The AVT Effect
Edition #236
Good morning Jets fans!
Something smells a little off, which can only mean there are some fish coming to town. We’re going to be prepping for the Dolphins over the coming days, but today we’re going to celebrate. Not celebrate the win, we did that on Monday, instead, we’re going to celebrate a player and that’s Alijah Vera-Tucker.
First, we’re going to take a look at some rookie performances from week four. I know it’s not specifically Jets related but I always find it a good exercise for context. We know how our own rookies are performing, but how are other guys who could have been Jets doing?
If you missed the Stat Pack from yesterday you can read that and all #235 editions by heading to the TJW homepage.
6th round pick Jamaree Salyer got his first start for the Chargers this weekend after the season-ending injury to Slater. He allowed 0 pressure on 41 pass-blocking snaps to lead all rookies with a PFF grade of 78.6. Tyler Linderbaum also allowed 0 pressure for Baltimore but was called for 3 penalties and continues to have certain issues with run-blocking. On the flip side Houston’s Kenyon Green, the 15th overall pick in the draft was tagged with 7 pressures and a sack.
George Pickens led all rookie receivers with 102 yards receiving against the Jets. Chris Olave caught four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota in London. Alec Pierce caught 4 passes for 80 yards for the Colts and Jahan Dotson caught his 4th touchdown of the season against the Cowboys.
I haven’t really touched on the tight ends in this segment so far this season, but there’s a reason for that…they haven’t done a lot. Titans 4th round pick Chigoziem Okonkwo led all rookie tight ends this weekend with 38 yards and a TD, and he was the only one to register a score. Trey McBride caught 3 passes for 24 yards, his first catches of the season.
Falcons 2nd round pick Arnold Ebiketie led all rookies with 6 pressures this weekend, closely followed by the Giants Kayvon Thibodeaux who had 4. Jermaine Johnson’s 25% win rate was the highest mark among all rookies who had at least 10 pass rush snaps. Houston’s 5th round pick Thomas Booker was the only other rookie defensive lineman to register a sack this weekend.
Lions 6th-round pick Malcolm Rodriguez ended week 4 as the highest graded run defender among rookies but Jacksonville’s Devin Lloyd led rookies with 5 defensive stops.
Derek Stingley Jr allowed 8 catches on 10 targets for 122 yards, only Dallas 5th round pick DaRon Bland allowed more catches (9 for 98 yards) but nobody allowed more yards. Jalen Pitre allowed 100% of passes (3-3) into his coverage to be completed for 63 yards and a touchdown. Seattle 5th-round pick Tariq Woolen recorded his 2nd interception of the season against the Lions.
Heading into the 2021 draft I really wanted Alijah Vera-Tucker, I mean really wanted him. I wasn’t alone, most Jets fans I spoke to wanted Vera-Tucker and when the Jets made the move to slide up and take him it was nearly universally praised…at least among the fanbase (not so much some of the media, not mentioning any names).
When AVT lined up at left tackle to face the Steelers, it continued his tour of versatility. His ability to play inside and out was one of his defining traits coming out of college, and while we all expected him to play guard at the NFL level, his ability to play tackle was always an added bonus. Switching positions isn’t going to faze the USC product, just look at his history:
2022: Left Tackle/Right Guard
2021: Left Guard
2020 (USC): Left Tackle
2019 (USC): Left Guard
2018 (USC): Right Guard
Not only does that show an incredible amount of talent, athleticism, and flexibility, but it also shows his team-first mentality. A lot of players would complain about moving positions so frequently, worrying about a lack of time to settle and build their reputation, but most players wouldn’t believe in their ability to play any position at a high standard
"We talk about AVT a lot behind his back, the guy's a freak, but in a good way," TE Tyler Conklin said. "He doesn't say much, works his butt off and he's a hell of a football player. It's really impressive what he did, but we also kind of expected it in a sense."
What he did was slide out to tackle and keep his QB upright allowing 0 sacks on the day. That shouldn’t really come as a huge surprise considering he allowed just 5 sacks over three years at USC, that’s a sack every 195 pass-blocking snaps, or if you break it down further and say a sack every four and a half games (average 40 pass-blocking snaps a game).
Sunday tied his season low for pressures with just 3 allowed and while moving him out to left tackle negated some of his positive impact in the run game (can we please stop running it up the gut), his ability to keep Zach on his feet over 44 pass-blocking snaps is notable, and while I fully expect him to slide back to guard as soon as we have a tackle fit enough to play, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start on the blindside against Miami.
"Thought AVT was fantastic," head coach Robert Saleh said. "He did a great job showing his versatility and mindset. He did a good job in the run game and in the pass game and didn't give up much. I'm really pleased with how he played."
"It speaks volumes about him, No. 1 as an athlete and No. 2, his mindset," Saleh said. "He doesn't flinch when a lot of guys would worry about how they look on tape. He's a team-first guy, he's not even worried about the tape because in his mind he's going to dominate. He stands for everything you think of as a football coach. He's added to his value in terms of what he's capable of."
I went back to have a look at some draft profiles of AVT and it was Lance Zierlein who offered the best insight as to why he can move from position to position and not seem to miss a beat saying:
“Ascending wide-body with powerful hands and above-average core strength, allowing him to play with good balance and control the action around him. He's not a forklift-style drive blocker, but he does have the frame and natural strength to improve in that area if he can play with a little better pad level. Vera-Tucker is adept at catching and tagging moving targets in space. His effective play at left tackle in 2020 might create some buzz about him making that a permanent position if teams are OK with his lack of prototype length. He's a plus in pass pro and solid as a run blocker”
It’s the “adept at catching and tagging moving targets in space” which struck me as the perfect explanation for how he can shift out wide and not miss a beat. He has the strength to hold up against the pass rush, but it’s the athleticism that allowed him to handle the rush and speed that Pittsburgh threw at him.
We all have bad takes in our history and maybe Seth Walder is starting to regret this.
Even when the Jets believed they were just drafting a guard I found this to be a gamble worth taking, cost and value are relative to the situation and the Jets desperately needed an upgrade on the interior. But in the back of our minds, we always knew there was that added versatility to with Vera-Tucker, and I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find any sensible Jets fan who regrets the decision to draft AVT.
What I intended for today was to cut together some clips of AVT from Sunday, but having gone through the All-22 I fear that will be a bit boring, he by and large just did the job he needed to do, like right here
Or how about right here:
His slide and footwork to get out to the edge rushers was excellent, he had plenty of pop in his hands to stop the power rush and he seemed to communicate well with Laken in terms of picking up stunts, the film is underwhelming but that’s exactly what you want from a tackle, you don’t want it to be a rollercoaster of emotion.
AVT: A Valiant Tackle
Fantastic post David. Nice to see a good kid getting recognized to both his play and his willingness to do what ever it takes to win. I think another guy who deserved some props was his replacement at RG Nate Herbig. Didn’t hear his name called all game. For an offensive linemen that’s usually a good thing!