Jets News for Sunday, 4.27.08

[TaborJet]

Darren McFadden and Matt Ryan go early, so Jets take Vernon Gholston

Saturday, April 26th 2008, 11:45 PM

by Gary Myers

The Jets take Vernon Gholston at No. 6 overall ...

... since the much-coveted Darren McFadden goes two picks before.

It took just a few painful minutes for the Jets to first lose Matt Ryan, their potential quarterback of the future, and then Darren McFadden, who would have provided the burst their singles-hitter offense desperately needed.

Ryan came onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall wearing a red Falcons cap. He's a clean-cut kid whose job is simple: Allow the Falcons to forget about Michael Vick, now the starting quarterback in Leavenworth.

And before Jets fans could even start hoping Al Davis would be content with the pathetic 28 offensive TDs his team scored last season, there was McFadden wearing a black Raiders cap as he shook hands with Roger Goodell.

Ryan went third. McFadden went fourth.

The Jets were picking sixth and wound up with Ohio State linebacker Vernon Gholston, who got mixed reviews around the league, even after his workout was off the charts at the combine.

"For me, there is no disappointment," said McFadden, who had fallen in love with the idea of playing for the Jets. "Wherever I was going to go, I was going to be happy to get there."

Ryan wound up in a perfect situation. The Jets had shown a lot of interest in him, sending Eric Mangini, Mike Tannenbaum and Brian Schottenheimer to work him out privately in Boston, but if the Jets took him, he would have walked right into a quarterback controversy with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens.

"I didn't think about it all that much, to be honest with you," Ryan said.

It didn't have to be this way for the Jets. But even when the Jets win, they lose.

Let's go back to Dec. 27 at Giants Stadium: Jets vs. Chiefs. The return of Herm Edwards in the final game of the Jets' dreary season. There were hard feelings in the organization when Edwards forced his way out after the 2005 season. Most of the players liked Edwards, but players always enjoy beating their former coach.

But when the Chiefs tied things up with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter, things were looking up for the Jets. Nobody is suggesting the Jets should have tanked the game, although that's what so many playoff-bound teams do at the end of the season when they rest their players, but there was no doubt the Jets would have been better off losing.

Why? If they lost and finished 3-13, they would have had the third pick yesterday. But when Mike Nugent kicked a 43-yard field goal 5:13 into overtime, they finished 4-12 and dropped back to the sixth pick.

Did that make a difference? It was the difference between McFadden or Ryan and Gholston.

If they were sitting at No. 3, they would have controlled the draft after the Jake Long-Chris Long daily double by the Dolphins and the Rams. There was a rumor yesterday that the Jets were trying to get to the Rams' spot so they could take Chris Long. But in the days before the draft, the word around the league was that the Jets really wanted McFadden. They did an extraordinary amount of research on him and became comfortable with the off-the-field issues that had threatened to drop him out of the top five. They had a perfect mentor in the family: Curtis Martin.

But the Jets never had to make a decision on Ryan or McFadden. It was never expected both were going to be there. But there were realistic expectations that one of them would. If the Jets made any concerted effort to move up, it was likely for McFadden. But the Rams were intent of taking Chris Long at No. 2 and they weren't moving down. Neither were the Falcons.

Mangini is restructuring the defensive roster, showing more loyalty to his system than to the players. He already has gotten rid of John Abraham, Jonathan Vilma and Dewayne Robertson, all No. 1 picks from the previous regime. Even though the Jets gave Bryan Thomas a five-year, $20 million extension towards the end of Mangini's first season, he's another former No. 1 pick that is now endangered.

Eventually, Gholston will take over for him opposite costly free-agent pickup Calvin Pace. If Gholston becomes the rush-backer the Jets envision and Pace has a breakout year, they could be very dangerous together. The idea will be to put Tom Brady on his back like the Giants did in the Super Bowl.

"Hopefully we'll have a chance to win every game," Gholston said. "That's my goal and that should be the team goal."

Gholston is used to playing in big games. And he is mature. His father died in 1999, his mother works for General Motors and he helped take care of his brother, who is two years younger, while his mother was earning money. He had a lot of responsibility at a young age.

It takes years to evaluate the draft. In a few years, Gholston could be an All-Pro, McFadden could be lost in the Black Hole and Ryan could just be another struggling young quarterback. It may have been no coincidence the Patriots bailed out one pick after the Jets took Gholston and traded down. But one playoff team would not have even taken him anywhere in the first round.

Another GM said: "When you watch his tape, he's probably a first-round pick. When he works out, he's in the middle of the first round. When he takes his shirt off, he's a top-10 pick."

The Jets are counting on him looking that way with his helmet and shoulder pads. But if they had just lost to the Chiefs, they could have had McFadden or Ryan.

gmyers@nydailynews.com

[TaborJet]

Jets select Ohio State's Vernon Gholston with No. 6 pick

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, April 26th 2008, 5:05 PM

Fans celebrate with a makeshift Vernon Gholston jersey after Jets choose the Ohio State DE with the sixth pick in the NFL Draft.

Gholston will suit up for Gang Green this season.

Quarterback Matt Ryan was long gone. Running back Darren McFadden was gone, too. The Jets didn't get a clean shot at the Big Two, but they did land two from the Big 10.

Addressing their sorry pass rush, and perhaps swiping a player from the rival Patriots, the Jets picked Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston in yesterday's draft. It was anti-climactic, considering the build-up surrounding McFadden, but the offensively challenged Jets later made an aggressive move for a less celebrated playmaker.

They selected Purdue tight end Dustin Keller with the 30th pick, trading into the bottom of Round 1 for a Dallas Clark clone - a pass catcher who can't block a lick. It was a bit of a reach, and it cost them second- and fourth-round picks to swap places with the Packers, but the Jets wanted someone who can stretch a defense.

It sent a message to disgruntled tight end Chris Baker, who wants a new contract and has requested a trade. A message also was delivered to Kellen Clemens, who received a tacit endorsement. When the trade-up was announced, it fueled speculation that it was for a quarterback, with Chad Henne and Brian Brohm still on the board.

There were no bombshells, although there was a failed attempt to trade for Virginia DE Chris Long, sources said. He was picked second by the Rams. Otherwise, it was a typical meat-and-potatoes draft from GM Mike Tannenbaum and Eric Mangini, both of whom were typically understated in their remarks.

Even though some scouts regard Gholston as an inconsistent, boom-or-bust prospect, Mangini quoted the stat sheet - 22-1/2 sacks in the last 28 games. But he built his reputation off two games last season, with seven sacks against Wisconsin and Michigan.

"I'm always happy with sacks in bunches," Mangini deadpanned.

Asked if Gholston could be overrated because of his amazing combine workout, where he blew away scouts with a 4.67 time in the 40, Mangini replied almost incredulously, "He broke the sack record at Ohio State."

In terms of need, the pick makes sense for the Jets, who ranked 25th in the league with only 29 sacks. Evidently, the team has lost faith in Bryan Thomas, who had a bad year after receiving a five-year, $20 million contract extension.

Gholston and ex-Card Calvin Pace, who signed a six-year, $42 million deal in free agency, should help the Jets generate pressure on their nemesis, the Patriots' Tom Brady. In a recent interview with the Daily News, Gholston said of himself, "In a couple of years, you could be talking about the best pass rusher in the NFL. Maybe next year."

"He can help all phases of our defense," Tannenbaum said.

Not everyone is convinced. A scout from a 2007 playoff team, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Gholston didn't receive a first-round grade on its board.

"He's a talented, athletic kid, but his instincts and efforts aren't what they should be," the scout said.

Gholston, built like a Greek god, didn't start playing football until his sophomore year in high school in Detroit. Those who know him say he's quiet and studious, "not a guy who's crazy and wants to knock out the quarterback," his former coach, Thomas Wilcher, said in a phone interview. Gholston acknowledged that, in pre-draft interviews, the most commonly asked question was about his passion for the game.

The Jets took Gholston over Troy cornerback Leodis McKelvin, who also was rated highly on their board. Tannenbaum refused to comment on whether he tried to trade up for McFadden. Had Ryan been available, the Jets were prepared to trade down. Ryan and McFadden were chosen by the Falcons (No. 3) and the Raiders (No. 4), respectively.

The Patriots (No. 8) reportedly coveted Gholston, which may explain why they traded down two spots after the Jets took him. With the 10th pick, the Patriots took another linebacker, Tennessee's Jerod Mayo.

Keller was a curious choice because the Jets had their pick of any wide receiver in the draft; no wideouts went in the first round. Like Gholston, Keller helped his stock at the combine. He caught 68 passes for 881 yards and seven touchdowns last season, including a seven-reception, 101-yard day against Gholston's Buckeyes.

The Jets, recognizing Keller's blocking deficiency, plan to use him as an H-back.

"In time," Keller said, "I'll become an every-down tight end."

[TaborJet]

Vernon Gholston, family rejoice

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK and RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS

Saturday, April 26th 2008, 10:49 PM

Vernon Gholston and his family take center stage at the draft when the Ohio State product is selected by the Jets.

Vernon Gholston knows the heavy expectations surrounding him as the sixth pick in the draft.

Among other things, he has to help turn around a dismal Jets defense, sack Tom Brady and beat his Michigan and now Miami archrival tackle Jake Long for years to come.

After watching her son take care of his ailing father as a youngster years ago, Cheryl Gholston knows the newest Jet is ready for any and every obstacle that comes his way.

Gholston looked after his father, Vernon, who battled multiple sclerosis and died unexpectedly of pneumonia in 1999. For the previous seven years, Gholston helped lift his father from a bed to chairs or anywhere else while Cheryl worked overtime as an assembly-line worker for General Motors in Detroit.

"(Gholston's father) was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1992 and it never improved," Cheryl said Saturday after her son was taken by the Jets with the sixth pick. "It got worse. Next thing he was on crutches, then to a wheelchair to totally bedridden. (Gholston went) from an 11-year-old to where he matured real fast. He just grew up. He had to help (his father) do everything."

Gholston, 21, has always appeared older and more mature than his age. The 6-4, 264-pound defensive end was a gym rat who loved to work out and lift weights growing up.

But he didn't get into football until he almost literally flattened his high school football coach in the Cass Tech High School hallway. Thomas Wilcher thought the then-6-2, 205-pound freshman who was carrying a Bible and books was an adult.

"My eyes lit up," Wilcher said by telephone. "At first, I thought he was somebody's uncle."

Gholston tried out for the team as a sophomore but was thrown off the squad by the defensive coordinator, who felt he wasn't intense enough. "He thought he wasn't tough or aggressive," Wilcher said, referring to why Gholston was cut. "I could see it in Vernon's face: I thought he wasn't going to come back. I drove him home and talked to him, and he decided to come back to the team."

Cheryl Gholston said her son didn't start fully focusing on football until his dad died.

"That is when Vernon went to football. ... His mind went from that totally into football," she said.

The knock on Gholston is that he would dominate during stretches of games, but then appear to take some plays off. The Jets are hoping that Gholston has inherited his mother's work ethic. She still works for GM and worked her afternoon shift plus overtime to provide for her two sons and take them on annual summer vacations, which included trips to Cancun, Las Vegas and New York when Vernon was younger.

Cheryl Gholston said that before her son can sack Brady, he'll have to learn how to maneuver his way around the streets of New York.

"I love the excitement," she said of New York. "The thing about it (here) is the driving. It is a lot different than it is in Detroit and I am sure where he was in Columbus, too."

[TaborJet]

JETS PICKS

BY RICH CIMINI

Vernon Gholston, Ohio State

Pick: 1st Round (No. 6 overall)

Position: DE/OLB

Ht: 6-3.

Wt: 266

What You Should Know: Freakish athletic ability. Stock soared when he ran the 40 in 4.67 at the scouting combine. Also did an amazing 37 reps on the 220-pound bench press. Set a school record with 14 sacks last season, including three against Michigan (one came against OT Jake Long, the No. 1 overall pick). Becomes the Jets' first legitimate speed rusher since John Abraham. Some scouts say he's over-rated, a product of his postseason workouts. Disappeared in too many games.

What They're Saying: "With a lot of college players, you see things you want to improve ... Talking with Vernon, we got to know him very well. He's a conscientious, hard worker, a young guy who will continue to mature" - Eric Mangini on reports that Gholston's play is uneven.

Dustin Keller, Purdue

Pick: 1st Round (No. 30 overall)

Position: TE

Ht: 6-2.

Wt: 248

What You Should Know: The Jets traded their second-round pick (No. 36), along with a fourth-rounder (No. 113), to move up seven spots. The first tight end selected. He's strictly a pass catcher, a la Dallas Clark of the Colts. Made 68 catches for 881 yards, seven TDs last season. A legitimate vertical threat. Will be used primarily as an H-back in two-TE formations. A poor blocker.

What They're Saying: "Dallas (Clark) has done a lot of great things in the NFL. Dustin is going to have to earn his way, but certainly a lot of people have made that comparison. We see Dustin evolving into a good blocker over time." - GM Mike Tannenbaum on the similarities between Keller and the Colts' Clark.

[TaborJet]

Green loses Darren McFadden to the Black Hole

BY HANK GOLA

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, April 26th 2008, 9:45 PM

Knowing the Raiders, it should not have come as a surprise.

But when commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Oakland had selected Darren McFadden with the fourth pick of Saturday's NFL draft, the boos rained down from Radio City Music Hall's hallowed balconies.

The do-it-all Arkansas running back would not be a Jet. What he can be with the Raiders is anyone's guess.

Arguably the most dynamic player in the draft, albeit with the most baggage, the skinny-legged McFadden heads to the Black Hole hopeful of resurrecting the franchise along with last year's No. 1 pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and possibly fearful of what awaits him in Al Davis' broken-down playland.

After making it very clear this past week he wanted to be a Jet, the man nicknamed "Run DMC" obediently wore his Raiders cap yesterday and said he was not disappointed the Jets didn't trade up for him or that he didn't fall to No. 6.

"It feels great to be a Raider," he said, trying to sound convincing. "Hey, if I would have been in New York, I would have been very happy to be here. But Oakland decided to go ahead and grab me and I'm very happy to be there. For me, there's no disappointment."

First, Michigan tackle Jake Long, the No. 1 pick, completed the formalities and put on his Dolphins jersey, followed by the other Long, Virginia DE Chris, son of Howie, to the Rams at No. 2. The Falcons then put the Michael Vick era symbolically to bed by selecting Boston College QB Matt Ryan.

That put the Raiders on the clock. But not for long.

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin had either been bluffing all week or quickly changed his tune yesterday.

In pre-draft interviews, Kiffin said the Raiders could trade the pick and made note of the team's crowded backfield, having re-signed Justin Fargas to a three-year, $12 million contract, and with Michael Bush back after missing his rookie season with a broken leg to join ex-Colt Dominic Rhodes. The Raiders' pressing need was for defensive linemen, where they passed up LSU's Glenn Dorsey, letting him slip to the rival Chiefs with the next pick, and Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, whom the Jets snatched up at No. 6.

Yesterday, Kiffin said Dorsey would not have fit into the Raiders' scheme and that McFadden was the Raiders' pick all along - and too good to pass up.

"I remember mentioning that running back wasn't a need for us, and it wasn't," Kiffin said. "But it became a situation ... speaking for myself, I knew months ago that this was the guy that we had to have and we had to figure out a way to get him. Hopefully, he was going to fall to us."

With his game-breaking ability, McFadden conjures up visions of Adrian Peterson, who took the league by storm last season.

"I don't compare myself to anybody. I feel I have a different style of running," McFadden said. "A guy like Adrian Peterson, you could compare us physically ... I feel I'm an every-down back."

McFadden's family ties - his brothers were gang members - raised concerns, and he has had a couple of nightclub incidents - which should endear him to Raider faithful. But Kiffin said he had no character issues.

"I can't find even one person who has ever had an issue with him," Kiffin said.

[TaborJet]

Explanation for Dustin Keller pick is half-Baked

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, April 26th 2008, 10:10 PM

Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said the decision to trade up Saturday for Purdue TE Dustin Keller had nothing to do with Chris Baker's unhappiness with his contract.

Right.

"It was really just sticking to the value of the board," said Tannenbaum, who traded his second-round pick (No. 36 overall) and a fourth-rounder (No. 113) to select Keller in the first round (No. 30).

Baker, who caught a career-high 41 passes last season, is so upset that he left the voluntary conditioning program and formally requested a trade. The Jets told his agent they won't trade him.

"Chris is on the team; he'll be here this year," said Tannenbaum, refusing to disclose whether he intends to rework Baker's deal.

Baker is entering the third year of a four-year, $6.6 million contract. He's due to make $683,000 this season, about $1 million less than recently signed Bubba Franks, his backup.

The addition of Keller, known primarily as a receiver, probably will mean fewer opportunities in the passing game for Baker, who has always craved a bigger role.

OFF THE BLOCK: Keller was a productive receiver at Purdue, where he caught 124 passes for a 13.3 average and 11 TDs over the past two seasons. As a blocker, well, he needs a lot of work. "Some people might feel that way, but that's fine with me," Keller said on a conference call. "Those are people I have to prove wrong. It's a motivator more than anything else to me." Keller (6-2, 242 pounds) will be used as an H-Back, probably as a complement to Baker.

BIG TEN MEN: Keller played against the Jets' top pick, DEVernon Gholston of Ohio State. In fact, they went head-to-head on a few plays. "He's a monster of a player," Keller said. "He can be as good as he wants to be."

CHEERS! Gholston was pleased with the crowd reaction at Radio City Music Hall. "It was crazy," he said. "They started chanting my name. I guess they anticipated it." By then, the higher players on the Jets' board - OT Jake Long, DE Chris Long and RB Darren McFadden - were gone.

LIGHT LOAD: The Jets, with no third- and fifth-round picks (traded for Kris Jenkins), have three selections today - in the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds.

[TaborJet]

From Cimini's blog:

April 26, 2008

Wrapping up Day 1 for the Jets

Thoughts and observations on the Jets

[TaborJet]

1ST & GHOL!

By MARK CANNIZZARO

April 27, 2008 -- If you're a Jets fan and you were seeking high drama and a sexy pick from the Jets in the first round of yesterday's NFL Draft first round, you either came to the wrong place or woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

When the Jets made the sixth-overall pick in the draft yesterday, there would be no Darren McFadden or Matt Ryan to rock the world of the expectant Jets fan.

Both of those intriguing, potential franchise-changing talents already were drafted - Ryan to the Falcons at No. 3 and McFadden to the Raiders at No. 4.

That left the Jets with the chalk pick in Ohio State defensive end/outside linebacker Vernon Gholston.

The Jets did shake things up a little bit later in the first round, though, when they trade their second-round pick (No. 36 overall) and one of their two fourth-round picks (the 113th overall) to the Packers for the 30th-overall pick and drafted Purdue tight end Dustin Keller.

That move stunned the Jets fans at Radio City, turning their buzz of anticipation after the announcement was made that they had traded up into gasps.

Keller, who finished his college career with 142 receptions for 1,882 yards and 16 TDs, was the first tight end taken in the draft. Given his size (6-foot-2, 242 pounds) and pass-catching ability, the Jets would love Keller to become the kind of receiving tight end Indianapolis' Dallas Clark has become.

"A lot of people have made that comparison," GM Mike Tannenbaum said. "Dallas has done some great things in the NFL. Dustin [124 catches the last two years at Purdue] is going to have to earn his way."

Interestingly, Keller played against Ohio State and Gholston last season and caught seven passes for 101 yards. He said he "fared pretty well" blocking the big Buckeye a few times.

"Gholston is monster of a player, a humongous guy," Keller said. "He's going to be as good as he wants to be."

Gholston, who played mostly as a down defensive end in college, is a pass-rushing specialist who might actually make a few sacks for the Jets - a novel concept.

Seven NFL teams had fewer sacks than the 29 the Jets managed last season. Five of those teams had losing records. The Jets hope Gholston, who recorded 221/2 sacks in 28 games at Ohio State, will change that.

If there's been one knock on Gholston from the various pre-draft scouting and analysis publications, it's that he takes some games and plays off and that his sacks have come in bunches. For example, 11 of his 14 sacks last season came in four games.

"I'm always happy with sacks in bunches," coach Eric Mangini said. "If that's the way they're going to come, that's fine. Twenty-two and a half sacks in 28 games is a pretty good ratio - however they came."

Gholston said he hasn't been bothered by the analysts who have called him overrated.

"Everybody has their opinion," Gholston said. "The biggest thing for me is [to] go out there and show what I can do. . . . I have a lot of attributes they can use."

Though Gholston appears to be a quality pick and someone who figures to strengthen a Jets' weakness, there were some other compelling scenarios that never came to fruition for the Jets. Though Tannenbaum conceded there were phone calls made and taken before their pick, he declined to be specific. Rest assured, though, that the Jets at least made an inquiry about McFadden.

[TaborJet]

SUPER SATURDAY FOR D-MINDED GANG GREEN

By STEVE SERBY

April 27, 2008 --

DARREN McFadden, the gamebreaker the Jets so desperately need, had gone to the Raiders, and Glenn Dorsey had gone to the Chiefs. With eight minutes on the clock, the first of three rapid-fire "J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS JETS" chants began from the balcony high above Radio City Music Hall. A couple more followed at the five-minute mark. Jets highlights appeared on the monstrous screen overhead accompanied by a piped-in "J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS."

With two minutes left on the clock, Jets Nation inside Radio City began chanting "Ver-non Ghols-ton, Vern-on Ghol-ston, Vern-on Gholst-on." An anxious Gholston, the defensive end/outside linebacker out of Ohio State, appeared on the screen from the green room. The place was Jets Stadium now, as it always is on their personal Super Saturday.

An announcement blared: "The New York Jets have made their selection. The New England Patriots are on the clock."

"BOOOOOO."

Now, one more time: "Vern-on Ghol-ston, Ver-non Ghol-ston, Vern-on Ghol-ston." And then again several minutes later.

When Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Gholston as the Jets' pick, the place sounded the way it did in 1996, when the Jets picked Keyshawn Johnson first overall. It sounded that way because this is Super Saturday, after too many Blooper Saturdays, when visions of Gholston coming hard at Tom Brady from one side and Calvin Pace coming hard at him from the other side dance in the heads of all the Gang Green dreamers.

A little less than three hours later, the Jets' trade up to the bottom of the first round for tight end Dustin Keller of Purdue brought boos, undoubtedly from the Chris Baker fans. But if Keller can be their Dallas Clark, Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens will finally get to throw the seam pass.

Gholston is a muscle-packed, 265-pound pass rusher no one should expect to be comparing with Lawrence Taylor. There were too many games when he did not show up at Ohio State. That means it will be up to Mangini to show he can be a master motivator again.

But this much is obvious: the Jets have adopted the Big Blue Blueprint to try to close the gap on the Patriots: kill the head of the snake (Brady) and bury them that way.

Maybe best of all, Pennington and Clemens will not have to worry about Bill Belichick, who traded out of the seventh slot and settled for LB Jerod Mayo at 10, devising Machiavellian schemes for Gholston to bury them.

He sure sounds like a Mangini-Mike Tannenbaum Jet. When they asked him about the opportunities that are available for New York sports stars, Gholston said: "My main focus is football."

I asked him which rush linebackers he enjoys watching.

"Obviously the one that stands out is Shawne Merriman," Gholston said.

I asked him why sacking the quarterback is so much fun.

"Obviously your quarterback is the leader of the team, and anytime you can affect him it has a tremendous effect on the game," Gholston said.

I asked him if he enjoys intimidating quarterbacks and he chuckled devilishly.

"Yeah, if I can," Gholston said.

Gholston's mother, Cheryl, was wearing a Jets cap in the interview room. Her son accepted the responsibility of caring for her husband, crippled with multiple sclerosis before he died in 1999.

"Vernon has always been my take-charge kinda guy at home because I did work," she said.

They come from Detroit, where she worked at a General Motors plant.

"They get snow and we get snow," she said, "so the weather really shouldn't be a problem for him. The only thing about it is the driving. Just let somebody else drive for you. That'll be his biggest problem, I think."

If it is, Jets Nation will truly remember this as Super Saturday.

[TaborJet]

KELLER PICK STUNS FAITHFUL

By MARK CANNIZZARO

April 27, 2008 -- When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the Jets, who traded the 36th overall pick (a second-rounder) and the second of their two fourth-round picks (113th overall) to the Packers, were selecting Purdue tight end Dustin Keller at No. 30, there was a collective gasp from the crowd at Radio City Music Hall.

"Un[bleeping]believable," was the rant of one text message to The Post from a fan at the draft.

Somewhere, Chris Baker, the Jets' starting tight end who's unhappy with his contract and has left the team's offseason conditioning program in protest, had to have a look of disbelief on his face.

Baker, who has two years remaining on four-year, $6.6 million contract, is scheduled to make $683,000 base salary this season - about $1 million less than Bubba Franks, who was signed as a free agent for $1.65 million to be his backup.

And now, the contract that Keller signs will definitely eclipse Baker's - making Baker the third-highest-paid tight end on the team.

"I assure you they're not going to pay their first-round pick [Keller] like he's a fourth-round pick, and they're paying Chris Baker as if he were a backup and the 53rd man on the roster," Baker's agent, Jonathan Feinsod, told The Post last night.

Last Sunday, Feinsod formally requested that the Jets trade Baker.

"They were unwilling to entertain that," Feinsod said.

Tannenbaum yesterday declined to speak publicly about Baker's contract.

When asked about the trade request, Tannenbaum said firmly, "Chris will be on our team this year."

The selection of Keller, who caught 124 passes the last two years but is not a big blocker at all, was a surprise to many, but the Jets had been targeting Keller all along.

[TaborJet]

DARREN RUNS TO RAIDERS

By MARK HALE

April 27, 2008 -- There weren't going to be any problems for Darren McFadden either way. The Jets would have thrilled him. The Raiders would have thrilled him.

He'll be in Oakland, however, as McFadden didn't last long enough in yesterday's NFL Draft for the Jets to snag him. The prized Arkansas running back will wear the silver and black, taken by the Raiders with the fourth pick.

The Jets showed strong interest in McFadden before the draft, and he had even said earlier in the week that he believed he was getting positive signs from the organization. But the Jets didn't trade up from their sixth spot to land the man who raced for 1,830 yards and 16 touchdowns last season for the Razorbacks.

"If I would have been in New York, I would have been very happy to be here," McFadden said. "But Oakland decided to go ahead and grab me."

When McFadden woke up yesterday, he considered himself "up for grabs," believing his two likely destinations were the Jets or Raiders. But McFadden insisted he wasn't upset not to be taken by the Jets, who will now have to be content with Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and company in their backfield.

"No, it's not disappointing to me," McFadden said. "Wherever I go in the draft I was going to be happy."

The Raiders probably are grinning too, since McFadden twice won the Doak Walker Award as college football's top back. How productive was McFadden? Check with South Carolina. McFadden put up 321 yards on the ground in one game last winter against Steve Spurrier's crew - including an 80-yard TD gallop.

McFadden did admit that he isn't exactly broken up over the fact that the draft is now history. Said McFadden, "Very happy for it to be over with." As is his chance to be on the Jets.

[TaborJet]

MEET THE NEW JETS

By MARK CANNIZZARO

April 27, 2008 -- Vernon Gholston, DE/LB Ohio State, 6-3, 264, 6th overall

He's a pass-rushing specialist who the Jets will use mostly as a stand-up outside LB. Gholston had 221/2 career sacks, ranking fifth in school history. Gholston last season had a sack against Michigan T Jake Long, the No. 1 overall pick in yesterday's draft. It was one of only two sacks Long gave up in his career.

Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue, 6-2, 242, 30th overall

Runs 40 in 4.57. Prolific pass catcher, making 68 catches for 881 yards and 7 TDs last season, improving on the 56 catches he had in 2006. Set Indiana state high school record for most catches in a season with 113 for 1,804 yards and 22 TDs his senior year. Looks like a Dallas Clark (from the Colts) type of player in that he's all about catching passes, not blocking.

[TaborJet]

Jets move up, pick Purdue tight end Dustin Keller

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

April 27, 2008

The Jets may have given their most emphatic response of all to disgruntled tight end Chris Baker, though they denied that had anything to do with the pick.

After taking Ohio State's Vernon Gholston with the sixth overall pick, the Jets traded with Green Bay to get the second-to-last pick of the first round and selected Purdue tight end Dustin Keller. The Jets dealt this year's second-round selection (the 36th pick) and one of their fourth-round picks (the 113th) to the Packers, who had the 30th overall pick.

Jets fans, perhaps anticipating the pick would go toward a quarterback or wide receiver, booed.

Michigan's Chad Henne and Louisville's Briam Brohm - the top-rated remaining quarterbacks - still were available, as were a slew of wide receivers (none had been taken yet).

"A couple nights ago, we had run some scenarios about a group of players that if they were available at the bottom of the first round, we would try to trade back into the bottom of the first," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "Dustin obviously was one of those players."

Tannenbaum said Keller was targeted by the Jets even before Baker, the team's starting tight end, left the team's offseason voluntary workout program several weeks ago seeking a trade or a renegotiated contract.

"Chris is on the team," Tannenbaum said. "He'll be here. Chris has done a lot of good things for us in the past. We expect him to have a good 2008 season." Tannenbaum declined to discuss Baker's situation further.

He was more than pleased, though, to discuss Keller, who came onto Purdue's campus in 2003 as a wide receiver but was converted into a down-the-field tight end in coach Joe Tiller's high-scoring offense. Keller, on a conference call from the press box at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium, said his pre-draft visit with the Jets went well. He wasn't surprised they traded to get him.

"I really liked them. I think they liked me a lot," Keller said. "It was a really good fit."

Tannenbaum extolled Keller's virtues but brought up his blocking skills - or lack thereof - perhaps as a preemptive measure. That has been the one knock on the tight end, who has good hands and poses major matchup issues for defenses because of his speed and athleticism; he displayed a 38-inch vertical jump in the combine. Blocking, though, is another matter.

"That's a motivator to me more than anything else," Keller said. "If somebody says I can't do anything, that means I have to prove them wrong."

JETS: Meet the new guys

VERNON GHOLSTON

DE/LB Ohio State

6-3, 264

After he wowed scouts at the combine (4.56 40-yard dash, squatting 405 pounds 20 times), Gholston's draft stock shot up, with some projecting him as the top pick. Gholston is long and strong, called by some scouts the "prototype pass rusher." He had 22 1/2 sacks in 25 starts at Ohio State - the fifth-highest sack total in school history - including a school-record 14 sacks last season. He was eighth in the nation with 15 1/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and his 14 sacks ranked second in the nation. Criticisms of Gholston have been that he doesn't go 100 percent in every game. Of his 14 sacks last season, 11 came in four games. Started playing football before his sophomore year in high school.

DUSTIN KELLER

TE Purdue

6-2, 248

Came to Purdue as a 185-pound wide receiver and kept many of those attributes as he developed into one of the best tight ends in the nation. Keller caught 68 passes for 881 yards (13.0 average) and seven touchdowns in 2007. Ranked fourth nationally among tight ends, averaging 5.23 receptions, and his 67.77 receiving yards per game ranked fifth. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and semifinalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. Impressed scouts at the combine with a 38-inch vertical jump and by running a 4.53 40-yard dash. Athleticism will be tough for opposing teams to match up with, but don't expect him to block; he doesn't do it well, if at all.

[TaborJet]

With 6th pick in NFL Draft, Jets put us to sleep!

Shaun Powell

April 27, 2008

Yesterday was a day to take a nap, just as the first-round draft pick of the Jets has been accused of doing from time to time.

Whoa. This isn't what you think it is. This isn't a big diss of Vernon Gholston, a pass-rushing specialist who might be the next Mark Gastineau, minus the stupid dance and the mullet, for all we know.

This is about an NFL draft that went by the book, that stayed put better than Mel Kiper's hair, that didn't surprise, that didn't make any Jets fan run out and blow a few mortgage payments on season tickets.

The Jets got themselves a shiny new piece for their 3-4 defense. Well, OK, this may turn out fine. But right now, it's sorta like your wife went shopping and returned home with a bunch of bags from The Gap, not Victoria's Secret.

It's a bit of a letdown, only because the Jets didn't raise the excitement level. They didn't get a quarterback to challenge Chad Pennington. They didn't get Darren McFadden, the most dangerous running back on the board, on and off the field.

They didn't get what a boring four-win team desperately needs: a reason to watch it play.

With the sixth selection overall, they either didn't want to get ripped off in a deal or didn't have the necessary goods to put themselves in position to get McFadden, a game-breaker, or Matt Ryan, considered the best of a slim group of quality quarterbacks.

And you'd better believe the Jets wanted either of those two players, no offense to Gholston. They just wouldn't come out and say it. That's a total no-no on draft day. A team must insist that the guy it drafted was the guy it wanted all along.

"We're really happy to have Vernon," said Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who at least sounded as if he were telling the truth.

Did they try to move up? Well, duh. Of course they did. However, and this may come as a shock, the Jets didn't have much to trade. Nor were they willing to part with their most valuable asset, next year's No. 1, because such a pick might turn out to be better than this year's. So they took the "best player available," which in draft-speak means they got what they could get.

This doesn't mean they made a mistake. The most agonizing thing about the draft, and the reason it's silly to put much stock into it or even waste a sunny afternoon watching it, is nobody knows how these guys will turn out.

Not even the self-appointed draft experts. Not even the teams themselves. Not even the players themselves.

The whole process of the draft is, essentially, an educated coin flip. These are imperfect people being judged by imperfect people. If GMs really could look into a crystal ball and get a glimpse of the future, they wouldn't, all of a sudden, take Brett Favre a lot higher than he went. They'd quit their jobs and run to Vegas.

Hey, the Jets didn't get McFadden, but the last time they chased hard after a good-looking running back, he also had tremendous physical tools and breathtaking scouting reports written about him in bold type. And he turned out to be Blair Thomas.

Also, the last time they traded up to get the player of their dreams, he turned out to be Dewayne Robertson, who was just dumped on Denver. So who knows?

"Staying at six was our preference," Tannenbaum said.

Evidently, Gholston has plenty of courage, because he was born and raised in Detroit yet turned his back on Michigan and attended Ohio State. There, despite being accused of habitually taking a few games off, he became the all-time sack leader for a program that doesn't exactly play Hofstra's schedule.

And just remember, it's hard to win a Super Bowl, or anything significant in the NFL, without being good up front. The Jets recently signed Alan Faneca, the best offensive lineman on the market, and now have drafted the top pass rusher in college football.

They have, it seems, all the basic ingredients. They just need some frosting. They need someone to bring excitement, make plays, bust a game open, reach the end zone, make folks notice them again.

The Jets will be better next season, if only because it's hard to fall from four wins. Whether they'll be worth your time depends on how you like to spend your time.

If you have trouble sleeping, we have the team for you.

[TaborJet]

Jets take Ohio State's Gholston 6th overall

BY ERIK BOLAND

erik.boland@newsday.com

April 27, 2008

The Jets' hierarchy knew all about the knocks on Ohio State's Vernon Gholston.

He took certain plays off - sometimes entire games off - and overall might have been one of those players whose draft stock was due more to impressive combine numbers than on-field ability.

But Jets coach Eric Mangini thought Gholston's on-field numbers spoke plenty loudly.

"He broke the sack record at Ohio State," Mangini said yesterday after the Jets made the defensive end/linebacker the sixth overall pick in the NFL draft. "I think the combine is one element of the equation, but this is a high level of production at one of the best colleges in the country in terms of football."

The Jets, whose few-and-far-between pass rush led to their 4-12 record as much as anything else did, went with Gholston, a selection cheered by fans long used to draft-day burnings (and subsequent booings). The Jets hope the 6-3, 264-pounder, described by many as a hybrid-type player because of his combination of strength, size and speed, will fill an outside linebacker role in their 3-4 defensive scheme. Translation: Finally, someone to consistently hit the quarterback.

"We spent a lot of time with Vernon on and off the field and we think he'll fit in well here," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "He can help in all phases of our defense. He can rush the passer, he does a good job staying the edge in the run game. He plays over the tight end as well, so there's a lot of different things he can do. That's why we're excited to have him."

Tannenbaum and Mangini believe that Gholston, whose super-quick first step led to the only sack that No. 1 overall pick Jake Long gave up last year, can inject life into a pass rush that ranked 25th in the league in 2007 with 29 sacks.

"If that's the case, then that's what I'll do," Gholston said of being drafted for his pass-rushing prowess.

He did plenty of that at Ohio State, all in his final two seasons. Gholston had 22 1/2 sacks in 25 starts covering his 2006 and 2007 seasons, including a single-season school record of 14 last year.

One of those sacks helped catapult Gholston into the national spotlight. During his five-tackle, three-sack performance in a 14-3 victory over Michigan, Gholston beat All-American left tackle Long, whom the Dolphins chose first overall in the draft and signed earlier this week.

"I think it was big," Gholston said. "Obviously, everybody looks at a sack on Jake Long, a No. 1 pick and a top offensive tackle in the country. It just gave me the exposure to be perceived as a good defensive end. And, obviously, I had a good combine and good workouts and put myself in this position."

Among the combine numbers that jumped out was Gholston's 4.65-second 40-yard dash and 35 1/2-inch vertical jump. In his campus workout, Gholston squatted 405 pounds 20 times and benched 455 pounds.

But then this question: Was Gholston's rising draft stock ignoring certain unflattering aspects of his game performance?

In the weeks leading up to the draft, scouts raised the "takes plays off" and "isn't consistent game to game" arguments, noting that 11 of Gholston's 14 sacks last season were bunched into four games.

"I'm always happy with sacks in bunches," Mangini said. "There were a lot of games where he might not have had a sack but he affected the quarterback quite a bit. You saw that throughout the season."

Mangini also chose to look at the totality of Gholston's sack numbers, accrued over just two seasons. "Twenty-two-and-a- half sacks in 28 games [actually 25], that's a good ratio, however they came," Mangini said.

Those numbers, however, came primarily with Gholston playing what Ohio State called its "Leo" position, in which Gholston sometimes dropped into coverage but mostly rushed the passer from either end of the Buckeyes' 4-3 alignment.

"It's something I've done at Ohio State, playing on my feet, so I'm used to it," Gholston said of the likely permanent switch he'll have to make in rushing the passer as an outside linebacker. "Predominantly, I was a 4-3 lineman at Ohio State, but once I learn the defense [the 3-4], I'm pretty sure I won't have any problems with it."

Jets fans started the day with high hopes of landing a sexy pick such as Arkansas running back Darren McFadden or perhaps Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. But Ryan went to the Falcons at No. 3 and the Raiders took McFadden at No. 4.

Fans booed both picks, but after the Chiefs took defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey of LSU with the fifth pick, a "Ver-non Ghol-ston! Ver-non Ghol-ston!" chant reverberated throughout Radio City Music Hall.

"It was crazy," Gholston said of the incantation. "We got to the sixth pick and I was still on the board, they started chanting my name and everything. I guess they anticipated it."

With expectations soon to follow.

[TaborJet]

from Erik Boland's blog:

April 26, 2008

A tight end?

That might be the Jets final answer to Chris Baker's demand for a renegotiated contract.

Mangini and Tannenbaum will be in soon enough to talk about it. For what it's worth, Keller is a tremendous tight end, an overall great athlete (he ran a 4.53 at the combine and had a 38" vertical). I'm just not sure this was a more immediate need than corner, wide receiver, etc. Not a horrendous pick, though right now a perplexing one. The Jets gave up two picks in this year's draft to move up - their second round pick (36th overall) and one of their fourth-round picks (113th overall).

UPDATE: Tannenbaum just spoke to the media and assured everyone this pick had nothing to do with Baker's contract demands. They don't seem out of line given the guy brought in to back Baker up - Bubba Franks - is slated to make significantly more.

"Chris is on the team, we expect him to be here," Tannenbaum said. "We expect him to be here for the 2008 season."

That remains to be seen.

But regardless of how the move is interpreted, Tannenbaum said Keller was among a handful of players the Jets deemed worthy of a trade back into the first round should they still be on the board. Keller has been compared to Dallas Clark and Tannenbaum did not run from that comparison.

"We feel like Dustin's another weapon for us," he said.

So that puts a wrap on Day 1.

"We still have a 4, 6 and 7 left," Tannenbaum said of the Jets remaining draft picks. "We don't expect to trade back into the second round."

Without any trades, the Jets next pick comes in the fourth round Sunday, the 102nd overall selection. Cornerback anyone?

A few words on Gholston from the brass

General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Eric Mangini met with the media a little while ago, with both praising Gholston's work ethic and flexibility.

Tannenbaum: "We spent a lot of time with Vernon on and off the field and we think he

[TaborJet]

Jets deal with Pack to draft tight end

by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger Sunday April 27, 2008, 3:00 AM

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Unable to get a game-breaking running back and with the wide receiver crop being as weak as it has been in recent memory, the Jets turned to tight end to spark their offense, trading to get back in the first round and select Purdue's Dustin Keller with the 30th pick overall.

The Jets, whose second pick of the day was 36th overall, traded up with the Green Bay Packers to get Keller. They sent the Packers the fourth-round pick (113th overall) they got from the Saints in the Jonathan Vilma trade.

"I couldn't be happier right now," Keller said yesterday. "I'm not surprised. I went on a visit to New York. I think it's going to be a really good fit. I had a really good feeling about the Jets."

Keller, 6-2, 242 pounds, caught a career-high 68 passes for 881 yards and seven touchdowns last season. But admittedly, he can't block, which isn't a good thing for a tight end on any level.

"I was used as a receiving tight end, but I know with work and repetition, I can become a blocking tight end," Keller said. "Some people feel that way (that he can't block). I'll prove them wrong. That's the kind of thing that motivates me."

Interestingly, the Jets didn't go for a wide receiver, although none had been taken at that point. It had been speculated that the Jets traded up to keep Keller from the Giants, who may have been eyeing a tight end in the wake of the Jeremy Shockey saga, but Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said that wasn't the case.

"It just turned out that way," he said. "It just happened it worked out with Green Bay. We tried to stay to the value of the board."

In Keller, the Jets have a player who has been compared to the Colts' Dallas Clark. In a game against Ohio State and Vernon Gholston this season, Keller had seven catches for 101 yards in a 23-7 loss.

"Our focus was trying to stop (Keller)," Gholston said. "He can run and catch the ball."

Tannenbaum denied the selection of Keller was a message to Chris Baker, who is sitting out the team's voluntary offseason conditioning program in a contract dispute. A six-year veteran, Baker, who is coming off a career year, is slated to earn only $683,500 in 2008. As the 30th pick overall, Keller will get more than $5 million guaranteed.

"Chris is on our team," said Tannenbaum. "We expect him to be here for all of the mandatory events (i.e. veteran's minicamp in June). We expect him to have a good 2008 season."

Tannenbaum also denied that his sometimes testy relationship with Baker's new agents, Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod, who also represent former Jet Pete Kendall and current Jets cornerback Darrell Revis, will impact the negotiations. Baker has asked to be traded and his request was denied.

"I think those guys do a good job," Tannenbaum said. "It (their relationship) is fine. They're representing their player."

Tannenbaum said the 10 minutes between rounds instead of 15 put the Jets under the gun a bit while making the trade with the Packers. He said the Jets had several players in mind and wanted to make a trade at that stage of the draft. He refused to say if one of the players was a quarterback.

[TaborJet]

Jets give their fans a rush: Gholston

by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger Sunday April 27, 2008, 3:00 AM

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- In Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, the Jets have brains and brawn -- and hopefully a lot of sacks.

A Detroit native, Gholston somehow became a Buckeye, recording 22½ sacks the past two seasons, including a school-record 14 sacks last season. The 6-3, 266-pounder shot up the draft charts when he turned in a lights-out performance at the NFL Combine, running a 4.67 in the 40-yard dash and revealing a chiseled physique. Most, including the Jets, marveled -- even as some wondered if he was a workout warrior.

Gholston, who the Jets hope can jump-start their lackluster pass-rush, was taken with the sixth pick overall in yesterday's NFL Draft and greeted warmly by the notoriously tough Jets' fans.

The Jets tried to trade up to select either running back Darren McFadden (he went fourth to the Raiders) or quarterback Matt Ryan (he was selected third by the Falcons) but couldn't swing a deal, according to someone with knowledge of the Jets' draft-day efforts. That person requested anonymity because he's not authorized to speak publicly on behalf of the team.

"I won't get into any specifics except to say this time of year you're sitting there in the top 10, you get calls and you look at different things," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "But we're really happy with Vernon ... We think his best football is ahead of him."

Unable to get the home-run hitter they wanted on offense in McFadden, the Jets' next-best choice was Gholston. Though it was speculated they might try to trade down in the first round, Tannenbaum said that never was an option.

The Jets did, however, pull off a trade toward the end of the first round. They moved up six spots and took Purdue tight end Dustin Keller with the 30th overall pick. Keller got an up-close-and-personal view of Gholston when the pair played against each other last season.

"He's a monster of a player," Keller said. "He can be as good as he wants to be."

Last season, the Jets ranked 25th in the NFL in sacks with just 29. The hope is Gholston will join newly acquired linebacker Calvin Pace and put some pop in the pass rush.

Although the Jets didn't say as much, they knew the Patriots were also eyeing Gholston and they didn't want him to come back and haunt them twice a year. Gholston said the Patriots hadn't spoken to him much since his visit there, but that doesn't mean they weren't interested.

At Ohio State, Gholston played what is called the "Leo" position in which he rushed the passer and dropped in coverage, much like he would do in a 3-4 defense.

"I think I was one of the best pass rushers in college. Now, I'll be going against the best players in the world," Gholston said. "The biggest thing for me is to get with a team and find out what they want from me and do my best to get better. People say I started late and I can get better. We'll see what's up."

Critics say Gholston was maddeningly inconsistent, taking plays and games off. Last season, seven of his 14 sacks came against Wisconsin and Michigan.

"There were a lot of games where he may not have had a sack but he affected the quarterback quite a bit," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "We saw that throughout the course of the season. Having 22½ sacks in 28 games is a good ratio however they came ... You're asking a lot of things from the player in that role."

[TaborJet]

Jets Trade Up...for TE?

Posted by Bob Bullock April 26, 2008 8:51PM

The Jets got the blood flowing by trading back into the first round today, only to leave me scratching my head.

The team traded from pick #36 to pick #30, giving up one of their two fourth round picks in the process. There were some excellent choices still on the board at that time too. WR Devin Thomas, QB Brian Brohm, and CB Brandon Flowers were all still there for the Jets to grab. So what do the Jets do? Right, they pick a tight end, a position that haunts the franchise from drafts past. Johnny Mitchell, Kyle Brady, I'm sure you all remember the names as well as I do. Well now we can add the name Dustin Keller to the list.

Keller is the fastest tight end in the draft and is very athletic. He is a player who can stretch a defense according to the scouting reports. All good things, I guess, but with so many other skill players on the board, I have to question it. Especially to trade up and lose one of the very few picks you have makes this selection particularly tough to understand.

I guess I should be glad the team added an offensive "weapon", something that was definitely needed. It also was a clear message to Chris Baker that he better get his ass back to work and honor his contract, or he'll be the next ex-Jet we can write about. Perhaps they can deal Baker for another pick, since they only have 3 left.

[TaborJet]

Jets expect Gholston to wreak havoc

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Last updated: Sunday April 27, 2008, EDT 8:40 AM

BY J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.