Did Idzik Draft Blunder Give Birth to Ed Reed V2.0?

[AFJF]

If you’ve been a Jets fan since around or before  the time the world’s Y2K fanatics started climbing out of their homemade bunkers after running out of peanut butter and powdered milk, you’ve probably wanted to be sick to  your stomach, or at least shake your head in disgust every time you hear the name Ed Reed.

Ed Reed, the future Hall of Fame safety whom the Jets inexplicably passed on in the 2002 NFL draft in favor of former Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas despite a glaring need at the position.  The heartburn over passing on Reed is far from your typical NFL fan hindsight that takes place years after a player is chosen and his impact is measured, but it started on the very day that the two were drafted.

Former Jets safety Victory Green’s time in New York was coming to a close, and veteran Damien Robinson was a solid, yet unspectacular veteran who most fans knew was not going to be a long-term answer.  When the Jets were on the clock, and Reed, the consensus top safety in the draft was still on the board, his selection seemed like a foregone conclusion.  Or so we thought.

Gang Green chose defensive lineman/linebacker Bryan Thomas over safety Ed Reed.

With defensive ends Shaun Ellis and John Abraham in the infancy of their careers, adding a pass rusher wasn’t a consideration for most fans and experts.  Even still, enamored with Thomas’ eye-popping 40-time of 4.47 as described by ESPN.com, the Jets selected Thomas with the 22nd overall selection out of the University of Alabama Birmingham

At this year’s combine workouts, where once again most of the top prospects chose not to run the 40, there were 11 players clocked in under 4.45 seconds. It’s notable, though, that none of them is considered a certain first-round pick. On the other hand, players such as Alabama-Birmingham defensive end Bryan Thomas and Auburn wide receiver Tim Carter probably moved themselves up several rounds with terrific 40 times.Carter timed at 4.32 and went from a late-round choice to a prospect who likely will be selected in the third round. Thomas was clocked at 4.47 seconds — faster than 25 of the 29 tailbacks who ran in Indianapolis and quicker than 18 of the 28 wide receivers — and opened some eyes.

Thomas would go on to play 11 years with the Jets, finishing up a solid career in which he amassed 33.5 sacks, yet never producing more than 8.5 in any one season, and failing to collect at least six sacks in all but two campaigns.

All of this while Reed was a central figure on one of the most dominant defensive teams in the NFL for the better part of a decade.  Reed’s career would span 12 seasons, seeing him haul in 64 interceptions, earn the 2004 NFL defensive player of the year, 9 pro bowls selections and a 5-time first-team All-Pro.

Reed would eventually don Jets Green, but only for a cup of coffee as his career came to a close.

With Reed having retired after the 2013 season, part of which he would spend with Gang Green, it looked as if Jets fans could finally put behind them one of the biggest draft blunders in team history, but now, it seems one, or actually two, of former Jets General Manager John Idzik’s draft choices may haunt the Jets for years to come.

Entering the 2014 draft, the Jets appeared to be in the driver’s seat as they would attempt to fill several holes on their roster and twelve picks with which to do it.  No hole was bigger than the one at wide receiver where the depth chart that consisted of Stephen Hill, David Nelson and the soon to be released Santonio Holmes.

After passing on receivers such as Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin in round one in favor of Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, Idzik would wait to address the position until round four when he chose a pair of wide receivers in Oklahoma WR Jalen Saunders (104th overall), and UCLA alum, Shaq Evans (115th overall).  This, despite the fact that some members of the Jets front office, including former Head Coach Rex Ryan were lobbying hard for Idzik to go with Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant who would go to the Steelers in that same round, just a few picks after Evans at 118.

Saunders, a productive college receiver (203 receptions, 3,085 yards, 26 TD’s) had his question-marks in transitioning to the pro level.

Saunders was responsible for more bad than good in his short time with the Jets.

Coming in at just 5′ 9”, 157 lbs there were concerns about his ability to withstand the pounding he’d take in the NFL, but as it turned out, none of those concerns mattered.

Saunders was a complete bust with the Jets, getting his walking papers after just three games. Three games that saw him go without a single reception, while averaging roughly 4 yards per punt return on 6 attempts.  Believe it or not, Saunders was actually more productive than Evans just by the very nature of the fact that he set foot on the field.  Evans spent his rookie season on injured reserve before failing to make the 53 man roster or practice squad out of training camp this season.

Bryant meanwhile,  had spent three years at Clemson and despite limited playing time in his first two seasons, proved himself to be a dynamic receiver in his time at the university.

As a Sophmore, Bryant would haul in just ten balls, but he certainly made the most of those catches, putting up 305 yards (30.5 YPC) and 4 touchdowns.  Those numbers earned him more regular playing time as a Junior and he would continue his blistering production as he would finish his final college season with 42 receptions for 828 yards (19.7 YPC) and 7 touchdowns.

Playing in the shadow of teammate Sammy Watkins, Bryant was somewhat of an unknown to casual observers, but he opened some eyes with his performance at the combine.  Bryant, coming in at 6′ 4”, 211 lbs, blazed a 4.42 40 time, very impressive given his frame, but somehow managed to last until the fourth round.

Undoubtedly familiar with Bryant as his son was on Clemson’s roster, Ryan would sit and watch on draft day as Idzik’s choices trumped that of Ryan and others in the room who favored the speedy game-breaker.  Yet another, inexplicable decision by the Jets front office, perhaps exacerbated by the fact that the general manager clearly recognized the need to address the position, but swung and missed twice when there was a hanging curve ball just waiting to be hit out of the park.

In his first NFL game as a rookie, Bryant would haul in his first ever reception from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a 35-yard scoring strike against the Houston Texans that on its own, is five times the total number of receiving yards and one more touchdown than the duo of Saunders and Evans have produced in two NFL seasons.

As much as Jets fans don’t want it to be true, it’s entirely possible that Ed Reed may have passed the figurative torch to Bryant who appears to be primed for an outstanding career, already posting 76 receptions for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns through his first 21 NFL games, only eight of which were starts.

The performances of receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker in 2015 may help ease the blow for the moment, but if Bryant continues his upward trajectory and dominant ways, there may be yet another reason Jets fans never forget the short, yet disastrous two-year run in which John Idzik held the title of General Manager.

As if Jets fans didn’t already have reason to be thrilled with the work GM Mike Maccagnan has done as the 2016 NFL draft approaches, providing hope that the days of inexcusable draft day blunders are a thing of the past.

[Joe W. Namath]

Story of our franchise.  Lets hope big mac changes this.

[T0mShane]

I think that's more a product of the Steelers developing great wide receiver play every year with guys that have no business putting up those numbers. Remember Mike Wallace? Emmanuel Sanders? Now even Markus Wheaton looks like the next Gary Clark. If we're going to kill Idzik for missing on a receiver that ends up producing for the Steelers, then you should just go ahead and sh*t on every other GM in the league over the last three decades or so.

[JustInFudge]

haha - too funny.  While I dont think Bryant in the 4th compares to the Reed selection, it is a long list of head scratching, WTF are the Jets thinking decisions.

O'Brien > Marino

Brady > Sapp

Farrior > Tony G. 

Thomas > Reed

Trading up for DRob with guys like Kevin Wiliams and Terrell Suggs on the board

Mike Nugent

Coples > Jones - which I liked at the time smh

Hill > Jeffrey

Amaro > Landry

Smith > Green-Beckham 

 

 

[JustInFudge]

I think that's more a product of the Steelers developing great wide receiver play every year with guys that have no business putting up those numbers. Remember Mike Wallace? Emmanuel Sanders? Now even Markus Wheaton looks like the next Gary Clark. If we're going to kill Idzik for missing on a receiver that ends up producing for the Steelers, then you should just go ahead and sh*t on every other GM in the league over the last three decades or so.

Meh, Bryant was the clear choice.  He wasnt some hidden find they developed.  Dude was ready to ball from D1 and it was shocking he slipped to the 4th.  It's not like Dre Archer is doing sh*t and they took him before Bryant.  Sammie Coates this year too, nada.  Limas Sweed comes to mind, that dude Reid out of FSU.  Dallas Baker out of Florida. 

Wallace was really good at Ole Miss. 

Brown was the ultimate find.  Best WR in the league in the 6th round?  It's Brady like 

 

[Rangers9]

I don't think drafting Pryor was a blunder. He's a good player and fills the need at safety (and the secondary was a glaring weakness in 2014) because he's a similar player to Laron Landry, who went to the Colts after playing here. I thought that Rex was on board and advocated drafting Pryor. We all know that he loves Clemson players. Sure in retrospect you would like to have drafted Bryant over Saunders and Evans but all teams passed on him until the Steelers took him in the 4th round. The same year we took Sheldon Richardson and 12 other teams passed on him. The Jets didn't fan on receivers that draft year: they drafted Quincy in the 6th round and he was a starter last year. And a guy who looks like he's going to be a very good player. In the later rounds I'll take one out of 3 being very good. 

[Sperm Edwards]

I think what makes it so bad is that after so many WRs came off the board in "the WR draft" that he could have said wow I can't believe my luck I was thinking of taking this guy a couple of rounds ago.

I wonder if there was some element of passing on him because Ryan supposedly wanted him so badly. Not to hurt the team, but because of following George Constanza's "opposite" religion with Ryan and offensive players: Ryan wants him and likes him, so I'm going to do the opposite. Twice. First I'm hearing of Ryan being so high on him but it's not that hard to believe due to the Clemson connection with his kid. Bryant was probably the only WR taken after round 1 that Ryan had seen play.

Though I think half the reason he took Saunders was specifically to take Kerley's place (Kerley's contract was expiring) and also have a game-changer at punt returner. Well he did become a game changer once, but not for the intended reason. We cut him right after that (and so did 3-4 other teams who took shots on him). 

I never saw so much as 1 clip of any of these guys before the draft, but I think at least a few people here were super pissed off we didn't take Bryant right at that time (and were pessimistically hoping he'd somehow still be there for us when it was our turn in round 4 after passing on him in rounds 2 and 3). It's fine for a GM to go against a consensus pick (consensus outside of JN I mean), but if you're going to take not one but two consensus lower-ranked prospects at the same nominal position (1 at the identical position), then you'd better hit bigger on at least one you took, and the guy you passed on had better bust or be worse. 

Not close to an equal comparison in QBs throwing to them, of course, but these guys he took just sucked anyway. *sigh*

[drsamuel84]

I think this article is a little bit pf piling on when it comes to Idzik.  We all know how bad the 2014 draft looks considering the talent and amount of picks we had but Bryant did last until the 4th rd. so a lot of GM's passed on him.

[UnitedWhofans]

haha - too funny.  While I dont think Bryant in the 4th compares to the Reed selection, it is a long list of head scratching, WTF are the Jets thinking decisions.

O'Brien > Marino

Brady > Sapp

Farrior > Tony G. 

Thomas > Reed

Trading up for DRob with guys like Kevin Wiliams and Terrell Suggs on the board

Mike Nugent

Coples > Jones - which I liked at the time smh

Hill > Jeffrey

Amaro > Landry

Smith > Green-Beckham 

 

 

1. Ken O'Brien was a solid QB. Dan Marino won no Super Bowls. That is not as big a deal as lot of people make it out to be.

2. Farrior turned out to be a solid linebacker....just not with us. Blame Parcells for that. Dont blame the pick

3. I've pointed out that Jones is a DE only and that the Jets were looking for more of a OLB, so while Jones is better, I don't think he was a fit for what the Jets wanted.

4. Get off of DGB until we see more. Had a horrible game against the Jets this year

[Sperm Edwards]

I don't think drafting Pryor was a blunder. He's a good player and fills the need at safety (and the secondary was a glaring weakness in 2014) because he's a similar player to Laron Landry, who went to the Colts after playing here. I thought that Rex was on board and advocated drafting Pryor. We all know that he loves Clemson players. Sure in retrospect you would like to have drafted Bryant over Saunders and Evans but all teams passed on him until the Steelers took him in the 4th round. The same year we took Sheldon Richardson and 12 other teams passed on him. The Jets didn't fan on receivers that draft year: they drafted Quincy in the 6th round and he was a starter last year. And a guy who looks like he's going to be a very good player. In the later rounds I'll take one out of 3 being very good. 

I didn't take the article to mean Pryor was the blunder, but rather that it was the round 4 WRs over Bryant, since Bryant is the guy they're focusing on being the "shoulda taken" prospect.

[UnitedWhofans]

Meh, Bryant was the clear choice.  He wasnt some hidden find they developed.  Dude was ready to ball from D1 and it was shocking he slipped to the 4th.  It's not like Dre Archer is doing sh*t and they took him before Bryant.  Sammie Coates this year too, nada.  Limas Sweed comes to mind, that dude Reid out of FSU.  Dallas Baker out of Florida. 

Wallace was really good at Ole Miss. 

Brown was the ultimate find.  Best WR in the league in the 6th round?  It's Brady like 

 

He was more of a Stephen Hill like player. Very raw coming out of Clemson.

[JustInFudge]

1. Ken O'Brien was a solid QB. Dan Marino won no Super Bowls. That is not as big a deal as lot of people make it out to be.

2. Farrior turned out to be a solid linebacker....just not with us. Blame Parcells for that. Dont blame the pick

3. I've pointed out that Jones is a DE only and that the Jets were looking for more of a OLB, so while Jones is better, I don't think he was a fit for what the Jets wanted.

4. Get off of DGB until we see more. Had a horrible game against the Jets this year

I dont even...

[JustInFudge]

He was more of a Stephen Hill like player. Very raw coming out of Clemson.

no

[UnitedWhofans]

I dont even...

All I have said there is logically correct.

The other ones you mentioned are disasters. The ones I mentioned were not as bad as people thought, or is too soon to tell

[UnitedWhofans]

no

Uh Yes. That is what the NFL experts graded him as. 

"A lean, long-limbed, rangy, outside-the-numbers, big-play receiver, Bryant declared for the draft early with underclassmen nipping at his playing time late in the season. Will require additional seasoning to make a mark in the pro game. A better tester than football player at this stage of his development"

Graded to go in rounds 3-4

[JustInFudge]

All I have said there is logically correct.

The other ones you mentioned are disasters. The ones I mentioned were not as bad as people thought, or is too soon to tell

no

Uh Yes. That is what the NFL experts graded him as. 

"A lean, long-limbed, rangy, outside-the-numbers, big-play receiver, Bryant declared for the draft early with underclassmen nipping at his playing time late in the season. Will require additional seasoning to make a mark in the pro game. A better tester than football player at this stage of his development"

Graded to go in rounds 3-4

no, hell no

[Rangers9]

Look the number of picks Idzik had in the 2014 draft was because he had extra non tradeable picks and low ones because of free agent signings. it wasn't like he had all high draft picks. My criticism of him was not trading back into 2015 (with some of the tradeable picks-our own picks) because there is no way that many players (was it 11) could have made the roster. But when you look at the players we did draft and who have made contributions it's not a terrible draft because he selected the best player in that draft at overall 13. I really hate the second guessing when you rip a team for not selecting a player who was drafted later and passed over by many teams and that player ends up being very good. There are players like Amaro who could exceed their current status. He was injured and out a year. He has talent and could end up being a good pick. 

[Beerfish]

Every sane person including pretty well all of the jet fan schleps in our draft forum wanted Bryant and others over the like of Saunders and shaq Evans.  EVeryone knows Idzik drafted badly, too bad becasue he did a lot of other good things that helped our current regime make many of their moves this past year.

[UnitedWhofans]

no

no, hell no

READ:

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/martavis-bryant?id=2543572

 

[Jet Nut]

haha - too funny.  While I dont think Bryant in the 4th compares to the Reed selection, it is a long list of head scratching, WTF are the Jets thinking decisions.

O'Brien > Marino

Brady > Sapp

Farrior > Tony G. 

Thomas > Reed

Trading up for DRob with guys like Kevin Wiliams and Terrell Suggs on the board

Mike Nugent

Coples > Jones - which I liked at the time smh

Hill > Jeffrey

Amaro > Landry

Smith > Green-Beckham 

 

 

Don't know what the big deal is. Almost everyone of the names on the list are players that most others passed on also.  The whole league passed on Marino for reason.  Sapp dropped because of a failed drug test.  Reed went 24th, 23 teams passed.  Nuggent is still kicking.  Green-Beckham? 

Point is when a player like Reed goes where he should go in the draft and then it all happens for him and he becomes a player what are you supposed to do?  Happens.  Every draft.  Every team has a list just like this.  

Love when we act as if the draft is an exact science 

[UnitedWhofans]

Every sane person including pretty well all of the jet fan schleps in our draft forum wanted Bryant and others over the like of Saunders and shaq Evans.  EVeryone knows Idzik drafted badly, too bad becasue he did a lot of other good things that helped our current regime make many of their moves this past year.

I'm not saying that it was a bad move not drafting him. I'm saying that it shouldn't be held up to the level of selling Babe Ruth away.

I honestly think that the Steelers do a great job at developing WRs. I think that should be well noted.

[UnitedWhofans]

And I hate people hating on Ken O'Brien. He would be a fantastic player in this NFL.

[JustInFudge]

READ:

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/martavis-bryant?id=2543572

 

dude - Stephen Hill had 46 receptions and 9 TD's in his career at Georgia Tech.  Bryant did that as a Senior at Clemson, playing along side Sammy Watkins.

Not comparable, at all.  I poop on your link. 

[JustInFudge]

Don't know what the big deal is. Almost everyone of the names on the list are players that most others passed on also.  The whole league passed on Marino for reason.  Sapp dropped because of a failed drug test.  Reed went 24th, 23 teams passed.  Nuggent is still kicking.  Green-Beckham? 

Point is when a player like Reed goes where he should go in the draft and then it all happens for him and he becomes a player what are you supposed to do?  Happens.  Every draft.  Every team has a list just like this.  

Love when we act as if the draft is an exact science 

If I was drafting for the Jets, we'd be playing in the Super Bowl every season. 

[Sperm Edwards]

Every sane person including pretty well all of the jet fan schleps in our draft forum wanted Bryant and others over the like of Saunders and shaq Evans.  EVeryone knows Idzik drafted badly, too bad becasue he did a lot of other good things that helped our current regime make many of their moves this past year.

That's my memory as well. Then again, some here convinced me, at the time, that Hill was a smart pick (not that I saw him play at GT either).

[UnitedWhofans]

If I was drafting for the Jets, we'd be playing in the Super Bowl every season. 

And I were wealthier and more connected, I would buy the Playboy Mansion from Hugh Hefner.....Just for the house!

We should jsut stop talking about the two years Idzik was here. Get over it. It's done

[Xtina]

OMG What?????? The Jets passed on Ed Reed my favorite player of all time ?  Every day is just better and better 

[JustInFudge]

And I were wealthier and more connected, I would buy the Playboy Mansion from Hugh Hefner.....Just for the house!

If I were the GM of the Jets over the last 3 years this is what our offense would look like and you would all want my nuts, so bad.

QB - Teddy Bridgewater 

RB - Le'Veon Bell

WR - Jarvis Landry, Martavis Bryant, Dorial Green-Beckham

TE - Jordan Reed

OL - DJ Fluker, Gabe Jackson, Cory Linsley 

And that's just our offense.  Dont even get me started on D.  

[The Crusher]

If I was drafting for the Jets, we'd be playing in the Super Bowl every season. 

I wonder if the guy who was drafting for Buffalo in the 80's said that and after the fourth year they shot him.  LOL

[JustInFudge]

I wonder if the guy who was drafting for Buffalo in the 80's said that and after the fourth year they shot him.  LOL

We'd win Crushlove.  We'd win.  Did you see the offense I drafted in just 3 years?  

[AFJF]

I think this article is a little bit pf piling on when it comes to Idzik.  We all know how bad the 2014 draft looks considering the talent and amount of picks we had but Bryant did last until the 4th rd. so a lot of GM's passed on him.

I disagree because the jury is still out on this class.  It may turn out to be solid when all is said and done, and safe to say it's better than both of Parcells' "big" drafts when he had 10 or more picks.

This is pointing out the fact that he picked not one, but two WR's a few picks  before Bryant was off the board.  Even at the time I was asking myself "What does he see in Jalen Saunders that trumps Bryant"? 

Just makes it worse to know that people in the room were lobbying hard for Bryant and Idzik ignored them, taking Saunders and Evans.

[nyjunc]

1. Ken O'Brien was a solid QB. Dan Marino won no Super Bowls. That is not as big a deal as lot of people make it out to be.

2. Farrior turned out to be a solid linebacker....just not with us. Blame Parcells for that. Dont blame the pick

3. I've pointed out that Jones is a DE only and that the Jets were looking for more of a OLB, so while Jones is better, I don't think he was a fit for what the Jets wanted.

4. Get off of DGB until we see more. Had a horrible game against the Jets this year

Marino on our team we at least make a SB

Farrior had one good year for us in 5 seasons, the problem wasn't so much the selection but that we turned the #1 overall pick into james farrier.

 

every team can point out misses they had, the teams that don't win will obviously have more of them.

[Jet Nut]

If I was drafting for the Jets, we'd be playing in the Super Bowl every season. 

If you were drafting years after the draft played out, yes

[#27TheDominator]

This is pointing out the fact that he picked not one, but two WR's a few picks  before Bryant was off the board.  Even at the time I was asking myself "What does he see in Jalen Saunders that trumps Bryant"? 

I thought we all knew that his plan was "punt returner!"   I thought what we were all thinking was what makes him think a 147 lb man can plan in the NFL?

FWIW, Bryant is no slam dunk. I know he just had a huge game against Denver, but he is a good fit with Roethlisberger.  He is physical and fight for the ball, particularly when plays are extended.  He wouldn't necessarily match well with Fitzpatrick who has to get the ball out quickly and he supposedly has a tendency to freelance and coaches and fans have supposedly been frustrated with him at times.  OTOH, he has had over a dozen of games better than the careers of Saunders and Evans combined. 

[AFJF]

I thought we all knew that his plan was "punt returner!"   I thought what we were all thinking was what makes him think a 147 lb man can plan in the NFL?

FWIW, Bryant is no slam dunk. I know he just had a huge game against Denver, but he is a good fit with Roethlisberger.  He is physical and fight for the ball, particularly when plays are extended.  He wouldn't necessarily match well with Fitzpatrick who has to get the ball out quickly and he supposedly has a tendency to freelance and coaches and fans have supposedly been frustrated with him at times.  OTOH, he has had over a dozen of games better than the careers of Saunders and Evans combined. 

And he couldn't even get that right...ugh.