. NFL Reporter Peter Schrager said, “A GM told me this morning this is the best OL group he's ever seen at the Combine”. This is excellent news for the Jets, we thought it was a strong group and nothing we’ve seen this weekend would suggest otherwise.

✂️ The New Orleans Saints have informed former Jets safety Marcus Maye they will release him at the start of the league year as they continue to manoeuvre to create cap space. Maye has missed 17 games which includes a 3-game suspension since signing a $22.5 million contract with the Saints in 2022. If Maye is designated a post-June 1 cut, he will count $2.414 million in dead money and create $7.2 million in cap space.

💲 Over the weekend we heard that Zach Wilson will struggle to find a team willing to take on his cap hit of $5.4 million for one year. Which means two things. Either the Jets are going to have to eat some of the money to move him or include draft compensation if they prefer to keep the cap space. Or they can release him and hope for the offset money when he signs his inevitable one-year deal for the minimum.

🔴⚪ Mecole Hardman’s agent has said the report of his client leaking information to the Chiefs and Eagles is “laughable and ridiculous”. It’s unclear if the Jets have asked the league to investigate this, but it does seem likely that they’ve asked the league to investigate Hardman contacting the Chiefs before the official trade, which could constitute tampering.

🌟 Braylon Edwards was one of my favourite Jets and now he’s been declared a hero by the Michigan police force after saving an 80-year-old man who was being attacked by a 25-year-old man at a Farmington Hills YMCA facility. It’s unclear what caused the fight but police said that it was a life-threatening situation for the senior citizen. The victim is currently in hospital recovering.

🐆 The combine is the perfect setting for the rumour mill to start churning. Calvin Ridley has emerged as the priority target for the Jets and considering he’s coming off a season where he finished with 76 catches on 136 targets for 1,016 yards…I’m OK with that. I think Ridley would make a fine #2 to Garrett Wilson, but I’d still prefer Mike Evans if that was a possibility.

😀 Here’s something that made me happy at the weekend. According to reports, it looks likely that Tyron Smith and the Dallas Cowboys will be parting ways this off-season. He’s struggled with injuries recently, but he played 13 games last season on a special practice schedule. Smith is an elite tackle when he’s healthy, and the Jets absolutely should be in the running for him.

🏈 Todd Downing was at the combine closely watching the RB, WR and QB groups. We know the Jets will be looking at the wide receiver group closely, but it’s becoming clear that the Jets want to draft a 3rd-day developmental QB. Joe Milton makes a lot. of sense to me, but I’d also keep an eye on the name Austin Reed. I heard the Jets were paying particular attention to him. The 6’2 Reed completed 62% of his passes in 2023 for 3,340 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions

😡 Rich Cimini had a note from a former GM saying: "I can see why Johnson is pissed, I would've gotten rid of them all, but he's stuck. He's stuck with them this year. [Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett] is best friends with Rodgers. The coach, too. What are you going to do? I get why he kept them. If it had been any other scenario and they finished like that, he would've gotten rid of them all."

🟢 The Jets won’t be hiring replacements for Rex Hogan (assistant GM) and Chad Alexander (personnel director) which leaves them a little short in the run-up to free agency and the draft.