Happy Draft Day! Jets News for 4.26.08

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

Jets need to make something of No. 6 pick at NFL Draft

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, April 26th 2008, 1:52 AM

The Jets are likely to go after Darren McFadden with their sixth overall pick in the draft if he's available, but ...

Matt Ryan is always a possibility.

It will be the Jets' most dramatic moment since enemies Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick approached each other for the postgame handshake last Dec.16 in Foxborough. Sad, but true.

Barring a trade, the Jets will be on the clock shortly before 4 p.m. in Saturday's NFL draft - and they'd better not blow it.

For Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum, the Boy Wonders who will look more like one-year wonders if the team stinks again in 2008, it could be a seminal decision. Especially if Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is on the board, which could happen.

"We want to succeed for the entire organization and for Mr. (Woody) Johnson and our fans, and I think you feel that pressure every day, just driving to the office," Tannenbaum said last week.

Since 2001, the Jets, Raiders and Bucs are the only teams that haven't drafted a player selected to the Pro Bowl, not counting specialists. (Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was an alternate in 2005.) The Jets drafted two promising players last year, cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris, but only one of 17 picks from 2003 and 2004 remains on the roster - wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery.

The Jets, who hold the No. 6 pick, need star power. The drama will spike if Ryan, the best quarterback in the draft, is available. The Rams (No. 2) hold the key. Sources say they're still choosing between LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and Virginia defensive end Chris Long. If St. Louis takes Long, the Falcons are expected to ignore their need for a quarterback and pounce on Dorsey, starting the Ryan express.

The Raiders (No. 4) picked JaMarcus Russell at No. 1 last year, while the Chiefs (No. 5) are expected to pass on Ryan, who could tumble to the Jets - barring a trade. What then?

Even though Tannenbaum said "there's no reason to think (Ryan) won't be a successful NFL quarterback," he could auction the pick to a Ryan-obsessed team (perhaps the Ravens at No. 8). That would be a controversial move, considering the Jets' unsettled quarterback situation.

Imagine the fallout if Kellen Clemens bombs and Ryan develops into a star elsewhere. Chad Pennington's immediate future could hinge on a Ryan decision. Some league insiders believe the Jets would dump Pennington because of his $9 million cap cost.

If Ryan is out of the equation, think speed. Think need.

After doling out $140 million in free-agent contracts on wide bodies, Tannenbaum is looking for skill-position talent, fast playmakers. Based on his two-year track record, he will draft for need (left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson in '06 and Revis in '07) and he's not shy about trading up (see Revis).

Of the top prospects, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Troy cornerback Leodis McKelvin would address the most glaring needs. Long, perhaps the safest pick, would have too much value to pass up.

The Jets also like Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, although it's difficult to say if they deem him worthy of the sixth pick.

From all indications, the Jets want McFadden, but he could land with the Raiders. Asked what he's hearing from the Raiders, McFadden told the Daily News, "They're kind of like the Jets: If you're there at 4, we might not really need him, but we'll take him."

The top five could turn out many different ways, with only the No. 1 pick (offensive tackle Jake Long to Miami) set in stone. If the Jets don't get McFadden or Long, they could try to trade down, hoping to recoup the third-rounder they sent to the Panthers in the Kris Jenkins trade. Wouldn't it be hysterical - and shocking - if the Jets swap places with the Patriots (No. 7), who could be after Gholston?

This could turn into the Mulligan Draft. If the Jets pick a quarterback, a running back or an outside linebacker, it would be admitting they made mistakes with Clemens, Thomas Jones and Bryan Thomas, respectively.

The Jets also own selections in the second, fourth (two), sixth and seventh rounds.

On the Radar:

Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas: A legitimate home-run threat for a Punch-and-Judy offense. Does he get past the Raiders at No. 4?

Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State: Tremendous body and ability, but inconsistent. Some say he

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

COULD RUN-DMC WALK THIS WAY?

By LENN ROBBINS

April 26, 2008 -- Jake Long is off the board. The St. Louis Rams are on the clock.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

The Jets, barring a deal, pick sixth. Will they make a daring move and jump up to take Arkansas running back Darren McFadden or will they sit tight and hope Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston or Virginia defensive end/outside linebacker Chris Long is still available?

The Super Bowl champion Giants should have a choice of solid prospects when they pick 31st. Do they take a defensive back and hope to replace the void created by safety Gibril Wilson's signing with the Raiders, or does Big Blue shop Jeremy Shockey and take a tight end?

Tick tock. Tick tock.

This is the maddening magic of the NFL Draft. It is a day some franchises will fondly look back upon, as Indianapolis does of 1998, when it took Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf.

It is also a day in which some franchises will be left to mourn the reality they just can't get it right: Another running back, Chicago? Another wide receiver, Detroit?

This draft could be one to study in 10 years for several reasons. There is good talent and very good depth at many positions, but there is no one player who has galvanized this draft.

Almost every team agrees McFadden has breathtaking athletic ability, but some still question if he doesn't have too much wild child in him. He certainly hasn't garnered the pre-draft hype Reggie Bush did in 2006.

There is no quarterback who is likely to be seen squirming in the Green Room, a la Matt Leinhart and Brady Quinn, as he is passed over by team after team.

The Miami Dolphins took out some of the suspense when Bill Parcells drafted and signed Michigan OT Jake Long with the No. 1 pick. Which brings us back to the Rams.

Word out of St. Louis is that the Rams are divided on DTs Glenn Dorsey and Chris Long. If the Rams take Dorsey, who some believe can be as good as a young Warren Sapp, the draft gets a lot more interesting for Gang Green.

Atlanta has the third pick and if any team needed not just a quarterback but a franchise facelift, it is the Falcons. They can address both issues in one pick - Boston College QB Matt Ryan, the antithesis of Michael Vick.

Al Davis has the fourth pick. Assuming he doesn't take a kicker, Davis has his choice of McFadden or Long.

In McFadden he gets the electrifying star he craves. In Long he gets the son of the former Raider great, Howie Long.

Whichever way he goes, the Jets fans at Radio City Music Hall will be in a frenzy. Either McFadden or Long will be left when the Chiefs, and former Jets coach Herm Edwards, pick fifth.

The Chiefs surely will answer the phone, and what if a call comes from New England, which has the seventh pick. Consider this scenario:

The Pats leapfrog their division rivals. They take McFadden, or Long, or Vernon Gholston. The Jets look for suspicious cameras.

Oh, this is good stuff. Of course, all of it is speculation, but that's what makes the draft so riveting. Tick tock. Tick tock. The clock is ticking.

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

JETS HOPE GM HAS '6TH' SENSE

By MARK CANNIZZARO

April 26, 2008 -- Mike Tannenbaum, despite facing one of the most important days of his career as an NFL general manager, went to bed last night with a clear and relaxed mind.

The Jet GM, who has the final say in what the team will do with its No. 6 overall pick when today's NFL Draft unfolds, spoke to The Post late yesterday as he wrapped up final preparations and expressed excitement for what lies ahead.

When it was mentioned that anxious Jet fans, still stinging from the team's disappointing 4-12 2007 season, are stoked for this draft, Tannenbaum said, "We're stoked, too."

With four teams picking before the JetsNew York Jets today (the Dolphins have already signed No. 1 pick Jake Long), Tannenbaum doesn't know for certain how the events will unfold and who'll be available when pick No. 6 arrives. But he's confident about landing a big-time player.

"I know how hard we've worked and we're prepared," he said. "Now we have to execute the game plan and enjoy it. I know we'll get some players who will help us and that's exciting."

There are at least four big-time players believed to be on the Jets' radar for when their turn arrives at No. 6 overall and it, of course, all depends on the maneuvers of the four teams picking above them - St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City.

Unless they trade up, there are several players the Jets would love to see fall to No. 6, including Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, Virginia DE/LB Chris Long, Ohio State DE/LB Vernon Gholston and Boston College QB Matt Ryan.

Each of these players represents someone who could boost a weak or questionable area on the Jets' roster.

McFadden, considered perhaps the most electrifying, game-changing player on the board, would immediately energize what was a plodding Jets' offense from a year ago.

Thomas JonesThomas Jones , after all, had only two rushes of 20 or more yards all last season and, incredibly, scored one rushing TD in 310 attempts.

Either Gholston or Long, both defensive ends in college who project to outside linebackers in the Jets' 3-4 defensive scheme, should immediately help an anemic pass rush that produced 29 sacks last season, including 13 from the defensive line.

Gholston amassed 211/2 sacks in the last two seasons, 14 in 2007.

Long, who had 14 sacks last season for Virginia, is considered a more complete player than Gholston, known for his non-stop motor. He looks, more than most players at the top of the board, like the closest thing to that elusive "can't-miss" talent.

Ryan represents one of the most intriguing wild-cards on the board for the Jets in that they are hardly set at quarterback, yet have so many other pressing needs.

If Ryan is there at No. 6, the Jets have a significant decision to make. Do they jump on him thinking he's the next great young NFL quarterback? With the quarterback-starved Ravens two slots behind the Jets at No. 8, do they use Ryan as trade fodder, swap picks and acquire an extra pick or two in the draft? If they do that, look for the Jets to address their need at CB.

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

NYJ: BE DARREN-DEVILS

By STEVE SERBY

April 26, 2008 -- WHEN you are trying to topple the Patriots, you cannot afford to be wrong. And when you are chasing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, you better not be afraid to take some chances. You better be ready to dare to be great.

The Patriots tilted the balance of power in the AFC when they rolled the dice on Randy Moss a year ago. It was a low-risk gamble because it cost the Patriots only a fourth-round pick. The Jets are picking sixth at today's NFL Draft. They were 4-12 a year ago. They spent $137 million over the offseason trying to close the gap on the Patriots. It remains a wide gap, mostly because Belichick has Tom Brady and Eric Mangini does not, and Belichick has Moss and Mangini does not.

It means the stakes are higher than they have ever been, for Mangini and for GM Mike Tannenbaum. Because there is only one player in the room at Radio City Music Hall who can change the face of the franchise, and of the AFC East.

His name is Darren McFadden. Run DMC.

Only one player who can immediately cause Belichick sleepless nights.

Only one player who can take all that heat off Chad Pennington and/or Kellen Clemens.

Only one player who can make the kind of impact Adrian Peterson did last year for the Vikings.

His name is Darren McFadden. Run DMC.

It doesn't mean the Jets' draft is an automatic failure or the season would offer no hope if they don't get him. It means catching the Patriots in 2008 would, in all likelihood, be more pipe dream than reality.

The $64 million question is how much of a $20 million gamble would drafting McFadden be?

Is he a good kid who found trouble at Arkansas, or a bad apple trouble is certain to find in the Big Apple?

There are, of course, never any guarantees.

I remember talking to people from former Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips' sordid past who vouched for his character before the 1996 Keyshawn Johnson draft, and that leopard never could change his spots. McFadden, from almost all indications, is an entirely different cat.

The Jets didn't trade up from 4 to 2 for Reggie Bush two years ago, and used both first-round picks to build their offensive line infrastructure. Most believe it would be a major upset if they decided to trade up to 2 or 3 for McFadden.

I would, as long as my security people gave me the green light. Hell, Mike Ditka traded his entire 1999 Saints draft for Ricky Williams. I'd throw in Weeb Ewbank Hall, soon to be abandoned, if need be. And the Jets have the benefit of using Curtis Martin as a resource - the kind of spiritual mentor/big brother who could be invaluable for McFadden.

If the Jets stay put, they run the risk that Al Davis will make McFadden a Raider with the fourth pick. The howling from long-suffering Jets draftniks will then be heard as far away as Little Rock.

And here is the risk: If McFadden runs away from his past, and he is gone before the Jets pick, Gang Green will rue this day almost as much as the 1991 day the Falcons drafted Brett Favre and left them Browning Nagle.

A Thomas Jones-McFadden tandem, behind a bolstered offensive line anchored by Alan Faneca, would be hell on defenses. Jones could kill the body, and McFadden could make sure the head dies.

It's not my money. I say the risk is worth the reward.

The Jets still need their own Brady. If Matt Ryan were Brady, Bill Parcells would have drafted him. Ryan won't help the Jets win now. They need another receiver, another corner, another pass rusher. Most of all, they need a gamebreaker, a game-changer, a difference-maker, a playmaker. His name is Darren McFadden. Run DMC.

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

(note: yesterday's article, but not posted here & a good read ;-) )

CHRIS LONG HAS FAN ON JETS

By BRETT CYRGALIS

April 25, 2008 --

University of Virginia defensive lineman Chris Long knows he has at least one friend on the Jets. He hopes after tomorrow's NFL Draft that he'll have more.

After playing two years at Virginia with current Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Long would be excited to hear his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the sixth overall pick to the Jets and reunite with his once practice counterpart.

"I've got a good friend over there in D'Brickashaw and it would be nice to play with him again," Long said yesterday at the NFL Play 60 Youth Football Festival in Central Park. "D'Brickashaw is a great player and he only made me better."

Long and Ferguson took until their senior seasons to break away from the pack.

Ferguson was a first-team All-America tackle as a senior in 2005, and was the school's first All-ACC tackle since 1998.

Long was given the Ted Hendricks Award as a senior last year as the nation's top defensive end, when he recorded 14 sacks in 13 games.

"I'm always going to be impressed with Virginia guys," Ferguson said. "We played together and I had a chance to play against him for two years, and he's a phenomenal player."

But the AFC East is not the ACC. Ferguson knows this, with two years experience facing elite pass rushers Jason Taylor of the Dolphins and Richard Seymour of the Patriots.

After being the fourth overall selection in 2006, Ferguson helped the Jets go 10-6 as a rookie, only to lose to the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs. Last year the team plummeted, going 4-12. In the final week of the season they beat the Chiefs, 13-10, to drop their draft pick from three to six.

If Long does get drafted with the sixth pick, he should be ready for the expectation he will make an impact on a Jets defense that ranked 29th in the 32-team NFL last year in rushing yards allowed per game (134.8).

"I'm going to have to adjust to the speed of the game and the physicality," said Long, the son of Raiders Hall of Famer Howie Long. "But I've been working real hard and I'm excited to get a chance."

He also should be ready for the cacophony of boos that rain down on almost every Jets high draft pick, with memories of Kyle Brady (9th overall in 1998) and Blair Thomas (2nd, '90) still at the forefront of every fans' mind.

"They're a great fan base," Long said. "Without a question they're very passionate and they love their football. I think it would be fun to play here."

Ferguson knows what it's like to play in New York and what it's like to be booed on draft day. Call it alumni prejudice, but he has faith in his fellow Cavalier.

"He has strength and he goes hard," Ferguson said. "He's definitely going to make some franchise real happy."

Additional reporting by Howard Kussoy

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

NFL teams tight-lipped with media and players

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

April 26, 2008

Fans and media get tired of the yearly dose of secrecy and misdirection executed by nearly every team in advance of the NFL draft, which will begin Saturday afternoon, but this year's top prospects said they've received pretty much the same treatment.

"Probably more so," Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan said with a laugh at Thursday's NFL draft luncheon after he was asked if teams are as tight-lipped with players as they are with everyone else. "You leave these meetings hoping for some feedback like, 'Hey, that was a great workout, Matt' or 'You did a great job with the interview process.' You get nothing."

Ryan, like the other five players at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, has spent the past month talking to and interviewing with teams interested in their services - including the Jets - and even with teams not interested but wanting to send out smoke screens to the rest of the league. Only Jake Long's draft status has been determined; the Michigan offensive tackle reached a deal with the Dolphins, who have the first overall pick, earlier in the week.

"Everybody's in the dark," said Virginia defensive end Chris Long, rumored to go anywhere from second to sixth, where the Jets pick. "These guys ... it's like, is this the NFL or the CIA?"

NFL teams - and really, this is the case year-round, but especially at this time of year - have much in common with the latter.

"They don't tell us anything," Ohio State defensive end/linebacker Vernon Gholston said. "It's just like a job interview. You go in there, you interview, you answer questions and you really don't know if you got the job until you get the call."

When Gholston will get his call has been the subject of much speculation. Many have him going to the Jets, some have him going sooner. During a draft preview conference call Tuesday, ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski predicted Gholston will be this year's Brady Quinn. Although he was considered a lock top-five pick in last year's draft, Quinn slid all the way to Cleveland at No.22, a precipitous fall captured somewhat uncomfortably on television from the Green Room of Radio City Music Hall.

"At the end of the day, though, wherever you're picked, you have to go play football," Chris Long said. "I try not to wonder too much what [teams] are thinking. I'm not a mind-reader. I'm just going to wait and see."

On Saturday afternoon, he, and everyone else, finally will get to see what teams have been hiding.

TaborJet · April 26, 2008

Jets need a difference-maker

Saturday, April 26, 2008

BY J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

For general manager Mike Tannenbaum and the rest of the Jets' front-office staff, today's NFL Draft will be the closest thing to a Sunday afternoon in the fall.

"It is really game day for us," Tannenbaum said recently, "and a year's worth of preparation goes into two days and it's an opportunity to improve the team."

An opportunity the Jets must take advantage of, especially with their first pick, the sixth overall, a reward for last year's frustrating 4-12 campaign. Depending on what the teams in front of them do, there are several ways the Jets can go.

They can continue to shore up their 3-4 defense by grabbing another pass rusher, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, who did well against overall No. 1 pick Jake Long in his last two games against Michigan. He projects as an outside linebacker in the Jets' system.

Or how about Virginia defensive end Chris Long, who has the kind of character, motor and work ethic the Jets crave.

Or perhaps the Jets add badly-needed breakaway speed to their offense by selecting Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. Although he has had some character issues, the Jets indicate he has checked out OK.

There also have been rampant rumors this week that if Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is available at No. 6, the Jets will select him despite having taken Kellen Clemens in the second round two years ago.

Another possible scenario, should Ryan be available, could have the Jets trading down to get an extra pick after dealing away a total of two picks last year to move up and draft cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris.

"There is more depth maybe in this draft than in last year's draft overall," director of player personnel Terry Bradway said.

"Last year we felt like there wasn't and that's why we traded up and gave up some picks because we didn't think that the value would have been there. I think the value is going to be there through three or four rounds this time."

Tannenbaum said that a potential trade "depends on the opportunity that's presented to us. I do feel that trade talks among the top 10 picks will probably heat up [Friday night]. It did last year. ... I think because of the shorter time frame that we have within the first round, the activity will heat up in the latter part of [this] week. Because of the complexity of the trades and the value of the contracts, I just don't think that it will happen when you are on the clock."

The one knock on McFadden has been that he often goes down on the first tackle attempt because his legs are not that powerful.

There's also the question of how players from a spread offense in college will adjust to a pro-style set.

"It is hard," Bradway said when asked about projecting spread players in general.

"The spreads are good offenses. If you're Kansas and you put up 76 [points] against Nebraska in the spread offense, it's a pretty good offense, but it makes our job a little more difficult."

"At the end of the day," Tannenbaum said, "we want to take the best player for us.

"We're going to factor in his upside, his work ethic, his position. All those factors will go into the decision. With that said, we're not taking this pick just in the view of the 2008 season.

"You hope this player will help us for a long period of time."

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com