1.29 (29) Kyle Wilson (CB-Boise State) 5'10"-194
2.29 (61) Vlad Ducasse (OT-Massachusetts) 6'4"-332
4.14 (112) Joe McKnight (RB-Southern Cal) 5'11"-198
5.8 (139) John Conner (RB-Kentucky) 5'11"-246
The Jets had the fewest draft selections (4) of any team in the NFL. That's because they traded all of their picks in rounds 3 through 7, for two draft picks and some players:
-- New York traded Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik and their 2010 3rd and 5th rounders to Cleveland for Braylon Edwards.
-- They traded their 2010 4th round pick last season, too, in the deal for Lito Sheppard. They sent an '09 5th rounder and a 2010 4th rounder for Sheppard and a '10 5th rounder. It was the Eagles 5th round pick in this draft that the Jets sent to Pittsburgh for Santonio Holmes (which the Steelers sent to the Cardinals in the McFadden deal, which the Cardinals used to take John Skelton).
-- They sent their 6th round pick and the 124th pick to the Panthers for the 112th pick, to trade up for McKnight. They had received the 124th pick from the Cardinals in exchange for Kerry Rhodes last month.
-- They traded their 7th round pick and Leon Washington for the Seahawks 5th round pick, which they used to grab John Connor.
Without many picks, the Jets couldn't afford to waste any of them. I don't think they did, as each pick looks to fit into the master plan for the off-season:
The Jets lost in the AFC Championship Game when Peyton Manning abused the Jets secondary; not only were the Jets depleted by injury but their lack of depth couldn't hold up against the Colts three and four receiver sets. The Jets had -- by far -- the best pass defense in the NFL last season, but they were lighter at cornerback than they liked. So they got rid of Sheppard and traded for Antonio Cromartie; still, against the Patriots and Colts -- the two teams the Jets will need to beat -- they knew they'd be in nickel packages for most of the game. Thus, the Wilson pick. With Revis, Cromartie and Wilson, the Jets should have the best secondary in the league and are better prepared against the high powered, spread offenses they'll have to go through to get to the Super Bowl. Wilson is a classic cover corner and is the physical, tough sort of defensive back that Rex Ryan admires.
The Ducasse pick in the second round foreshadowed the release of LG Alan Faneca. Despite still being an above average run blocker, Faneca's performance as a pass blocker had declined in 2009. With RT Damien Woody capable of sliding over to guard, the Jets needed either a tackle or a guard to replace Faneca. New York drafted G Matt Slauson last year out of Nebraska, who went on to play for his college coach Bill Callahan, now offensive line coach of the Jets. Ducasse appears to be a project pick, although he may be an above average run blocker immediately. But the Jets knew they needed to get younger at guard, and Ducasse had more upside at the position than anyone else available. It will be up to Callahan to get something immediately out of Ducasse and Slauson, otherwise the Jets will need to sign a veteran starter later in the off-season.
The Jets fell in love with Joe McKnight, and after moving up to draft him were able to trade Leon Washington to Seattle. Here's a great recap of McKnight's college career from Dr. Saturday; in 2007, the top three high school prospects in the country were Jimmy Clausen, Joe McKnight and Eric Berry. That year, the Trojans had an absurd six five-star recruits, and McKnight was the biggest star of them all. Because of his running style and his commitment to USC, he was labeled by everyone as the next Reggie Bush (and now, Dillon Baxter, 2010 freshman for the Trojans, has been dubbed the next Reggie Bush). McKnight obviously failed to live up to the Bush hype and even admitted that Bush's shadow at times played with his head. But he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine at 198 pounds and performed well at the other drills. McKnight wasn't unproductive at USC -- he had a career 6.4 yards per carry average, caught over 20 passes each of his last three seasons, and topped the 1,000 yard mark in 2009 -- he just wasn't Bush. No one doubts his athletic potential, and the Jets saw enough in him to think he can replace Leon Washington. It will be an easier task than what McKnight faced when he went to Southern Cal.
The Jets last pick was a trade up to grab a fullback, always a perplexing move. But Rex Ryan wants to ground opponents into submission, and a lead fullback (especially when the starting tight end is more receiver than blocker) is a vital part of that plan. Tony Richardson turns 39 in December, and the Jets obviously can't count on him for much longer. So they drafted John Connor, who in addition to being the best blocking fullback in the draft, is the leader of the human resistance against the machines in the post-apocalyptic future.
The most intriguing name the Jets added after the draft was Donovan Warren, cornerback from Michigan. He was a freshman All-American in '07 and continued to play well for the Wolverines. When he declared for the draft, Mel Kiper, Jr. said he would have been the first or second corner in the class of 2011 but wasn't a "sure-fire second-round pick." An ugly 4.62 at his pro day left him undrafted, but he's the sort of physical player Rex Ryan loves.
funny stuff
