USA Today: NY Jets Team Report

[flgreen]

New York Jets Team Report

Posted 1d 12h ago

Team Stat Leaders

Passing Att Cmp Yds TD Int

Sanchez 507 278 3291 17 13

Rushing Att Yds Avg TD Long

Tomlinson 219 914 4.2 6 31

Greene 185 766 4.1 2 23

Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD Long

Edwards 53 904 17.1 7 74

Holmes 52 746 14.3 6 52

Full team stats

For the second consecutive year, the Jets drafted a defensive player from a non-BCS conference. Was that what they wanted to do all along?

It's hard to tell.

Muhammad Wilkerson, a defensive tackle from Temple, was taken by the Jets with the 30th overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night as the usually trade-happy Jets stayed put in the first round for the second straight year. Wilkerson, who is 6-41/2 and 305 pounds, came out for the NFL draft after his junior season with the Owls.

The Jets took Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson with the 29th overall pick last season. Both Wilkerson (Linden) and Wilson (Piscataway) are natives of central New Jersey.

Cleveland traded up six spots to No. 21 to get Baylor nose tackle Phil Taylor, perhaps beating the Jets to the punch. The Jets are believed to have coveted Taylor as their future answer at nose tackle, despite concerns about a chronic foot condition.

Once Taylor was out of the picture, the Jets passed on such players as UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers, Arizona defensive end Brooks Reed and Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who slipped out of the first round entirely because of injury concerns about his knee.

Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum sidestepped questions about other players they could have taken with the pick, instead choosing to laud Wilkerson's ability, work ethic and long wingspan. His arms have a reach of 85 1/4 inches.

Wilkerson certainly sounds like a Jet.

In a conference call with reporters, he said, "I think I can come in and help the defense be more destructive than it is."

Maybe he can.

Wilkerson had 9.5 sacks last season and seven in 2009, and projects as a defensive end in the Jets' base 3-4. He also can play inside when the Jets go to four-man fronts. Wilkerson also is a good run-stuffer, something that smashmouth-oriented coach Rex Ryan considers a must for his defensive linemen. The Jets' rushing defense slipped a bit last season, and Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall had 121 yards on the ground in the Steelers' AFC championship-game victory over the Jets.

"I think Muhammad really fits what we want to do defensively," Ryan said. "He was an excellent player in college, but we think he's got more to give. We're going to push him and push him and coach him up to play the way that we play, play like a Jet."

Wilkerson said he is versatile enough to play any line position, and downplayed concerns that he played in the Mid-American Conference as opposed to a BCS league, saying the competition "was just as good as any other league."

The Jets were tied for eighth in the NFL with 40 sacks last season, but that number was far from efficient considering the amount of times the Jets used blitzes. In the last two years, six of the Jets' seven draft picks have been offensive players, so it was believed all along that the Jets would go for defense with their first-round selection.

Minnesota made what was considered a major reach at No. 12, selecting Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder. That may have impacted the Jets because many draft experts believed he was one of the quarterbacks that still would be there when the Jets were on the clock. That meant some teams might have been tempted to trade with the Jets to select Ponder, allowing the Jets to get an extra pick out of the deal and move out of the first round.

Tannenbaum said there were some "very cursory" phone calls about possible trades, but "nothing really heated up."

—The Jets stayed true to the organizational philosophy of drafting the best player available, even in the later rounds, but only were able to fill one of their two most pressing needs because of it.

Yes, they did get younger on the defensive line with Temple's Muhammad Wilkerson and Hampton's Kenrick Ellis, but they still are lacking a young 3-4 edge pass rusher who can cause sleepless nights for opponents. They passed on Fresno State's Chris Carter in the fifth round, for instance. They also didn't add to their depth on the offensive line, and it's unclear who their starting right tackle will be on opening day. Too many needs went unfilled.

BEST PICK

Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson: Fits the Jets' defensive schemes very well, and has a chance to start right away. He also can provide a pass-rush push both in the 3-4 and as a tackle in the 4-3, something the Jets desperately needed.

COULD SURPRISE

Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley: Was a premier special teamer in college, and with the tutelage of special teams guru Mike Westhoff, he should get even better. Also could be a better than average slot receiver.

A closer look at the Jets' picks:

Round 1/30 — Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, 6-4 1/2, 305, Temple

Wilkerson, who came out after his junior season, had 16.5 sacks the last two seasons. However, none came against teams from BCS conferences. He projects as a 3-4 end in the Jets' base defense, but also can play tackle when Jets line up in a 4-3.

Round 3/94 — Kenrick Ellis, NT, 6-5, 338, Hampton

Major character concerns made Ellis fall to almost the end of the third round, and he still has an assault charge (and trial) pending. But the Jets felt they couldn't ignore his combination of size and quickness that makes him a prototypical 3-4 nose. Still, he could have tough adjustment to speed of pro game.

Round 4/126 — Bilal Powell, RB, 5-10, 204, Louisville

He rushed for 1,405 yards in 2010, the second-best single-season total in school history. He can run inside the tackles and has speed to outrun defenders once he gets to the second level. Jets envision him a potential three-down back, but he must improve both pass-catching and blitz pickup.

Round 5/153 — Jeremy Kerley, WR/KR, 5-9, 188, Texas Christian

Was the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year each of the last two seasons for his work on kickoff and punt returns, and could be the replacement for versatile free agent Brad Smith if he isn't re-signed. Kerley even threw a touchdown pass last season.

Round 7/208 — Greg McElroy, QB, 6-2, 215, Alabama

He doesn't have a big arm, but has many other good attributes for a quarterback, such as accuracy (completed 70.9 percent of his passes last season), intelligence (a Rhodes Scholar candidate) and pocket poise and presence. Should compete immediately for No. 3 job.

Round 7/227 — Scotty McKnight, WR, 5-11, 185, Colorado

He began his career at Colorado as an invited walk-on and finished it as the school's all-time leader in receptions (215) and touchdown catches (22). It certainly doesn't hurt that he is close friends with quarterback Mark Sanchez, and thus should be able to pick up the offense quickly. Likely candidate for practice squad.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Mark Sanchez, senior personnel advisor?

The Jets drafted Colorado WR Scotty McKnight with their final pick, the 227th overall selection. McKnight is close friends with QB Sanchez. The two have known each other since they were 8 years old and Sanchez' and McKnight's families watched the draft together today. Sanchez also is close friends with WR Patrick Turner and played with USC RB Joe McKnight (no relation).

Now Scotty McKnight does have some credentials beyond being buddies with one of the two most important players on the team. He finished his career with the Buffaloes as the career leader in receptions (215) and TD catches (22). At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, he projects as a slot receiver. The next Wes Welker? We'll see.

McKnight called being drafted by the Jets a "dream come true" and when asked if he had stories to share about Sanchez, he laughed and said, "appropriate for media?"

More seriously, he said, "I'm so excited about the opportunity" and indicated he wants to play on special teams, anywhere he can contribute. He said he was worried about not being drafted in this labor climate because undrafted free agents can't be signed until the league settles its labor situation. But because he and Sanchez are tight, he will be participating in Sanchez's voluntary passing camp, beginning Monday. McKnight said with a laugh he already had committed to being at the camp anyway.

Sanchez, in fact, helped McKnight out at his pro day at Colorado by serving as his QB and throwing passes to him so McKnight could be evaluated by scouts.

—QB Greg McElroy, one of the Jets' two seventh-round selections, was very engaging and interesting on the conference call with reporters, telling them about how he wore No. 12 at Alabama in honor of his dad's favorite player, Joe Namath. He said he has met Namath on several occasions, including for the first time in Oct. 2006. He called it an "incredible experience."

As for playing with the Jets, he called it a "dream come true" and "an incredible opportunity to learn from one of the greatest young quarterbacks in the game right now," Mark Sanchez.

McElroy said he was never asked to be a game-changer during his tenure at Alabama, but he believes his senior season showed he wasn't merely a "game manager," as many critics dubbed him after the 2009 campaign. He had 9.54 yards per attempt in 2010, as opposed to 7.72 in '09. "I was asked to do more within the offense," he said, "and I made more explosive plays."

—GM Mike Tannenbaum, somewhat handcuffed by lockout rules that don't allow teams to trade veteran players, pulled off only draft-day deal. He moved up eight spots in the fifth round to select TCU WR Jeremy Kerley, saying "we were running out of options" at that point, meaning Kerley was the only player left on the board they wanted to draft in the fifth round.

Kerley, who could replace free agent WR Brad Smith if the latter is not re-signed, was taken with the 153rd pick. The Jets swapped fifth-round picks with Philadelphia and gave the Eagles their sixth-round pick. Philadelphia then shipped the Jets its seventh-round selection, No. 227.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.

FRANCHISE PLAYER

—LB David Harris (re-signed).

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

—LB David Harris: FFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

—PK Nick Novak: FA; terms unknown.

PLAYERS LOST

—DE/LB Vernon Gholston (released).

—TE Ben Hartsock (released).

—NT Kris Jenkins (released).

—LB Jason Taylor (released).

—CB Isaiah Trufant (released).

—OT Damien Woody (released).

[slats]

—The Jets stayed true to the organizational philosophy of drafting the best player available, even in the later rounds, but only were able to fill one of their two most pressing needs because of it.

Yes, they did get younger on the defensive line with Temple's Muhammad Wilkerson and Hampton's Kenrick Ellis, but they still are lacking a young 3-4 edge pass rusher who can cause sleepless nights for opponents. They passed on Fresno State's Chris Carter in the fifth round, for instance. They also didn't add to their depth on the offensive line, and it's unclear who their starting right tackle will be on opening day. Too many needs went unfilled.

[..]

—GM Mike Tannenbaum, somewhat handcuffed by lockout rules that don't allow teams to trade veteran players, pulled off only draft-day deal. He moved up eight spots in the fifth round to select TCU WR Jeremy Kerley, saying "we were running out of options" at that point, meaning Kerley was the only player left on the board they wanted to draft in the fifth round.

Contradict much?

These writers crack me up. As if the Jets could've solved their pass-rushing issues with a late fifth round choice. Or that a third day pick would've answered the question as to who will be starting at right tackle if/when the 2011 season finally opens. Just stop.

If they got the players they did by sticking to the BAP philosophy, I'm pleased with the results. RB is a need. WR is a need. Backup QB is a need. The DL was an obvious need, and they hammered it with two solid picks.

There are still UDFA's to sign (guaranteed to include pass rushers and OL), and there will be a period of free agency and trades for Mike T to try and fill any and every gap on the roster.

[flgreen]

Contradict much?

These writers crack me up. As if the Jets could've solved their pass-rushing issues with a late fifth round choice. Or that a third day pick would've answered the question as to who will be starting at right tackle if/when the 2011 season finally opens. Just stop.

If they got the players they did by sticking to the BAP philosophy, I'm pleased with the results. RB is a need. WR is a need. Backup QB is a need. The DL was an obvious need, and they hammered it with two solid picks.

There are still UDFA's to sign (guaranteed to include pass rushers and OL), and there will be a period of free agency and trades for Mike T to try and fill any and every gap on the roster.

Yep.

For sure there was a starting RT sitting in the fifth round just waiting to be plugged in. Every one knows Carter is going to be an All Pro pass rusher

Jets did great in this draft