Friday's Mailbag: Your Questions Answered

Is JD really an offensive line guru? Who are the ideal WR options for the Jets? Would I take Devin Lloyd? Plus much more

🗽 Good morning Jets fans and happy Friday, and happy Christmas Eve as well if you celebrate it. The Jets have a game this weekend, but the way our COVID cases are going I wouldn’t be surprised to see it rearranged. As of writing this post on Thursday afternoon, the Jets have 17 players in the COVID protocol. If that’s not enough to get the game pushed back, I don’t know what is. Or do the NFL not really care because there aren’t play playoff implications between the Jets and Jaguars battling it out for the higher draft pick.

I asked for your mailbag questions, so let’s jump straight into it as we have plenty to get to.

📬 MAILBAG FRIDAYS 📬

Gus @AccorsiAugusto

@DWyattHupton Would you take Devin Lloyd with the Seahawks pick (assuming the pick ends up in the top 10)?

🏈 Devin Lloyd is an interesting one, as had you asked me this question 12 months ago I may have said he was a fringe first-round prospect full stop. Up until the 2021 season, he really was a 2-down linebacker, a bit of a thumping run defender who looked as though he’d need to come off the field on 3rd down in the NFL. Lloyd returned to Utah for his 4th year of college ball and his work in the passing game took a huge leap which now absolutely puts him into the conversation as a top 15 pick.

He’s a hard-hitting instinctive player who’s shown the ability to make plays in the backfield (43 tackles for a loss and 15.5 career sacks) rushing the passer inside or from off-tackle. He’s a captain with Utah and you know how much Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh value leadership.

Before 2021 he looked a little stiff in space and didn’t seem to play with the same instincts against the pass as he did the run. During the first three years of his time at Utah, he had 1 interception and just 2 pass defenses. In 2021 alone he had 4 interceptions and 6 pass defenses, which shows how much progress he’s made. He now seems to understand passing concepts more and uses his natural quickness and aggression to get a jump on the receiver. He’s a good zone defender, which will fit the Jets to a tee.

Top 10 is quite rich but based on the need we have at the position, I wouldn’t mind us taking him with that Seattle pick. He’s a top-quality talent who fills an important need for the Jets. I have him and Nakobe Dean as 1 and 1A.

OnlyJets @OnlyJets1

@DWyattHupton the jets could take 2 offensive linemen and have one of the best olines in the league in the near future. to me, that's more compelling than other options. MC is looking like a stud and ZW needs all the protection he can get. what do you think about double dipping on 2 top 10 OL?

🏈 I can absolutely see the Jets using one of their top picks to take an offensive lineman, whether that’s someone like Evan Neal if he drops, Ikem Ekwonu from NC State (Who I think projects better inside than out), Charles Cross from Mississippi State, Kenyon Green from Texas A&M or fan-favorite Tyler Linderbaum from Iowa. Using one of those picks on an offensive lineman would make sense, Joe Douglas has often said his philosophy for team building is to build from the line out. However, if they took two offensive linemen in the top 15 which is likely where they will be picking, I’d be absolutely shocked.

The Jets already have a fair bit of early draft capital invested in the offensive line with Mekhi Becton and AVT being top 15 picks within the last two years. George Fant and Connor McGovern have actually played at a reasonable level this year, so if you add in a right guard either through free agency or the draft then you have a good line in front of Zach Wilson.

Investing two high picks in that position would be a mistake though in my opinion. One of those picks needs to be spent on either a weapon for Zach to utilize, so a guy like Jameson Williams out of Alabama or Garrett Wilson/Chris Olave out of Ohio State. If you think you can get a WR like Burks or Dotson in round two then you move that pick to the defensive side of the football. The Jets are allowing over 30 points per game so far this season, that’s the worst mark in the league and they need an injection of talent on that side of the ball.

NYJ_Steve_UK @nyj_uk

@DWyattHupton JD is billed as an 'OL guru' in some places... if that's where his strength lies, why does he not draft late round value starters (such as Trey Smith, who a lot of us actually wanted) instead of 1st round talents? About time we had good starters, so not knocking Becton/AVT picks

🏈 That’s a very good and very fair question. Joe Douglas has had two drafts with the Jets and the only offensive lineman he’s taken outside the first round is Cameron Clarke out of Charlotte, and we haven’t seen him yet due to injuries.

It’s easy to hit on offensive line talent when you’re taking them in the first round, and you could argue that picking Becton over Tristen Wirfs who’s just been named to the 2021 Pro Bowl is looking more questionable every day.

AVT has had a really positive start to his career, but he’s still a bit of a project when it comes to pass protection. I like Becton and if he can stay healthy I think he’ll be a good cornerstone of the franchise, and I’ve seen enough to feel confident about AVT eventually being one of the best guards in the league, but I think to be a ‘guru’ you need to find a diamond in the rough.

I think that reputation for Douglas is largely based around him being a big reason why the Ravens selected Marshal Yanda in the 3rd round back in 2007. Yanda was an 8-time pro-bowler and 2 x first-team All-Pro, but he did play his college football at Iowa, a renowned offensive line factory, so it’s not like he came out of nowhere.

Neal @NealP55

@DWyattHupton Obviously, 1/ do we trade up for Hutchinson? I'm nervous over Thiberdoux's durability, anyway, so I'm concerned over him, but we need a threat on defence. 2/ What sleepers are out there? 3/ View on the Transfer Portal and it's use by players.

🏈 A three-part question. Let’s break it down:

1. I think we may have to give up too much to move to where Hutchinson is likely to go. If the Lions stay at #1, with no QB worth that pick I find it hard to imagine they don’t take Hutchinson. He was born in Plymouth Michigan, around 30 minutes from Ford Field, went to college in Michigan, and obviously would be a firm favorite being a hometown kid. The Lions need some pass rush and they can get it with him. Saying that, if the Lions keep winning and we lose to the Jaguars this weekend, we may not have to trade up to get Hutchinson.

2. I do love a sleeper or two. I’m going to dive deep into this one. Jerreth Sterns of Western Kentucky is a guy I love, he’s just put up a monster season but most have him falling to the 5th or later. I’m not sure if Tariq Woolen of UTSA is a sleeper anymore, but he’s a big long corner who’s inconsistent but has a high ceiling. Cade Hall at San Jose State is an edge that I’m a fan of because he plays with good technique and maximum effort. Cole Strange the guard at Chattanooga allowed just 5 pressures all season and he has the movement skills for our system. Pierre Strong Jr the RB from South Dakota State is an outstanding prospect, powerful and quick, pairing him with Michael Carter would be ideal. Finally, Robert Cooper of Florida State is a defensive tackle who plays with good leverage and a nice anchor, he’s probably going in rounds 5-7, but he’s superb against the run.

3. The transfer portal is just like college free agency now. As a Texas fan we’ve just recruited a couple of guys from Ohio State (Quinn Ewers & Ryan Watts) and I imagine there are more to come. With NIL’s coming into focus and people finally ready to admit that college football is big business, I have no problem with them treating it like a big business and that means giving these guys a chance to move around to ensure they are doing what they can to maximise their exposure and protect their future livelihoods.

Cali Jets @CaliJets

@DWyattHupton I can make an argument for each one of the big 6 WRs with the Seattle pick. How would you rank them on an objective scale and how would you rank them on a “fit for the Jets” scale?

🏈 Great question and I think you’re absolutely right in that you can make a case for any of the 6 main receivers in this draft for the Jets. I think the Jets absolutely have to come out with one of the main guys to give Zach all the weapons he needs to succeed.

This is always liable to change as I continue to watch more film on them, but right now I have them as follows:

1) Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) 2) Jameson Williams (Alabama) 3) Treylon Burks (Arkansas) 4) Chris Olave (Ohio State) 5) Drake London (USC) and 6) Jahan Dotson (Penn State).

Due to the versatility we can play with, I’d probably have them in that order for the Jets with the exception of moving Williams above Wilson and potentially moving Drake London up for his contested catch capability, bringing down 19 contested catches on 88 receptions is good, but the 8 drops on his record from 2021 make me nervous and stop me from pushing him higher.

Williams is the really intriguing one for the Jets because of the speed element. Speed kills in the NFL and he is going to test out of this world at the combine. When you add his speed to his quick release and the refined route-running you have a player that will cause teams problems at the next level. MLF has done a good job of showcasing his ability to scheme people open, if you get Williams open, he’s likely to take it to the house more times than not.

Treylon Burks is the guy that people aren’t talking about enough, even though they’re talking about him. He in many ways is a good fit for the Jets. He ran 68% out of the slot but he has the versatility to run out wide too. He had over 600 yards after the catch which is something you need in our variation of the west coast and he only had 4 drops on 88 targets, less than Williams, less than Wilson, less than Olave.

The truth is though, I’d be happy with any of those guys wearing a Jets uniform next year.

Ephraim Landa @EphraimLanda

@DWyattHupton Who do you think are ideal WR options to fit offense with what they don’t have? Someone more like London?

🏈 London is a popular one with Jets fans and I think that’s down to the contested catch ability and that makes a lot of sense, the Jets don’t have anyone who excels in that area, and being able to throw it up and know your WR is going to come down with 50/50’s at around a 70% rate is absolute gold dust for a QB. His hands were a little inconsistent this year with 8 drops, but that’s not something we’ve seen historically so it may just be one of those things. I think he’s more suited to an offense that is more vertical than the horizontal one we run, but I’d be absolutely thrilled to have him here because he’s a refined receiver who has the frame to make a lot of plays in this league.

Ocular Carpenter @ocularcarpenter

@DWyattHupton Will Ulbrich be given another chance next year with (hopefully) better players / more weapons?

🏈 It had been ugly this year, 30.6 points per game allowed (32nd), 141.9 rushing yards allowed per game (30th), 249.9 passing yards allowed per game (27th), 6 interceptions generated (Tied 31st) and countless other stats to prove that the Jets have had one of the worst defenses in football, and one of the worst defenses we’ve seen in a while.

I think Ulbrich does get another year and here’s why. We all knew at the start of this season that the rebuild was a multi-year project, the best we could have hoped for this year was to be sniffing around the wildcard. We’ve spent a lot of capital in upgrading the offensive side of the ball, pick #146 was the first defensive player selected by the Jets in the 2021 NFL Draft. The big investment we did make on the defensive side of the ball, we haven’t seen a single snap from (Carl Lawson) and a couple of veteran additions just didn’t work out (Joyner with the injury, Jarrad Davis with his play).

But, and here’s the key, there’s been a noticeable improvement in several young players this season, mainly in the secondary with Bryce Hall, Brandin Echols, and Michael Carter II. If you combine that with the lack of investment and the injury woes, I think you give Ulbrich a mulligan this year with the firm understanding that you’re going to invest more on that side of the ball, and the results need to improve dramatically. The system needs to be more flexible and they need to do more to put the players they have in a position to succeed, if that doesn’t happen in 2021 then Ulbrich will be gone.

sarcasmrox3 @AlidoBitLazy

@DWyattHupton Jets brought in ZWs personal coach and his play only improved *slightly*. How do you think Jets handle the coaching situation next year to try and maybe eliminate too many cooks in the kitchen?

🏈 It’s going to be interesting for a couple of guys, mainly John Beck, Zach’s QB coach that the Jets hired mid-season to try and get Zach on the right path, and current Jets Quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese.

The tragic passing of Greg Knapp in the off-season jolted the Jets perfectly laid plans for Zach, Greg had the experience and the expertise to come in and help Zach adapt to the NFL, after he passed away the Jets decided to go into the season without making another hire and that backfired.

Zach wanted Mike LaFleur on the sideline with him, Mike LaFleur is more comfortable up in the booth calling the plays. So the compromise was to have Mike up in the booth and have John Beck on the sideline. John Beck founded the 3DQB training program and has worked with the likes of Tom Brady, Matt Stafford, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees amongst others, but it’s unclear if Beck would be open to extending his stay with New York into 2022.

Rob Calabrese doesn’t have a huge amount of experience but senior offensive assistant Matt Cavanaugh has over two decades’ worth of it, mainly working with quarterbacks. The Jets may decide to keep them together for consistency, but I wouldn’t rule out the Jets replacing Calabrese in the off-season and John Beck not returning in 2022.

NYC NATÏVE @BKdogproblems

@DWyattHupton What’s your opinion on what we do with Mike White? He’s shown flashes of talent and works well with booth MLF’s scheme, is he worth keeping as a #2 or do we unload him to a desperate team for DPs? Thanks.

🏈 Great question, it seems as though everyone has forgotten about Mike White now, whereas earlier this year he was certainly the flavor of the month.

Mike White certainly has limitations in regards to what he can do on the football field, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a valuable asset to a team in the NFL if he can find a similar system to the one that MLF runs.

Personally, I think the Jets will work to keep White, the staff like him and he’s proven that he can come in and at least keep the offense ticking. They can try and sign him to a longer-term extension or as a restricted free agent they can tender him.

The first-round tender for Mike in 2022 will cost the Jets $5.4 million, I don’t think they’ll want to pay him that and no team is giving up a first for White. They could elect to put a second-round tender on him which will cost $3.9 million, if a team wants to give up a 2nd rounder for White then I think they would gladly accept that.

The more likely scenario is they slap him with the right of first refusal tender which will pay him $2.3 million and the Jets can keep him on the roster for 2022 if they’re willing to match any deals he may get.

Bill Fond @bill_fond

@DWyattHupton What’s your thoughts on JD trading some pick assets for proven vets instead of keeping all those picks and continue this trend of a young inexperienced roster? I just think this team needs quality vets to get them to next level..what vets come to mind that might be available?

🏈 I don’t think we’ll see Joe Douglas trade any premium picks for veteran talent in the off-season, but I do think that he’ll look to sign some good veteran pieces through free agency. We may see some slight movement with some 5th-7th round selections over the next 12 months as we saw with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, but I think Douglas sees building through the draft as a sustainable model for a franchise.

I think we’ll see a veteran come in on the offensive line this off-season and Connor Williams from Dallas makes a lot of sense to me. I also think he’ll try and add a veteran to the defensive backs, with Marcus Maye likely gone and LaMarcus Joyner on a one-year deal there is a chance to add a Marcus Williams or a J.C Jackson to the backend of the Jets defense.

I can see the draft picks being used to add young cheap talent to the roster with free agency being used to add a few proven vets to lead the team in the right direction.

Gang Green Pallas 🏈🎙✍️ @ganggreenpallas

@DWyattHupton Who should the Jets sign on the OL? I like draft prospects, but they need veterans there.

There are certainly some options out there. The guy I’d like the Jets to sign is guard Connor Williams. He should be cheaper than Brandon Scherff if he hits the open market, and he’s better than Jacksonville’s Andrew Norwell for my money. The only knock on Williams is he’s prone to a penalty, he had 4 in one game against New England but a few of those were very generous…which is usually the case when you play New England.

Williams has allowed just 1 sack and 12 total pressures over 443 pass-blocking snaps, and he’s equally as good in the run game. He’ll only be 25 next season so his best years are ahead of him, but he already has nearly 3,500 snaps to his name over 4 seasons in Dallas. The line for the Cowboys is outstanding and they get tremendous coaching from Joe Philbin who first started working with offensive lines back in 1986.

The Jets could elect to head to San Francisco for the answer to their RG problem in Laken Tomlinson, he’s been a good guard now for a few years and he’s only allowed 1 sack this year as well. He’s another guard who performs well in both the pass and run game, he would absolutely be an upgrade on what we currently have in the building.

I think next year there’s a chance 4/5 starters on the offensive line will be the same as this year in Becton at LT, AVT at LG, Mcgovern at C and Fant at RT. I could see the Jets drafting a tackle and bringing in a guard through free agency, potentially a center in the draft as well.

Thank you as always for reading. Now have yourself a great Christmas and I’ll l see you back here post-Jacksonville. Two key bits before I leave, Die Hard is 100% a Christmas movie, and Mulled Wine is the drink of the devil. 🎅🎄