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It’s time for another addition of “Behind the Jets,” with notes on Barkevious Mingo and LaRon Landry. Let’s go . . .
ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Jets picking LSU outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo in his latest mock draft.
I could not agree more.
The guy is the perfect pick for the Jets at nine.
True, he didn’t have a ton of sacks (14 in three years) during his three years playing for LSU, but some of that was related to circumstances. He faced a lot of double-teams, and he often asked to do other things, as opposed to just pinning his ears back and attacking the quarterback.
He ran a 4.58 forty at the combine (faster than a number of defensive backs) at 6-4, 241.
His upside is enormous.
“He is freakishly athletic,” said Nolan Nawrocki. “He has an explosive take-off and sudden closing burst. He has a big-time upside and disruptive ability. He is an angular, long-levered edge rusher with an intoxicating combination of traits you can’t teach. He is a rare talent with the potential to be a devastating open-side rusher.”
And he’s also athletic enough to drop into coverage.
There is no question he needs to get bigger and stronger, but this guy seems too good to be true for the Jets.
So if he’s there at nine, he could make a great value for them there . . .
The Eagles might be interested in LaRon Landry.
Last year, they were very interested in him, and thought they had him, but then he took the Jets offer.
Landry is a good player, but a very risky free agent.
While he made it through last year with his problematic Achilles tendon, he was listed on the injury report with it every week, and need to be handled with kid gloves. He got a lot of treatment and practiced on a limited basis.
The Jets trainers, led by John Mellody, did a heck of job managing Landry.
But with his hell-bent playing style, how much longer is he going to last?
He hits like a ton of bricks, and he will turn 29 during next season.
And while he did have a couple of picks, including a Pick Six, he’s not a great coverage safety. He’s a good one, not a great one.
I’ve told you guys what a respected scout told me last season, that he’s a “see-and-go” cover guy. He often sees a pass in the air, and he goes over the crushes the guy. In other words, he’s not great anticipating where the ball is going.
He wants $6 million a year.
If he can get that somewhere else, the Jets have to bail out of contention for him.
They probably don’t have that kind of money available for him, and he might not be worth that price tag.
True, he made the Pro Bowl, but the voting for that game is a little suspect.
Watching him last year, I saw a good season, not a Pro Bowl season.
If the Jets can get him for $3-4 million a year on a two-year deal, that is fine.
But $6 million per, no way.
And because of his asking price, that is probably why the Jets are kicking the tires on Charles Woodson.
October 7, 2013
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