Grading-Every-Jets-Pick-in-2021-nfl-draft

[jetsons]

Grading every Jets pick in 2021 NFL Draft

By Ryan Dunleavy

May 2, 2021 | 7:30am | Updated

 

The Jets obviously grew tired of hearing about the NFL’s worst offense.

New coaching staff. New scheme. New quarterback. And plenty of new weapons.

The Jets entered the 2021 NFL Draft holding 10 picks, made a few trades and came away with 10 players. The first four all play on the side of the ball where the Jets ranked No. 32 last season. Here are The Post’s pick-by-pick grades for the Jets’ draft class:

Round 1, No. 2 overall: Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)

Wilson emerged as the NFL’s consensus No. 2-ranked quarterback, pulling away from Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones. He doesn’t hide that he likes to take chances most quarterbacks won’t, so he will have to walk the tightrope between highlight and turnover. He can throw receivers open — or he did against a so-so college schedule.

Grade: A

The Jets picked Zach Wilson No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft. Getty Images

Round 1, No. 14 overall: Alijah Vera-Tucker (OG, USC)

Vera-Tucker was the clear-cut top guard in the class, and there was no way he was slipping to No. 23. So, the Jets traded up without giving up a first- or second-round pick. Great value compared to the Bears’ haul to move up from No. 20 to No. 11. The dream is simple: Vera-Tucker and Mekhi Becton as the new Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

Grade: A

Round 2, No. 34 overall: Elijah Moore (WR, Mississippi)

It would have been easy to trade back here and recoup some picks, as a handful of teams were trying to move up. Or to pick cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. But the Jets vowed to make Wilson’s life easier. First with protection. Then with playmakers. Moore was second in the nation in receptions (86) and yards (1,193) in just eight games last season.

Grade: A-

Round 4, No. 107 overall: Michael Carter (RB, North Carolina)

Carter was ranked No. 51 on The Post’s top 100. That’s tremendous value, after the Jets traded their way out of the sweet spot for first-rounders Najee Harris and Travis Etienne. Carter led the ACC in rushing last season, averaged 6.6 yards per carry in his career and returned kicks. Possible Week 1 starter.

Grade: A

SEE ALSO

 

Jets’ two Michael Carters have already forged NFL Draft bond: ‘Cool dude’

Round 5, No. 146 overall: Jamien Sherwood (LB/S, Auburn)

Sherwood made just 12 career starts as a college safety. He had just one interception and zero forced fumbles in college. But the Jets saw some potential as a developmental weakside linebacker.

Grade: C

Round 5, No. 154 overall: Michael Carter II (CB, Duke)

If there’s a knock on the Jets’ class, it’s that they waited way too long to pick a cornerback given Bless Austin, Bryce Hall and Corey Ballentine are atop the depth chart. Hey, that’s the price of trading away two third-rounders. Carter is a three-year starter who still felt like a reach, especially because he played mostly in the slot.

Grade: C-

Round 5, No. 175 overall: Jason Pinnock (CB, Pittsburgh)

Pinnock had three interceptions in 10 games (one-game suspension) in 2020, after allowing six touchdowns of 25 yards or more in 2019, according to NFL.com. He looks the part of a NFL cornerback, with speed, length and build.

Grade: C

Round 6, No. 186 overall: Hamsah Nasirildeen (LB/S, Florida State)

This is a steal, though probably not to the degree Nasirildeen thought when he declared himself a “first-rounder.” ‘Tweeners tend to fall — look at top-20 prospect Jeremiah Owusu-Karamoah sliding all the way to No. 52 — and it’s unclear if Nasirildeen has a true position. Played two games last season after returning from an ACL injury.

Grade: A-

SEE ALSO

 

Jets’ focus on Zach Wilson help leaves daunting Robert Saleh task

Round 6, No. 200 overall: Brandin Echols (DB, Kentucky)

Converted wide receiver who played spent two years at wide receiver before transferring to Kentucky. Aced his pro day with both straight-line speed and agility. A flier on elite athleticism.

Grade: C

Round 6, No. 207 overall: Jonathan Marshall (DT, Arkansas)

He had the top athleticism score (99) among all defensive tackles in the class, according to NextGenStats. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.81 seconds, vertical jumped 32 inches and put up 36 reps on the bench press. Just 11.5 tackles for loss (1.5 sacks) in 34 games, however.

Grade: B

 

Overall draft class grade: A

[Adoni Beast]

Pretty fair and agreeable. I just don’t understand the nitpick “A-“ for Moore instead of just giving the A it deserves.

[Tranquilo]

Reasonable grades 

[Jethead]

22 minutes ago, Adoni Beast said:

Pretty fair and agreeable. I just don’t understand the nitpick “A-“ for Moore instead of just giving the A it deserves.

Yes, Moore's an A. Wilson is more tbd.

[isired]

The dream is simple: Vera-Tucker and Mekhi Becton as the new Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

to that.

[jetophile]

I'm far less excited about Zach Wilson than I was about Sam Darnold. As a matter of fact, I'm not situationally/appropriately excited at all. There's nothing factual about this statement, it's just that we just did this three years ago and I still have a mild case of PTGSD. The difference-maker now of course is the coaching staff that's in place, so maybe over the coming weeks I'll feel a lot less ambivalent about it.

[Greenbloodblitz]

Didn't do my homework this year as well as in previous years, so I wasn't really familiar with some of the late round picks. Plus I had like 10 kids at house riding bikes and s***. Lol.

Not too sure how I feel about the Elijah Moore pick at 34? Not that I hated it, but was it a necessity? 

Obviously this was a strange year, and with the changing of the guard everything feels a little out of place.

I'll be able to make a better assessment when I see who's playing where and when my kids get picked up by their Mother later LOL. They got my head ringing.

[Lith]

59 minutes ago, Adoni Beast said:

Pretty fair and agreeable. I just don’t understand the nitpick “A-“ for Moore instead of just giving the A it deserves.

Sounds like the writer thought we should have traded back to recoup some picks we gave up for AVT.  I would guess that is his rationale for the "-"

[Adoni Beast]

8 minutes ago, Lith said:

Sounds like the writer thought we should have traded back to recoup some picks we gave up for AVT.  I would guess that is his rationale for the "-"

Yeah, whatever his rationale is when you draft a player in your and most teams top 25, in the 2nd round, thats an A and if they feel like adding to A it should be with +

[varjet]

I want to watch how the players picked after the C grades do.  I think those picks were a bit undersized or under athletic and otherwise dubious. 

[Beerfish]

A fair assessment for sure imo.  The ones downgraded deserve those grades from 1st impressions.  We will see if the scheme specific drafting works or not in the next year or so.

[TheClashFan]

I pretty much agree with those.  My only gripe is not taking a developmental OL in the 5th or 6th round or Trey Smith, who could maybe start at RG right away. There's no depth on the OL, and at least 2 of the starters are JAGs, maybe 3. Perhaps Clarke will emerge this year?

For the love of God, why not take Trey Smith at the top of the 6th round?

 

[Dinamite]

Is Vera-Tucker really purely for LG? I thought the pulling/athletic guard in the SF scheme was in the right side.

[David Harris]

48 minutes ago, Dinamite said:

Is Vera-Tucker really purely for LG? I thought the pulling/athletic guard in the SF scheme was in the right side.

He’s slated for LG, JD said as much. AVT has played in the left side stance most of his college reps.  He could swing to either tackle spot if Becton or Fant go down which hopeful doesn’t  occur but that versatility is awesome.

[Ron Rico]

I think this will turn out to be one of the Jets best drafts, ever, in terms of players making the roster.

[GKnight83]

Do not be surprise when one of the guys you gave a C to leads to conference in return yardage.

[LIJetsFan]

7 hours ago, TheClashFan said:

I pretty much agree with those.  My only gripe is not taking a developmental OL in the 5th or 6th round or Trey Smith, who could maybe start at RG right away. There's no depth on the OL, and at least 2 of the starters are JAGs, maybe 3. Perhaps Clarke will emerge this year?

For the love of God, why not take Trey Smith at the top of the 6th round?

 

As for the bold above, fair is fair.  JD drafted offense heavy the 1st 4 picks and most likely just gave the HC/DC remaining longer shot picks.      

[jgb]

Cool write up. 
 

Jets D going to be our weakest unit this year 

[peebag]

7 hours ago, Coquito said:

I think this will turn out to be one of the Jets best drafts, ever, in terms of players making the roster.

All depends on the #2 pick.

[BornJetsFan1983]

15 hours ago, jetsons said:

Grading every Jets pick in 2021 NFL Draft

By Ryan Dunleavy

May 2, 2021 | 7:30am | Updated

 

The Jets obviously grew tired of hearing about the NFL’s worst offense.

New coaching staff. New scheme. New quarterback. And plenty of new weapons.

The Jets entered the 2021 NFL Draft holding 10 picks, made a few trades and came away with 10 players. The first four all play on the side of the ball where the Jets ranked No. 32 last season. Here are The Post’s pick-by-pick grades for the Jets’ draft class:

Round 1, No. 2 overall: Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)

Wilson emerged as the NFL’s consensus No. 2-ranked quarterback, pulling away from Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones. He doesn’t hide that he likes to take chances most quarterbacks won’t, so he will have to walk the tightrope between highlight and turnover. He can throw receivers open — or he did against a so-so college schedule.

Grade: A

The Jets picked Zach Wilson No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft. Getty Images

Round 1, No. 14 overall: Alijah Vera-Tucker (OG, USC)

Vera-Tucker was the clear-cut top guard in the class, and there was no way he was slipping to No. 23. So, the Jets traded up without giving up a first- or second-round pick. Great value compared to the Bears’ haul to move up from No. 20 to No. 11. The dream is simple: Vera-Tucker and Mekhi Becton as the new Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

Grade: A

Round 2, No. 34 overall: Elijah Moore (WR, Mississippi)

It would have been easy to trade back here and recoup some picks, as a handful of teams were trying to move up. Or to pick cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. But the Jets vowed to make Wilson’s life easier. First with protection. Then with playmakers. Moore was second in the nation in receptions (86) and yards (1,193) in just eight games last season.

Grade: A-

Round 4, No. 107 overall: Michael Carter (RB, North Carolina)

Carter was ranked No. 51 on The Post’s top 100. That’s tremendous value, after the Jets traded their way out of the sweet spot for first-rounders Najee Harris and Travis Etienne. Carter led the ACC in rushing last season, averaged 6.6 yards per carry in his career and returned kicks. Possible Week 1 starter.

Grade: A

SEE ALSO

 

Jets’ two Michael Carters have already forged NFL Draft bond: ‘Cool dude’

Round 5, No. 146 overall: Jamien Sherwood (LB/S, Auburn)

Sherwood made just 12 career starts as a college safety. He had just one interception and zero forced fumbles in college. But the Jets saw some potential as a developmental weakside linebacker.

Grade: C

Round 5, No. 154 overall: Michael Carter II (CB, Duke)

If there’s a knock on the Jets’ class, it’s that they waited way too long to pick a cornerback given Bless Austin, Bryce Hall and Corey Ballentine are atop the depth chart. Hey, that’s the price of trading away two third-rounders. Carter is a three-year starter who still felt like a reach, especially because he played mostly in the slot.

Grade: C-

Round 5, No. 175 overall: Jason Pinnock (CB, Pittsburgh)

Pinnock had three interceptions in 10 games (one-game suspension) in 2020, after allowing six touchdowns of 25 yards or more in 2019, according to NFL.com. He looks the part of a NFL cornerback, with speed, length and build.

Grade: C

Round 6, No. 186 overall: Hamsah Nasirildeen (LB/S, Florida State)

This is a steal, though probably not to the degree Nasirildeen thought when he declared himself a “first-rounder.” ‘Tweeners tend to fall — look at top-20 prospect Jeremiah Owusu-Karamoah sliding all the way to No. 52 — and it’s unclear if Nasirildeen has a true position. Played two games last season after returning from an ACL injury.

Grade: A-

SEE ALSO

 

Jets’ focus on Zach Wilson help leaves daunting Robert Saleh task

Round 6, No. 200 overall: Brandin Echols (DB, Kentucky)

Converted wide receiver who played spent two years at wide receiver before transferring to Kentucky. Aced his pro day with both straight-line speed and agility. A flier on elite athleticism.

Grade: C

Round 6, No. 207 overall: Jonathan Marshall (DT, Arkansas)

He had the top athleticism score (99) among all defensive tackles in the class, according to NextGenStats. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.81 seconds, vertical jumped 32 inches and put up 36 reps on the bench press. Just 11.5 tackles for loss (1.5 sacks) in 34 games, however.

Grade: B

 

Overall draft class grade: A

These grades basically mean this is the best draft we have had since I have been watching the jets.

[doitny]

who is Hamsah Nasirildeen and how does a 6th rd pick who played 2 games gets a A-. 

is that a typo

[jetsons]

4 hours ago, doitny said:

who is Hamsah Nasirildeen and how does a 6th rd pick who played 2 games gets a A-. 

is that a typo

Wears #23... he fell because of a prior knee injury... if not, he would have been drafted in the 2nd rd... At 2:25 HIT on Trevor... At 4:17 chases down Tutu Atwell... ALL GAS... NO BRAKES

 

[Dcat]

18 hours ago, varjet said:

I want to watch how the players picked after the C grades do.  I think those picks were a bit undersized or under athletic and otherwise dubious. 

undersized - yes, somewhat
under athletic - no 

Check out all their RAS scores.  All of them are above 9 I think and some are ridiculously high.  It's a highly athletic group. Joe Douglas loves his RAS.  But does it translate to effectiveness and domination on the field?

[EM31]

19 hours ago, Lith said:

Sounds like the writer thought we should have traded back to recoup some picks we gave up for AVT.  I would guess that is his rationale for the "-"

Then he probably should have graded the trade (or the non-trade) separately and stuck to a straight evaluation of the picks when they were taken.  Can you imagine for example, if Tom Brady's draft grade was dinged a notch because New England should or should not have traded out of that sixth round spot?

[slats]

18 hours ago, TheClashFan said:

I pretty much agree with those.  My only gripe is not taking a developmental OL in the 5th or 6th round or Trey Smith, who could maybe start at RG right away. There's no depth on the OL, and at least 2 of the starters are JAGs, maybe 3. Perhaps Clarke will emerge this year?

For the love of God, why not take Trey Smith at the top of the 6th round?

Because at that point he had already done enough for the offense. That simple. He used a first and two thirds on the best guard in the draft. Four out of five OL jobs are now set, with half a dozen guys who will be battling it out for the RG job. That late OL pick wouldn't be in the mix this year, but all of those late round DB/LBs will be in the mix to potentially win starting jobs at positions of real need. 

[rangerous]

i get the whole need to bolster the offense but i also don't see why the first 4 choices needed to be offense.  i can only think that douglas has a plan to continue bringing in players to bolster the defense.  they also brought in a number of undrafted players.

[#27TheDominator]

I started to feel much better after I realized that the safeties are going to be playing LB.  Then it made me wonder what he had against JOK.  I do feel those kind of tweener Taylor Mays types can be valuable, but you can get them later.  The Raiders did burn a 3rd on Tanner Muse last year.  OTOH, I also think that small shifty slot-type receivers are generally value picks you can get later and they drafted a 5'8" WR at the top of the 2nd.  We will see if Elijah Moore can win at the outside.  

A lot of interesting guys and they can run.  Probably be a bunch of flashes that get people excited, but some of the guys that flash won't be able to hold up.  Either due to injury or getting pushed around.  I will say that watching Nasirildeen on that INT return reminded me of the Revis college return everybody showed.  Kind of gliding and doesn't seem that fast, but he must be moving, though by the end this dude did look gassed and cruising slow.

[jetstream23]

21 hours ago, Greenbloodblitz said:

Didn't do my homework this year as well as in previous years, so I wasn't really familiar with some of the late round picks. Plus I had like 10 kids at house riding bikes and s***. Lol.

Not too sure how I feel about the Elijah Moore pick at 34? Not that I hated it, but was it a necessity? 

Obviously this was a strange year, and with the changing of the guard everything feels a little out of place.

I'll be able to make a better assessment when I see who's playing where and when my kids get picked up by their Mother later LOL. They got my head ringing.

I think the only problem we’ll have with Moore is the opportunity cost of staying there at 34 and picking. With many other excellent options on the board and the ability to trade down, taking anyone there just seems to put pressure on the pick in the fans minds. With that said, this was an excellent pick. I think people are going to absolutely love this guy. Give him a year and watch what he can do. He could be Deebo Samuel with better skills.

I think many of us probably overthought that number 34 spot. I’m glad Douglas had the guts and conviction to simply stick and pick an elite prospect!

[TheNuuFaaolaExperience]

5 hours ago, jetsons said:

 ALL GAS... NO BRAKES

 

Brake...Brake...Brake...Brake...Brake...Brake...BRAKE

[Bungaman]

I think Nasirildeen and Marshall make the squad. Both of them are athletic hitters.

[Sperm Edwards]

19 hours ago, TheClashFan said:

I pretty much agree with those.  My only gripe is not taking a developmental OL in the 5th or 6th round or Trey Smith, who could maybe start at RG right away. There's no depth on the OL, and at least 2 of the starters are JAGs, maybe 3. Perhaps Clarke will emerge this year?

For the love of God, why not take Trey Smith at the top of the 6th round?

 

I don't know. It seems the OL has more depth with experienced, full-time NFL starters than any other position group on the team, and it's also among the most league-wide. 

Starters = Becton - AVT - McGovern - [4-way competition winner] - Fant

Fant wouldn't have been my RT choice from last March, but what's done is done, and I'm sure a big part of the reason is he also serves as LT depth. 

Then at G/C, one of these 4 will start, and while I figure 1 is likely to be cut, as of today the other 3 are all on the roster:

1. Feeney was an every-game starter for the Chargers, making 57 straight starts for them until they let him go. He's nothing special but he has full seasons under his belt at both G and C. 
2. GVR was Carolina's starting LG for the prior 2 seasons (minus the last 5 games of 2019, due to injury not being demoted).
3. Lewis has been a starter every season he hasn't been injured, whether here or with Baltimore. 
4. Clark is still nothing until proven otherwise, but he was a mid-round pick just last year. Like many pro guards he was a college tackle, so since he's got more experience there than at guard, he's G/T depth not just G depth.

Feeney is a lock to make the roster, even if only as depth, since cutting him doesn't save much money (and he's the only starting depth at center). It's possible they keep both Feeney and GVR if Lewis wins the available starting guard job, but if Clark shows them something this summer I don't think they keep a second $3MM+ backup iOL. If Lewis doesn't win the starting job I don't see how they'd still keep him as a backup at $6MM. One of them could also get injured this summer and make those start / keep / cut decisions for Saleh/Douglas.

The more concerning depth is at tackle, but they aren't without options (accepting that nobody on any team is happy with the starter getting injured and moving to the next-best backup). Still, Fant has starting experience on both sides as a pro. Edoga makes any Jets fan nervous but sometimes a position-coach change can help (and he's still just 24), assuming he makes the roter. Also in a real bind, AVT and Clark were both college tackles and the team certainly has experienced, starting iOL depth if either were needed more on the edge(s). 

That's all independent of anyone else who's available this summer or during the season - whether as a FA or via trade - if the Jets are facing an extended-duration tackle injury and don't think this crew could handle it. 

[jetsons]

35 minutes ago, TheNuuFaaolaExperience said:

Brake...Brake...Brake...Brake...Brake...Brake...BRAKE

you mean like this... ?

[TheNuuFaaolaExperience]

6 minutes ago, jetsons said:

you mean like this... ?

No. More like this. All Gas, No Brake | New York Jets - YouTube

[Chrebetfan80]

1 hour ago, jetstream23 said:

I think the only problem we’ll have with Moore is the opportunity cost of staying there at 34 and picking. With many other excellent options on the board and the ability to trade down, taking anyone there just seems to put pressure on the pick in the fans minds. With that said, this was an excellent pick. I think people are going to absolutely love this guy. Give him a year and watch what he can do. He could be Deebo Samuel with better skills.

I think many of us probably overthought that number 34 spot. I’m glad Douglas had the guts and conviction to simply stick and pick an elite prospect!

no one will second guess the pick once they see him get on the field and play. 

 

Part of the hesitation of the fan base was everyone doing mock drafts and trading down and trying to fill literally every hole this year.  It was never going to happen that way.  Would I have liked to trade down and somehow grab Rondale moore, Tremble, and others with the capital? Sure, but I wont deny the value of Elijah sitting there in round 2. He's going to be a really good player, and he should make an impact this year as a rookie.  Bottom line, jets have 2 1s 2 2s and multiple mid round options next year to finish filling holes, it was never going to all happen this year.  JD got, in his mind, 3 top 25 players on their board within the first 34 picks, That is value, then the ability to add a top 50 player in Carter in the 4th is a steal.  The later rounds we'll see how it turns out with the conversion of S to LB but I like the potential of this group and a lot of these guys will be core STers.  We filled holes with premiere players, continued to build the foundation, and added quality depth.. How could you be upset?