Ekwonu rising as potential #1 pick on betting sites

[jetstream23]

Interesting. Ekwonu does seem like the one pure LT despite how talented and versatile Evan Neal is. Ekwonu is also a better fit for zone blocking schemes vs. man/power blocking.

It’s interesting that on DraftKings there does seem to be a pretty clear top four. You’ll notice the next couple guys are quarterbacks. Again, these are odds/betting numbers and the risk/reward around the most premium position like QB makes these kinds of things happen. Some people place bets on the chance that a great Combine and pro day for a guy like Pickett could result in a trade up by some team.

In any case, found this interesting.

https://www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/2022-nfl-draft-prospect-ikem-ekwonu-sees-massive-odds-movement-24-hours
 

 

[Augustiniak]

I can see jax and maybe the Texans going OL if the pass rushers don’t impress enough. 

[jetstream23]

The more I read the less I believe that Evan Neal is a fit for the Jets.

excellent prospect, big and powerful guy who is also very versatile. Can play OT or OG. however, he is very average when it comes to things like lateral movement and getting out into space to block linebackers at the second level. He is more of a power blocking guy with some versatility. That’s simply not a great fit for what the Jets are trying to do. Certainly not at number 4.

[ScouserJet]

In regards to betting sites, there are very few things they can actually dictate.

they can’t control who plays who, who will score a TD, how many yards a QB will get…

But they can manipulate markets to get people to back them. They do it for anything they can. If they get 2,000 people backing it now, and it doesn’t come in, they’ve done what they needed.

He could go first, but don’t read too much into the betting markets.

oh and sorry for being boring ??

 

 

[UntouchableCrew]

Increasingly I think Ekwonu might end up as our pick at 4.

[RedBeardedSavage]

This sucks.

Ekwonu is one of the best fits for the Jets - nasty on-field demeanor, great kid off-the-field, played in the wide-zone in college.

Granted, if Mekhi took his job seriously this offseason, we might not need the guy, but I really hoped Ekwonu would be there @ 4 in case we needed it.

[slimjasi]

This is why it's waaaaaaay too early to start freaking out. 

Just wait for the crazy overreactions to the combine.

[Barry McCockinner]

[nycdan]

If Ekwonu could become a mirror-image of AVT at RG, that might be enough of a reason to draft him.  It's a lot of investment in the OL, but if it means we finally have it right, I could dig it.

Still need Edge, WR and TE very badly, but at least we have the picks to potentially nab them.

[derp]

2 minutes ago, nycdan said:

If Ekwonu could become a mirror-image of AVT at RG, that might be enough of a reason to draft him.  It's a lot of investment in the OL, but if it means we finally have it right, I could dig it.

Still need Edge, WR and TE very badly, but at least we have the picks to potentially nab them.

I agree it’s over-investment on the OL.

Something’s got to give somewhere though, and I think as heavily as the Jets have invested on the OL there’s still a lot of long-term tackle uncertainty. If Ekwonu is the pick with the idea the floor is he’s, say Brandon Scherff in a weak draft, and the ceiling is he’s a franchise LT - maybe it adds up. 

Free agency will tell us a lot. If they sign a free agent guard then OL in the first round has to be off the table unless they move Becton or Fant because there’s just nowhere to play the guy and the Jets aren’t in position to be redshirting top ten picks. If they basically punt the position then they could do something early with RG and possible long term tackle but also something Zion Johnson in the second round would be perfectly reasonable.

[Beerfish]

13 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

The more I read the less I believe that Evan Neal is a fit for the Jets.

excellent prospect, big and powerful guy who is also very versatile. Can play OT or OG. however, he is very average when it comes to things like lateral movement and getting out into space to block linebackers at the second level. He is more of a power blocking guy with some versatility. That’s simply not a great fit for what the Jets are trying to do. Certainly not at number 4.

I just love this about the NFL and the jets.

"excellent prospect, big and powerful guy who is also very versatile. Can play OT or OG."

But no good for us due to scheme.  If this is the case why did we draft Becton.

[Bronx]

At this pace, all 2022 draftees are busts. We should play it safe and draft a punter and kicker with our first 2 picks, fuc it.

[shuler82]

2 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

I just love this about the NFL and the jets.

"excellent prospect, big and powerful guy who is also very versatile. Can play OT or OG."

But no good for us due to scheme.  If this is the case why did we draft Becton.

Because Gase was the coach and we ran a different blocking scheme?

[Beerfish]

1 minute ago, shuler82 said:

Because Gase was the coach and we ran a different blocking scheme?

But we did not have a different blocking scheme, they talked about us having a zone scheme under gase.

Also it further proves my point.  Draft good players and fing make a scheme to fit good players.  You fire a coach and you have to totally redo your roster?  Bullox.

Oline is the worst for this. 

[jamesr]

40 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

But we did not have a different blocking scheme, they talked about us having a zone scheme under gase.

Also it further proves my point.  Draft good players and fing make a scheme to fit good players.  You fire a coach and you have to totally redo your roster?  Bullox.

Oline is the worst for this. 

"Good players" have to be able to all work together though ... no use having a mish-mash of power guys and agile guys on an o-line and expecting the scheme to make it work, they have to work as a unit. Same on D - if half your guys are suited to 3-4 and others more to a 4-3, you're in a muddle. Remember when we had D-Rob and Vilma in a 3-4 scheme? Ugh.

[PepPep]

1 hour ago, RedBeardedSavage said:

This sucks.

Ekwonu is one of the best fits for the Jets - nasty on-field demeanor, great kid off-the-field, played in the wide-zone in college.

Granted, if Mekhi took his job seriously this offseason, we might not need the guy, but I really hoped Ekwonu would be there @ 4 in case we needed it.

Ekwonu WILL be there at 4. He may even be there at 10. He is projected to play G in the NFL. Yes, there's a lot of hype about him playing LT and he does have the experience. But thats not where he will play. He will play G, MAYBE RT. This will knock him down in the draft. Guaranteed. Cross is a great prospect and a prototypical LT. He will go ahead of Ekwonu once all is said and done. So will Neal. JMHO. 

If the Jets REALLY like Ekwonu they should go ahead and take him at 4. Or they can gamble and see if he slides to 10.  

[Greenseed4]

Ekwonu has been my pick at #4 on every mock draft I’ve done since November. 
 

*don’t fact check this, I’m probably lying. But he has been my go-to pick at #4 for a while now.  He nasty. 

[Doggin94it]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

I just love this about the NFL and the jets.

"excellent prospect, big and powerful guy who is also very versatile. Can play OT or OG."

But no good for us due to scheme.  If this is the case why did we draft Becton.

You're aware that time is linear, right?

[Doggin94it]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

But we did not have a different blocking scheme, they talked about us having a zone scheme under gase.

Also it further proves my point.  Draft good players and fing make a scheme to fit good players.  You fire a coach and you have to totally redo your roster?  Bullox.

Oline is the worst for this. 

Nope - he ran primarily man blocking. https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2021/07/30/new-york-jets-training-camp-connor-mcgovern-mike-lafleur-wide-zone-blocking/

[Beerfish]

32 minutes ago, jamesr said:

"Good players" have to be able to all work together though ... no use having a mish-mash of power guys and agile guys on an o-line and expecting the scheme to make it work, they have to work as a unit. Same on D - if half your guys are suited to 3-4 and others more to a 4-3, you're in a muddle. Remember when we had D-Rob and Vilma in a 3-4 scheme? Ugh.

Draft good players for one coach and scheme, coach gets fired after 2-3 years.

Now you have to get rid of all of those good players and bring in new good players for the new coach and scheme.

The Jets have been facing this problem for the last 15 years.

[CanadienJetsFan]

All of this draft ranking talk isn’t worth a hill of beans until the combine.

[jamesr]

Draft good players for one coach and scheme, coach gets fired after 2-3 years.
Now you have to get rid of all of those good players and bring in new good players for the new coach and scheme.
The Jets have been facing this problem for the last 15 years.

Exactly why it's so vital you get the right guys running the ship in the first place, and give them time to build. Stability brings a lot to a franchise ... but it takes patience.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

[68JET11]

1 hour ago, Doggin94it said:

Nope - he ran primarily man blocking. https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2021/07/30/new-york-jets-training-camp-connor-mcgovern-mike-lafleur-wide-zone-blocking/

Alex Lewis and Greg Van Roten have both had success as pulling guards in the past and can translate that into success blocking in a zone system.

That didn't work out to well lol...

[68JET11]

I'm hoping Neal is gone before we pick at 4, and we have our choice of Ekwonu, or Cross. I keep telling you guys, that the Gints will be looking for OL so we need to take the one we absolutely think will best fit ML offense.

[jetstream23]

2 hours ago, Beerfish said:

I just love this about the NFL and the jets.

"excellent prospect, big and powerful guy who is also very versatile. Can play OT or OG."

But no good for us due to scheme.  If this is the case why did we draft Becton.

First, Becton was drafted before the LaFleur system showed up.  But secondly, he's still a pretty good fit.  I think he's better in space and at moving to the second level.

 

[BurntDice]

3 hours ago, nycdan said:

If Ekwonu could become a mirror-image of AVT at RG, that might be enough of a reason to draft him.  It's a lot of investment in the OL, but if it means we finally have it right, I could dig it.

Still need Edge, WR and TE very badly, but at least we have the picks to potentially nab them.

Yea cause the teams with the best guards in the league are always so good they are uber important! /s

[Vader]

Double down on core football

 

ol + dl and wr

[Lupz27]

5 hours ago, nycdan said:

If Ekwonu could become a mirror-image of AVT at RG, that might be enough of a reason to draft him.  It's a lot of investment in the OL, but if it means we finally have it right, I could dig it.

Still need Edge, WR and TE very badly, but at least we have the picks to potentially nab them.

This is what the Cowboys did, and they have been playoff contenders ever since.  I don’t see a problem with the strategy just better get the players right.

[Greenseed4]

2 hours ago, 68JET11 said:

I'm hoping Neal is gone before we pick at 4, and we have our choice of Ekwonu, or Cross. I keep telling you guys, that the Gints will be looking for OL so we need to take the one we absolutely think will best fit ML offense.

Why Cross? Does he have positional versatility? 

[David Harris]

I’d be happy with any of the top 4. Actually glad there is a top 4 being we have the 4th pick.  Maybe this is why the rumor is the jets want to trade pick 10 and not 4.

Still super early- can’t wait for the combine.

[jetstream23]

There's a school of thought out there that even if the most pressing roster needs for the Jets are mostly on Defense that JD's future with the Jets is so inextricably tied to the success of Zach Wilson that JD will make another big push to upgrade the offense and support his most important Draft pick to date.

That makes sense to me.  As JD crosses the halfway point of his GM contract with the Jets this coming Summer his success will largely be measured against how well Zach Wilson performs.  With that in mind I don't think it's a huge leap to suggest that if both Thib and Hutchinson are gone JD could use his #4 on the most premium offensive position outside QB and that's a LT.  Moses is possibly/likely gone in free agency, Fant is heading into his final year, and Becton is extremely talented and extremely unreliable.... and LT is a position where you really want to have reliability.  It would be a bit of a surprise but I wouldn't be completely shocked at all if the Jets went with Ekwonu and tried to do something like move Becton to RT.

Let's not forget that Becton has experience at RT....

Quote

"In the offense in the past, he was flipping strong side and weak side, so he was playing left and right tackle on any given play," Jets GM Joe Douglas said. "I think settling in at left tackle, you could really see this guy has all the tools. He's comfortable in a left-handed stance, he's got a good kick set, and you could really see him settle in. His technique really blossomed."

 

Quote

"Starting at left tackle in a new offense in 2019, Becton had switched sides (LT to RT) mid-game during the previous two seasons. Becton has rare size and length. Given his size, Becton has the strength you'd expect and is a mauler in the run game. While he has work to do for his pass protection to catch up to his prowess as a run blocker, he has rare movement skills for a man of his size with tremendous upside. Becton ran a 5.10, 40 with a 1.77 10-yard split at the combine."

And before anyone says, "Well, we drafted Becton at #11 to be a LT and putting him on the right side kinda of underutilizes him a bit," I'd say... (cough) Tristan Wirfs (cough)!  Wirfs was taken just two picks later at #13 and plays RT for Tampa.  Who knows, perhaps Becton would go from being just a good pass-blocking LT with great run-blocking prowess to an elite guy at RT.

[BurnleyJet]

He looks like an option, on what’s looking like a poor Draft especially at the top of round 1.

[jamesr]

Key thing to remember is that FA comes before the draft. The make up of this team will look quite different by the time we're on the clock.

If we re-sign Moses and still have Fant and Becton, I'd say that may lower the chance of us going OL at #4. Even if we don't re-sign him, we'll have Fant and Becton as our presumptive starters, so any pick at #4 is likely going to have to move to RG for their first year. Yes, they can be cover for Becton getting injured / Fant moving on after 2022, but is that really going to "move the needle" on the team short term? We'd be spending the #4 pick to draft a replacement for a guy we could just re-sign if the interest is there on both sides.

There's also a possibility that we make a FA signing at RG which could make all of the OL talk a moot point. 

[68JET11]

7 hours ago, Greenseed4 said:

Why Cross? Does he have positional versatility? 

More of a T, but said him because of insurance incase Becton crashes. I like the idea of re-signing Fant and moving Becton to RT. Draft one of these guys, more Ekwonu, because he can play either G or T, but I wouldn't complain with either of them. Nor would I complain with Linderbaum as I've been saying since day one, however I'd only take him at 10 if he were there. We need OL/WR out of the first round is all I care about and I don't care which # they get drafted at, as long as they contribute to the success of this team.

All the defensive guys will complain about that, but you can't fix everything at once in a draft. The EDGE's scare me up top of this draft. I'd much prefer to go Offense again, and get as many defensive players in FA.

[PepPep]

10 hours ago, jetstream23 said:

There's a school of thought out there that even if the most pressing roster needs for the Jets are mostly on Defense that JD's future with the Jets is so inextricably tied to the success of Zach Wilson that JD will make another big push to upgrade the offense and support his most important Draft pick to date.

That makes sense to me.  As JD crosses the halfway point of his GM contract with the Jets this coming Summer his success will largely be measured against how well Zach Wilson performs.  With that in mind I don't think it's a huge leap to suggest that if both Thib and Hutchinson are gone JD could use his #4 on the most premium offensive position outside QB and that's a LT.  Moses is possibly/likely gone in free agency, Fant is heading into his final year, and Becton is extremely talented and extremely unreliable.... and LT is a position where you really want to have reliability.  It would be a bit of a surprise but I wouldn't be completely shocked at all if the Jets went with Ekwonu and tried to do something like move Becton to RT.

Let's not forget that Becton has experience at RT....

 

And before anyone says, "Well, we drafted Becton at #11 to be a LT and putting him on the right side kinda of underutilizes him a bit," I'd say... (cough) Tristan Wirfs (cough)!  Wirfs was taken just two picks later at #13 and plays RT for Tampa.  Who knows, perhaps Becton would go from being just a good pass-blocking LT with great run-blocking prowess to an elite guy at RT.

I agree, except I think in this scenario Becton would stay at LT (or at least get every chance to stay there). Any way you slice it he still has more upside than Ekwonu as a LT. If the Jets were smart, they would use Fant's injury as leverage to extend him NOW at a lower rate and draft Ekwonu to plug him in at Guard. Assuming everyone comes back healthy, that gives them 2 OTs and a Guard (really two Guards if you count AVT) who can move to OT in a pinch. If they want to draft a developmental C, sure. But McGovern should stay as starter for now. 

But like I said, I agree- both Neal (if on the board) and Ekwonu will be serious considerations at 4. In a way, the fact that Ekwonu is separating himself as one of the top O-linemen is good news. He is proving himself to be a top prospect so at least the Jets are guaranteed to get one of Thib, Hutch, Neal or Ekwonu at 4 and I would be happy with any one of those guys. I also think it makes a trade down scenario more likely...if the Jets decided to go that route.