JetNation Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 By Glenn Naughton With their first pick in the 2015 NFL draft (no. 6 overall) the New York Jets earned plenty of praise for their selection of USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams who was viewed by some analysts as the best overall prospect in the 2015 class. The addition of Williams to a defensive line that already boasts starters Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and Sheldon Richardson gives the Jets the potential to field one of the top defensive lines in the NFL, but that didn’t stop general manager Mike Maccagnan from using Gang Green’s final selection on another D-lineman. Checking in at 6′ 4”, 321 lbs from Northwestern St. (La) was nose tackle Deon Simon, a powerful player who topped all defensive linemen at the combine with 35 reps of 225 lbs, the stout run defender clearly impressed the Jets brass. Gang Green overlooked Simon’s advanced rookie age (24) and their glut of young talent along the defensive line to snap up a player who often dominated double teams in college, albeit against lower-level competition. Kenrick Ellis’ departure to the Giants could give rookie Deon Simon a shot to make the opening day roster. Given the off-season defection of Kenrick Ellis to the Giants and the untested but promising T.J. Barnes penciled in to back up Harrison, Simon may have a shot to avoid the practice squad if he’s able to shine in the pre-season and become a rare late-round contributor for the Jets. His selection didn’t just catch fans who expected Mike Maccagnan to go in a different direction off guard, but Simon himself was said to be surprised when the Jets chose him. This, even after spending time with fellow Louisiana native and current Jets linebacker Ik Enemkpali in getting prepared for the combine. Simon said as he worked out with Enemkpali, they talked more about what Simon could expect in the NFL than the Demons’ 30-27 win last fall over Enemkpali’s old college team, when Simon had six tackles. “Basically, when we talked about what was ahead, he told me I’ll have rookie duties. He said for me to come in, have fun and do everything 100 percent,” said Simon. “That’s good advice.” Getting drafted out of a program as small as Northwest State couldn’t have been an easy chore for Simon, and soon he’ll begin his long journey to show he not only belongs, but that he belongs on one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New York Mick Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 No kidding, he was a 7th round pick from a small school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Mostro Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 35 reps? Not just big, but strong too. Nice guy to have in the wings. Maybe, next man up in a year or two. Definitely not someone they are contemplating using in the wonderful now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas2No99 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Stated in a previous thread a while back, NG is NOT a hard position to fill and for those "educated" fans that were crying how the Jets couldn't afford to lose "one of the best NGs in Harrison" will realize the position doesn't warrant a LongTerm big $ contract. Harrison will play out his tender and walk next year when he wants a bigger salary with Barnes & Simon in the wings to be the next man up. NG is not a premium position worth committing big $ to. Especially with Wilkerson, Richardson, & Coples supposedly due for salary upgrades within the next 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinstar Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 You draft guys like these so you're not forced to pay a kid like Snacks a ridiculous contract because you don't have any other choice. If this kid pans out, the Jets can offer Snacks a contract that is comparable to his run stuffing skill set instead of a contract that's comparable to the skill set of someone like Kris Jenkins. Would you give Snacks a contract that you would offer Jenkins and lose a 1st round pick or 2nd round pick at the same time ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Stated in a previous thread a while back, NG is NOT a hard position to fill and for those "educated" fans that were crying how the Jets couldn't afford to lose "one of the best NGs in Harrison" will realize the position doesn't warrant a LongTerm big $ contract. Harrison will play out his tender and walk next year when he wants a bigger salary with Barnes & Simon in the wings to be the next man up. NG is not a premium position worth committing big $ to. Especially with Wilkerson, Richardson, & Coples supposedly due for salary upgrades within the next 3 years. Mangini was supposedly a genius BB disciple who thought he could just plug D-Rob in at NT and it was a disaster. Steelers 3-4 defenses were probably at their best when they had Casey Hampton at the top of his game. I get that NT's aren't quite as rare as a top CB or QB, but no reason a team shouldn't try to keep a good one around if they have him. Now, if he wants elite D-lineman money, it's nice to have a guy like Simon around to develop with Barnes. If one of 'em pans out, you're good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I think there are other issues to these huge 3-4 NTs. They are big and tend to get hurt/dinged and need to be rotated more often. The nature of the position leads to getting dinged and their size makes it tough to play every down. Just being so huge is a tremendous strain on joints (Jenkins?) and the back.(Ellis). I also think that these type of guys develop later. It is a "man's" position and older guys tend to do better. They are not generally high level prospects because everybody is looking for penetrators and these guys are more "occupiers". That being said, I have read that Bowles prefers much more one gap which may downgrade the need for a 350 lb 0 tech nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I think there are other issues to these huge 3-4 NTs. They are big and tend to get hurt/dinged and need to be rotated more often. The nature of the position leads to getting dinged and their size makes it tough to play every down. Just being so huge is a tremendous strain on joints (Jenkins?) and the back.(Ellis). I also think that these type of guys develop later. It is a "man's" position and older guys tend to do better. They are not generally high level prospects because everybody is looking for penetrators and these guys are more "occupiers". That being said, I have read that Bowles prefers much more one gap which may downgrade the need for a 350 lb 0 tech nose. I think I read a quote years ago from Ted Washington saying that despite being older, he felt like he was a much better player later in his career. At times it literally looked like he'd just lean on the two guys in front of him at the snap and that was enough to free up linebackers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keysersoze Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Unless it's a true freak like Ngata or Jenkins, there's no point in paying big money $$ to a NT. If you're looking for a big guy to take up blockers, you can find them in the bottom rounds and FA all the time. If losing Harrison means that we have more money to devote to Wilk or even a FA QB next off-season, so much the better. Snacks is a great player, but he's not the disruptive force in the mold of the elite NT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Nice to see we drafted a NT from the Southland Conference. In 3-4 years I expect to see another NT from that conference on our radar. He will be playing for Central Arkansas this fall and his name is Baby Crusher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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