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Dan checks in with a bunch of nuggets from his time in Indianapolis at the combine. Enjoy . . .
There is a very talented safety prospect in this year’s draft, who is scary some teams off due to his character.
His name is Will Hill and he’s from the University of Florida.
He is 21, and coming out after his junior year.
At the combine, he was talking about his three kids.
He said two of the kids are one-year-old.
A writer asked him, “Are they twins?”
Hill said, “No, they have different mothers.”
He also had some twitter issues, and said he has deleted his account.
“Will Hill is a mess,” said one scout. “There is way too much dirt in his background. He could fall all the way out of the draft.” . . .
Boise State receiver Titus Young is a big-time playmaker who figures to go in the second or third round.
He was suspended as a sophomore, but seemed to learn his lesson, and the last two years was a model player, on and off the field.
He says the key to his success is this motto – “The little things make the big things happen.” . . .
This kid J.J. Watt, out of Wisconsin, is probably the best 3-4 end prospect in this draft. He looks like Robocop. He’s 6-5, 295 pounds, with very little fat, a chiseled body, and a motor that just want stop. If he slips for some reason, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Jets trade up for him.
But I also wouldn’t be shocked if he winds up in a New England uniform . . .
While he’s probably the best athlete in the draft, it’s possible North Carolina pass rusher Robert Quinn slips a little because of the brain tumor he had in high school.
He blacked out three times, and finally went to a doctor, and they found a benign tumor, and told him he was done with sports.
Even if he slips, it’s likely not going to be close to where the Jets pick. He’s too much of a stud, a gifted natural pass rusher . . .
There is a rare top prospect from Brooklyn in this draft, Temple safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. He’s probably going to slip in the draft due to his average speed, but he was a terrific football player for the Owls. He’s tough and instinctive, and will likely play in the league for a long time . . .
If the Jets don’t pick a pass rushing OLB in the first round, a guy who would make sense for them in the third round (remember, they have no second, thanks to the Antonio Cromartie trade with San Diego) is Fresno State’s Chris Carter. He played really well in the East-West Shrine Game. He’s a high motor edge rusher with long arms and good first step quickness.
The Jets should do what the Steelers often do – pick a few of these kind of guys throughout the draft. The Steelers are always picking 3-4 pass rushing OLB’s. It’s like the theory of – “you throw enough things against the wall, something is going to stick.”
So it wouldn’t hurt the Jets to add a Carter and a guy like Texas’ Sam Acho in the middle rounds. The Ghoston era is over, and now it’s time for them to go out and find a potential game-wrecker on the outside.
By the way, Acho, who is Nigerian, was the most impressive kid I interviewed at the combine. Off the charts character and smarts. He’s going to slip because his hips are a little tight, and he doesn’t have 4.5 speed, but he can play.