Five-year NFL draft analysis: Ravens stay on top as Jets make elite leap, Giants tumble

[Claymation]

5. New York Jets (22)

Pro Bowlers: 3

Best Pick: Sauce Gardner (2022, first round)

Worst Pick: Zach Wilson (2021, first round)

The Jets had one of the best draft classes of the last five years in 2022, landing Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall. That class elevates this ranking to the top 5 after years of the Jets being in the 20s. Quinnen Williams, the top pick in 2019, is also a top-tier player that helps cover up mistakes like Zach Wilson and Mekhi Becton in the first round.

 

https://nypost.com/2024/04/21/sports/five-year-nfl-draft-analysis-ravens-on-top-jets-jump-giants-tumble/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nypost_sitebuttons

[Beerfish]

Playoffs

Playoffs

Playoffs

Playoffs

Dumpster

Playoffs

[Fantasy Island]

Joe D had that one draft.  Still doesn’t whitewash all the other failures

[Larz]

[chirorob]

JD spent 2 first rounders and 2 third rounders on his franchise left tackle and left guard.

The tackle is unemployed and the guard is coming off his 2nd major surgery.

[Larz]

[Larz]

[Larz]

[Larz]

[Larz]

[RedBeardedSavage]

The Mekhi pick has been the worst by far. Not only because the guy picked right after him plays the same position at a pro bowl level, but because it's scary to think you could not detect the laziness/no-heart attitude that must've presented itself during the process.

Wilson was a disaster that made us gamble on the whole Aaron Rodgers era. But seemingly nobody knows how to scout quarterbacks. And every quarterback in that draft sucks and the quarterback on the roster at the time, Sam Darnold, sucked too.

Sure, it hurts A LOT, that Peneii Sewell, JaMarr Chase and Micah Parsons were all on the board for that pick. It's fairly devastating actually.

Unfortunately, the league is almost entirely about quarterback, though. If you don't have one, you have nothing. So these guys have to take their shots at some point. 

Anyway, we're all-in this year, so he better pull some 2022 magic again. Free agency was better than expected. Hopefully, the draft is too. 

[#27TheDominator]

12 minutes ago, RedBeardedSavage said:

The Mekhi pick has been the worst by far. Not only because the guy picked right after him plays the same position at a pro bowl level, but because it's scary to think you could not detect the laziness/no-heart attitude that must've presented itself during the process.

Wilson was a disaster that made us gamble on the whole Aaron Rodgers era. But seemingly nobody knows how to scout quarterbacks. And every quarterback in that draft sucks and the quarterback on the roster at the time, Sam Darnold, sucked too.

Sure, it hurts A LOT, that Peneii Sewell, JaMarr Chase and Micah Parsons were all on the board for that pick. It's fairly devastating actually.

Unfortunately, the league is almost entirely about quarterback, though. If you don't have one, you have nothing. So these guys have to take their shots at some point. 

Anyway, we're all-in this year, so he better pull some 2022 magic again. Free agency was better than expected. Hopefully, the draft is too. 

I think the player picked after Becton is in prison.  

Wilson is way worse to me because they could have gotten an insane haul for that pick that could have ser them up as contenders starting a Josh McCown level QB

[RedBeardedSavage]

58 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

I think the player picked after Becton is in prison.  

Wilson is way worse to me because they could have gotten an insane haul for that pick that could have ser them up as contenders starting a Josh McCown level QB

*2 picks after

[OtherwiseHappyinLife]

JD's first draft was God awful, even the Punter.  [F].  (would be an F- if not for Bryce Huff as an unrestricted FA and some signs of life from Ashtyn Davis)

Second draft had Wilson and Moore.  AVT was a solid pick-up but has been hit by an injury bug that JD couldn't have foreseen.  Carter II is one of the best slots in the League.  [D+].  (would be lower if the Jets passed on a great QB but Lance, Jones, and Fields do not fit that bill and Pickett (in the next year) has already been traded)

Third draft is a solid [A].  Sauce, Wilson, JJ, and Breece are an extremely strong core to build around, and JD deserves credit for trading up for the latter 2.  Then consider signing our current starting safety as an un-drafted free agent from Illinois.  Key year for Ruckert, Mitchell, and Clemons ... some flashes here and there mixed with 'keep this up and you won't have a job'

Last year remains promising at the top even though I strongly disliked the McDonald pick.  Both McDonald and Tippmann have a chance to be multi year cornerstones.  Don't love 'easing' a first round Edge into the rotation over his first 2 years.  Warren showed some potential while the rest of the class pretty much took a redshirt year.  [TBD]

 

MIXED bag.  Early strikeouts have been tough to overcome but the superfecta in 2022 has given this organization a chance.  It really has been boom or bust ... or maybe bust then boom.  Last year's draft strategy was flat out odd in a year the Jets should have been looking for instant contributors and more Offense.  Moving forward, would like to see a 'better plan', more aligned with the immediate vs. long term goals.  Would also like to see better selections in rounds 4-7.  Carter II is a STUD and Sherwood/Echols are quality depth pieces but slim pickings after that.        

[slats]

12 hours ago, Fantasy Island said:

Joe D had that one draft.  Still doesn’t whitewash all the other failures

Show me all the guys who had five consecutive drafts anywhere close to that one. I’ll wait. All the best guys have had down years, plural. Draft isn’t necessary a crapshoot, but it’s no exact science either. At least he’s missed trying to doing the right thing (Becton and Zach were both the consensus positions at their draft spots for the Jets), which is a far cry from taking a safety over Patrick Mahomes. The big miss with the Zach pick, imho, was deciding to go QB at all. I’d’ve stuck with Darnold with a whole rookie staff coming in that year, and thus missed on the entire class of QBs - who all, outside of Trevor, basically suck. 

[batman10023]

12 hours ago, RedBeardedSavage said:

The Mekhi pick has been the worst by far. Not only because the guy picked right after him plays the same position at a pro bowl level, but because it's scary to think you could not detect the laziness/no-heart attitude that must've presented itself during the process.

Wilson was a disaster that made us gamble on the whole Aaron Rodgers era. But seemingly nobody knows how to scout quarterbacks. And every quarterback in that draft sucks and the quarterback on the roster at the time, Sam Darnold, sucked too.

Sure, it hurts A LOT, that Peneii Sewell, JaMarr Chase and Micah Parsons were all on the board for that pick. It's fairly devastating actually.

Unfortunately, the league is almost entirely about quarterback, though. If you don't have one, you have nothing. So these guys have to take their shots at some point. 

Anyway, we're all-in this year, so he better pull some 2022 magic again. Free agency was better than expected. Hopefully, the draft is too. 

Mekhi got motivated for 1 year in college.  they should have been able to sniff out his level of desire/hunger.

the switch down by 2 picks was a big bad move by JD.  i still don't understand why he gave up so much.  he's pretty good with trades so not sure what is the story

[Larz]

[batman10023]

1 hour ago, OtherwiseHappyinLife said:

JD's first draft was God awful, even the Punter.  [F].  (would be an F- if not for Bryce Huff as an unrestricted FA and some signs of life from Ashtyn Davis)

Second draft had Wilson and Moore.  AVT was a solid pick-up but has been hit by an injury bug that JD couldn't have foreseen.  Carter II is one of the best slots in the League.  [D+].  (would be lower if the Jets passed on a great QB but Lance, Jones, and Fields do not fit that bill and Pickett (in the next year) has already been traded)

Third draft is a solid [A].  Sauce, Wilson, JJ, and Breece are an extremely strong core to build around, and JD deserves credit for trading up for the latter 2.  Then consider signing our current starting safety as an un-drafted free agent from Illinois.  Key year for Ruckert, Mitchell, and Clemons ... some flashes here and there mixed with 'keep this up and you won't have a job'

Last year remains promising at the top even though I strongly disliked the McDonald pick.  Both McDonald and Tippmann have a chance to be multi year cornerstones.  Don't love 'easing' a first round Edge into the rotation over his first 2 years.  Warren showed some potential while the rest of the class pretty much took a redshirt year.  [TBD]

 

MIXED bag.  Early strikeouts have been tough to overcome but the superfecta in 2022 has given this organization a chance.  It really has been boom or bust ... or maybe bust then boom.  Last year's draft strategy was flat out odd in a year the Jets should have been looking for instant contributors and more Offense.  Moving forward, would like to see a 'better plan', more aligned with the immediate vs. long term goals.  Would also like to see better selections in rounds 4-7.  Carter II is a STUD and Sherwood/Echols are quality depth pieces but slim pickings after that.        

so getting a best slot in the league still leads to a D+.?

 

[Jet_Engine1]

11 minutes ago, slats said:

Show me all the guys who had five consecutive drafts anywhere close to that one. I’ll wait. All the best guys have had down years, plural. Draft isn’t necessary a crapshoot, but it’s no exact science either. At least he’s missed trying to doing the right thing (Becton and Zach were both the consensus positions at their draft spots for the Jets), which is a far cry from taking a safety over Patrick Mahomes. The big miss with the Zach pick, imho, was deciding to go QB at all. I’d’ve stuck with Darnold with a whole rookie staff coming in that year, and thus missed on the entire class of QBs - who all, outside of Trevor, basically suck. 

And to paraphrase Dennis Green,  Trevor Lawrence is NOT who we thought he was.... 

[Matt39]

12 hours ago, RedBeardedSavage said:

The Mekhi pick has been the worst by far. Not only because the guy picked right after him plays the same position at a pro bowl level, but because it's scary to think you could not detect the laziness/no-heart attitude that must've presented itself during the process.

Wilson was a disaster that made us gamble on the whole Aaron Rodgers era. But seemingly nobody knows how to scout quarterbacks. And every quarterback in that draft sucks and the quarterback on the roster at the time, Sam Darnold, sucked too.

Sure, it hurts A LOT, that Peneii Sewell, JaMarr Chase and Micah Parsons were all on the board for that pick. It's fairly devastating actually.

Unfortunately, the league is almost entirely about quarterback, though. If you don't have one, you have nothing. So these guys have to take their shots at some point. 

Anyway, we're all-in this year, so he better pull some 2022 magic again. Free agency was better than expected. Hopefully, the draft is too. 

I think you could make the argument the things they missed on Becton they also missed on Wilson. Desire, coachability, commitment etc should be non negotiable. 

[dbatesman]

Yawn. He's ****ed up the QB position as badly as any of his predecessors.

[OtherwiseHappyinLife]

25 minutes ago, batman10023 said:

so getting a best slot in the league still leads to a D+.?

 

Carter II, AVT, and some depth with Sherwood and Echols plus some context around other QBs in the draft and the following year lead to a D+.  

I mean it's just my opinion.  

It's fair if you give it an F because of the QB miss and because Moore was eventually traded.  I moved it up slightly because of the above.  I was also less harsh because AVT did not have injury concerns coming out .. my grading considers things like that.

Tough to give it a C because that's in the average range and AVT's injury history and missing on the #2 pick in the draft make it below average.  

[AFJF]

13 hours ago, Claymation said:

 

5. New York Jets (22)

Pro Bowlers: 3

Best Pick: Sauce Gardner (2022, first round)

Worst Pick: Zach Wilson (2021, first round)

The Jets had one of the best draft classes of the last five years in 2022, landing Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall. That class elevates this ranking to the top 5 after years of the Jets being in the 20s. Quinnen Williams, the top pick in 2019, is also a top-tier player that helps cover up mistakes like Zach Wilson and Mekhi Becton in the first round.

 

https://nypost.com/2024/04/21/sports/five-year-nfl-draft-analysis-ravens-on-top-jets-jump-giants-tumble/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nypost_sitebuttons

The draft history looks a lot better when done with an ounce of sanity and logic.

[PFSIKH]

Mac Jones is not the worst pick.  He is not in the Top 5 or 10.   Worst handled...without a doubt.

The Patriots worst pick was N'Keal Harry.

[OtherwiseHappyinLife]

30 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

Yawn. He's ****ed up the QB position as badly as any of his predecessors.

To play contrarian for a moment, what phenomenal options has he had?  Context here is important.

Staying w/ Sam Darnold

Trey Lance

Justin Fields

Mac Jones

Waiting a year for Kenny Pickett

Signing Derek Carr

Rewinding and trading for Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson

 

What would you have done?  

 

[slats]

34 minutes ago, batman10023 said:

Mekhi got motivated for 1 year in college.  they should have been able to sniff out his level of desire/hunger.

the switch down by 2 picks was a big bad move by JD.  i still don't understand why he gave up so much.  he's pretty good with trades so not sure what is the story

I give the guy a lot of slack for making mistakes in his first draft as a GM during a worldwide pandemic. There were no in-person meetings that year, which potentially would’ve dropped Becton down the board. His other mistake was trading down and taking a player I liked in Mims, lol. 

[Claymation]

4 minutes ago, AFJF said:

The draft history looks a lot better when done with an ounce of sanity and logic.

If the Jets hit a HR with a weapon ie. Odunze or Bowers, you can make an argument that this era is as good as the early part of this century. That includes the misses of Wilson, Mekhi and Mims.

[y2k8]

12 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

I think the player picked after Becton is in prison.  

Wilson is way worse to me because they could have gotten an insane haul for that pick that could have ser them up as contenders starting a Josh McCown level QB

This.

The opportunity cost of drafting Zach Wilson (over trading down and running it back w Sam or another FA QB) will never be fully appreciated.

It is one of the worst draft blunders of all time. 

[Long Island Leprechaun]

9 minutes ago, OtherwiseHappyinLife said:

To play contrarian for a moment, what phenomenal options has he had?  Context here is important.

Staying w/ Sam Darnold

Trey Lance

Justin Fields

Mac Jones

Waiting a year for Kenny Pickett

Signing Derek Carr

Rewinding and trading for Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson

 

What would you have done?  

 

Derek Carr would have been the logical middle of the road option and cost nothing but salary. The rest are turds.

[OtherwiseHappyinLife]

53 minutes ago, slats said:

Show me all the guys who had five consecutive drafts anywhere close to that one. I’ll wait. All the best guys have had down years, plural. Draft isn’t necessary a crapshoot, but it’s no exact science either. At least he’s missed trying to doing the right thing (Becton and Zach were both the consensus positions at their draft spots for the Jets), which is a far cry from taking a safety over Patrick Mahomes. The big miss with the Zach pick, imho, was deciding to go QB at all. I’d’ve stuck with Darnold with a whole rookie staff coming in that year, and thus missed on the entire class of QBs - who all, outside of Trevor, basically suck. 

Good post.

One consideration for the Zach pick is who was coming out the next year.  Ultimately Pickett was at the top of the list.

So outside of Trevor, 2 years in a row with first round duds at QB.

[OtherwiseHappyinLife]

5 minutes ago, y2k8 said:

This.

The opportunity cost of drafting Zach Wilson (over trading down and running it back w Sam or another FA QB) will never be fully appreciated.

It is one of the worst draft blunders of all time. 

In retrospect it certainly looks like it but it's tough not to swing for a franchise QB when you have an opportunity.

Most of this board has previously agreed that you need a franchise QB to consistently win and win big in this league.

What's not fully appreciated is that JD made a horrible decision selecting from a menu of horrible QB options during this period of time, a time he was looking to draft and build around a guy.

I personally am much angrier at JD's decision to keep Zach as the primary back-up last year after publicly announcing the guy needed to sit for a full year.  Completely irrational decision making that cost the Jets a legit chance at a Wild Card, something a lot of fans would have enjoyed after years of sitting out the playoffs.  That decision to me was almost unforgivable and easily could have led to his ouster.

 

[AFJF]

18 minutes ago, Claymation said:

If the Jets hit a HR with a weapon ie. Odunze or Bowers, you can make an argument that this era is as good as the early part of this century. That includes the misses of Wilson, Mekhi and Mims.

Yup.

Madden, fantasy football and judging draft classes after 1 year has ruined a lot of people's ability to look at draft results rationally.

[chirorob]

2 hours ago, OtherwiseHappyinLife said:

JD's first draft was God awful, even the Punter.  [F].  (would be an F- if not for Bryce Huff as an unrestricted FA and some signs of life from Ashtyn Davis)

n rounds 4-7.  Carter II is a STUD and Sherwood/Echols are quality depth pieces but slim pickings after that.        

What's funny is the punter went to the Eagles and played really well.

49.8 yards per punt with a 43.8 net and 15 inside the 20 with one touch back.

[OtherwiseHappyinLife]

Just now, chirorob said:

What's funny is the punter went to the Eagles and played really well.

49.8 yards per punt with a 43.8 net and 15 inside the 20 with one touch back.

Wow!!  Amazing, isn't it?

 

 

 

[Smashmouth]

56 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

Yawn. He's ****ed up the QB position as badly as any of his predecessors.

Any GM in that draft with the second overall pick would have taken Wilson but even if they didnt the other options sucked any way and all did well in college. The one mistake i think JD made at QB was last year not signing a competent QB once Rodgers got hurt. Not sure it would have made a huge difference but if they Signed Wentz we probably make the playoffs last year. Looking at it now I'm happy with the 10th pick in the draft .