DWH's All-Favouritism Draft Class
We all have our favourite prospects, here are mine.
On Monday we heard from Head Coach Robert Saleh, yesterday we heard from General Manager Joe Douglas. It’s wise not to expect a lot from these pressers, as secrecy is the name of the game in the NFL around draft season.
Joe Douglas Presser
So instead of a deep dive, I’m just going to give you the headline comments:
"I think when you have a quality tight end, it’s a great security blanket for a young quarterback. … it just gives you more options, more options for a young quarterback that can work the middle of the field for us." - On bringing in C.J Uzomah and Tyler Conklin.
"Yes, we are operating like Mekhi is going to be one of our two tackles. That’s our expectation that he’s going to come back ready to roll. I know he’s fired up to get back on the field and compete." - On if he expects Becton to be a starting tackle for the Jets in 2022.
"We’re very optimistic on all these guys coming back." - On the 2020 draft class after a troublesome second season in 2021.
“We need to be playing meaningful games in December” - On the team and expectations for the 2022 season and beyond.
"There’s pressure every offseason. But obviously, this year having four picks in the top 38, we do this the right way, it could really be special." - On the opportunity that’s presented with the Jets having significant draft capital.
"If it’s the right opportunity, we’ll consider any package. Ultimately, we want to talk about a package that makes sense for us, gives us the ability to maintain our flexibility." - On if he would be willing to move picks #4 or #10 for an NFL veteran.
"We want to be aggressive, but we don’t want to be reckless. ... there were some players we were in on in free agency and we were right there in the end and just couldn’t get it done. There was a number we felt was bordering reckless so we had to stand down” - On free agency and being aggressive in trying to improve the roster.
"We feel good about this receiving corps we have. We have the opportunity to keep adding to it. If the opportunity’s right, the price is right, we’re going to strike." - On if the Jets feel they have to add to the wide receiver room.
"In a circumstance that was this unique, this type of player, we felt it was a good time to be aggressive. It ultimately didn’t work out but we feel good about our intent and we’re going to be in a lot of conversations moving forward." - On the Jet’s pursuit of Tyreek Hill and having no regrets.
"You hear about rumors. Until those opportunities become a little more concrete, that’s what they are, just rumors. We weren’t expecting the opp to pop up last week, but when it came available, we were ready." - On rumors around other WR targets like DK Metcalf.
Thoughts: Joe Douglas says a lot without saying anything at all, and that’s the exact kind of GM you’d want your team to hire. He also stated the Jets feel “great” about the tackles behind Fant & Becton (Edoga & McDermott), but also reiterated that you win upfront, he spoke about affecting the QB…which makes me believe it’s edge at #4.
The DWH Favouritism Draft Class
Anyone who pays close attention to the draft will develop favorites, not necessarily the best players in the draft but guys that you just believe in, guys you probably saw at the start of the process, guys that you project well to the next level.
So with us being under a month to the draft, I thought it was about time I released my All-Favouritism team…one player at each position, offense, and defense, and my favorite stat for them.
QB - Bailey Zappe (Western Kentucky) - Threw 61 Touchdowns in 2021 which is an FCS/FBS record.
RB - Tyler Allgeier (BYU) - Had 1,143 yards after contact in 2021.
WR - George Pickens (Georgia) - Tied the Georgia bowl record as a Freshman with 12 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown in their Sugar Bowl victory against Baylor
TE - Charlie Kolar (Iowa State) - Caught 18/27 contested catch opportunities in 2021 for a very good 66.7% success rate.
OT - Abraham Lucas (Washington State) - Didn’t allow a single sack over 477 pass-blocking snaps in 2021 as the starting right tackle.
OG - Cole Strange (Chattanooga) - Had a 99.0% pass-blocking efficiency rate in 2021, that’s joint 17th of all guards in the FBS/FCS (Over 250 players)
C - Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa) - Linderbaums 96.6 run-blocking grade was the highest mark for any center by over 6 points, he also allowed just 7 pressures.
DE - Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon) - Had 48 pressures in just 289 pass-rushing snaps, that’s a pressure generated every 6 snaps.
DT - Jordan Davis (Georgia) - Over the last two seasons and over 600 snaps, Davis hasn’t missed a single tackle. Not one.
LB - Chad Muma (Wyoming) - Had 142 tackles last season, more than any other linebacker in either the FBS or FCS.
CB - Zyon McCollum (Sam Houston State) - Has allowed only 53.2% of passes to be completed into his coverage, with 12 pass breakups over his career.
S - Kerby Joseph (Illinois) - Allowed just a 47.4% completion into his coverage while recording 5 INT’s in 2021.
K - Cameron Dicker (Texas) - He’s a longhorn…enough said.
P - Jordan Stout (Penn State) - Among full-time punters, Stout led the FBS with a hangtime of 4.34 seconds.
Three’s a Crowd
There are only so many snaps to go around during pre-season, and carrying three kickers is pretty pointless. Following the signings of both Greg Zuerlein and Eddy Pineiro, it was only a matter of time before the Jets made a move. Unfortunately for Matt Ammendola, he was the odd man out. By cutting him now, the Jets are giving him an opportunity to catch on with another team.
Bucky’s Breakdown
Another day, another mock draft. This time it’s the NFL’s Bucky Brooks, and he has 0 QB’s being drafted in the first round. We’re not really interested in the QB class as Jets fans, but if no QBs get taken in the first round that’s bad news for the Jets for two reasons:
It reduces the chance of the Jets being able to trade down for future picks and extra flexibility.
If teams aren’t taking QBs, they’re likely taking players at positions of need for the Jets.
So in this scenario who does Bucky have the Jets taking?
No complaints here, Sauce is CB1 in this draft and he has true #1 lockdown potential.
This is a hard sell for me. I really like Hamilton, but he’s struggled to stay healthy and he hasn’t tested off the charts like you expected he would. Add the fact the Jets spent free agency money on DJ Reed and Whitehead…are we really going to spend a large chunk of our free agency $$ and both first-round picks on the secondary?
Add in the fact that Joe Douglas spent yesterday talking about the need to hit QB’s to prevent them finding their big-play receivers, and this doesn’t make a lot of sense. To be fair to Bucky, in this scenario all the good edges are off the board, but if that’s the case I can’t see them taking a safety over a receiver, just can’t see it happening. Garrett Wilson was gone in this scenario, but everyone else was available.
Around the NFL
The NFL approved a change to the overtime rule in post-season games, guaranteeing both teams possession of the football. A good move IMO which will make you win the game on both sides of the football.
Commissioner Roger Goodell says there’s no timeline on potential league discipline for Deshaun Watson, you have to imagine some kind of suspension is coming down the road, we just don’t know when and for how long.
The Ravens have extended John Harbaugh for another three years. Harbaugh has been with the Ravens since 2008 and is one of the longer-tenured head coaches in football.
Browns GM Andrew Berry still isn’t sure about whether he’ll trade Baker Mayfield or if the former starter will remain in Cleveland. Chances are they’re waiting to see the punishment levied at Deshaun Watson.
Last year was very impressed on what Douglas did in rounds five & six in the draft, actually stunned, waiting on the LB/ Safety conversions before the final verdict.. No one talks about the two fourths and two Fifths , the Jets. have in this years draft,, but those 4 picks could be critical in this roster rebuild. Of your favorite players, consider, at 4A, Tackle Abraham Lucas, 4B Safety Kirby Joseph , 5A OG/C Cole Strange and 5B RB Tyler Allgeier.. that would be a great draft