Up the Hill, and down again
At least we had a little excitement on hump day.
Good morning,
Well, that was an interesting day, wasn’t it? For around two hours there was a belief that the Jets had found their WR1, with New York having a 50% chance of landing one of the most dominant pass-catchers in football.
In the end, it wasn’t to be. The Jets had an agreement with Kansas but Tyreek Hill decided to head to South Beach and the Dolphins instead.
Upon signing with the Dolphins, Hill agreed to a new contract…something he couldn’t do in Kansas City. The deal made him the highest-paid player in the league. According to multiple reports, the Jets were more than willing to match this deal, but the state tax of Florida and the allure of living in South Beach was too hard to turn down.
Joe Douglas had agreed to a deal with the Chiefs, a deal that would have seen the Jets keep both first-round picks in the 2022 draft. This would have been an outstanding trade for the Jets and would have vaulted them into playoff contention with two high drat picks.
I’m not going to sit here and say I didn’t want Hill, he’s one of the best players in football and would add that star element that has been missing in New York. As fans we can’t control the players our teams bring to the franchise, and Hill has a very chequered past that didn’t sit too well with me, fortunately, or unfortunately, that’s not something we really need to get into now.
Could Joe Douglas have offered more to the Chiefs to eliminate the choice for Hill? Potentially. Would Tyreek Hill have signed with the Jets had that happened? I’ve spoken to numerous people who confirmed that Hill was more than happy to come to NY and sign a deal if the Jets were the only trade candidate, although I have seen others with contradictory statements…so who knows.
On one hand, it’s good to see an aggressive Joe Douglas trying to reel in the big fish…on the other hand, it’s frustrating that we seem to be unable to close the deal at the moment, a decade of losing will do that.
It’s a tough one to swallow, but you move forward. The Jets still need that top-of-the-line wide receiver, and with options limited, it now seems likely they’ll try and get that through the draft.
DK Metcalf & Tyler Lockett are potentially available
When one door closes, several other windows open…that’s the phrase, right?
It looks as though the Chiefs may use some of the Dolphin draft capital to replace Hill with another veteran, one that’s likely wanting to get paid, or one that’s already got paid.
The more interesting note here is that Seattle is open to negotiations, the Jets have shown a willingness to trade assets and commit financially to a receiver, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be on the phone to Seattle right now trying to get this deal done.
Either player would make the Jets significantly better. DK will be heading into the final year of his contract this year, while Lockett is signed up through 2025 (contract breakdown below)
I know we’ve spent a fair amount of time on wide receivers recently, but with us aggressively pursuing former 5th round draft pick Tyreek Hill I thought now was the perfect opportunity to go through five draft sleepers at the position.
Wan’Dale Robinson - Kentucky
Robinson is on the smaller side at 5’8 and 178lbs but he showcased his speed and acceleration by posting a 4.44 forty with a 1.49 10-yard split, both numbers are extremely good. Robinson moved from Nebraska to Kentucky after the 2020 season and the move paid off.
He finished the 2021 season with 104 receptions on 140 targets (74.3% reception rate), posting 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns. He predominantly worked from the slot, but the key was to get the ball into his hands in space which is what our system is based on. His 599 yards after the catch was good for the 10th best mark in the FBS last season.
Projected round - 3rd-4th
Josh Johnson - Tulsa
If you spent even 5 minutes looking at the shrine bowl this off-season you would have heard the name Josh Johnson, he was the standout performer from Vegas where he showcased his acceleration and ability to beat any coverage thrown his way.
Johnson doesn’t test overall well, one look at his RAS (relative athletic score) score of 3.64 will tell you that, but he plays faster than he tests. I rarely feature guys with poor testing in these articles, but there is something about Johnson that I really like.
He finished the 2021 season with 85 receptions, 1113 yards and 6 touchdowns, 366 yards after the catch and a 50% contested catch rate. He works exclusively out of the slot, but he’s a competitor.
Projected round - 6th-7th
Eric Ezukanma - Texas Tech
Ezukanma wasn’t on my radar before the 2021 season, but that changed in week four of the season when he caught 7 passes against my Longhorns. He didn’t score that day, but he showed some real explosion off the line and outstanding body control to track the ball downfield.
He only ended up catching 47 passes for 699 yards and 4 touchdowns, but his talent is better than that. He was listed as 6’3 at Texas Tech but measured in just under 6’2, so he’s not as big as we thought, but his broad jump showed the explosion that we saw in games.
He has a 56.3% contested catch rate and forced 11 missed tackles during the season. He’s certainly a prospect with the potential to develop.
Projected Round - 5th
Charleston Rambo - Miami
I promise he’s not just on here for his name. After switching from Oklahoma to Miami for the 2021 season, Rambo saw his role in the offense increase and his productivity explode.
He’s another receiver who didn’t test that well (5.73 RAS), but his 1.53 10-yard split was exceptional and showcased his explosion in a football context.
Rambo finished the 2021 season with 79 receptions for 1,165 yards and 7 touchdowns, including 387 yards after the catch and a 52.2% contested catch rate. He highlighted his tape with some outstanding grabs showing off his balance and body control.
Projected round - 5th Round
Deven Thompkins - Utah State
I was a little undecided on whether to feature Deven Thompkins here with him being listed at 5’8 and 155lbs, I mean that is small. Marquise Brown is considered small and he was 170lbs, none of the top 150 rated receivers in the NFL were under 170 last season. But against my better judgment I’m putting Thompkins in here because he plays much bigger.
Let me throw up his numbers here…if you’re ready for it. 104 catches on 161 targets (64.6%), 1,722 yards receiving, and 10 touchdowns. 485 yards after the catch, 8 missed tackles forced and a 41.2% contested catch rate (14/34).
He’s a tough competitor who can go up the ladder and pluck the ball out of the air, and he plays more physically than you’d expect for a man his size.
Projected round - 7th
Hill would have been a perfect fit, Jets did the necessary, competed, but lost out, unfortunately to the Dolphins. But Hill became available because of the constraints of the CAP, teams just can’t pay everyone, even with the all of the recent restructurings, teams are forced to part with good/great players. Did the Chiefs paying Mahomes force the exit of Hill ? Maybe. Will another good/great player shake loose ? Pretty sure.
How great is it to have an an early third round pick, two fourths, and two fifth round picks. The Jets need at WR is so dire that it needs to be addressed with a premium pick. But because of the overall lack of depth , the Jets are drafting a second WR. Jets don’t need to draft a TE early, Robinson is perfect at 69, explosive WR, adds to the run Game & the return game.. Ezkanama is absolutely intriguing, could reach unicorn status, scouting is everything
Three contracts :
Tyreek Hill 4 years 120 Million
Valdes Scantling 3 years 30 million
Jamison Crowder , only 29, One year 2 million
Wow, just wow, crazy market.