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Like we mentioned in this space last week . . .
. . . NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger, in my opinion, gave a big clue on what the Jets might do in the first round. Baldinger is friends with Douglas and I thought this was an amazing hint on what Big Joe was going to do.
“I think when Joe looks at an offensive line, he’s looking to anchor it with a near or Hall-of-Fame-type player,” Baldinger told newyorkjets.com “There might be those level of players in this draft, and if Joe has a chance at getting one, he’s not going to turn that down.”
Douglas views Jets first-round pick Mekhi Becton as that kind of guy. Late New York Giants GM George Young had an expression called, “a planet player.” What he meant by that was there are very few people on the planet like this guy. This is an individual who is 6-7, 364 and runs 5.1 in the forty. He is “a planet player.”
While he needs a little work, you can’t teach his size, speed and feet for a man so big.
“A man that size isn’t supposed to be as nimble as he is,” said Douglas.
And he’s a road-grader – getting a lot of push in the running game.
“The guy moves furniture,” said Jets assistant GM Rex Hogan.
It will be interesting to see if they play him at left or right tackle. Gil Brandt told me he thinks he’s a better fit at right tackle.
As for the failed test at the combine, Douglas did his due diligence, along with the Jets’ security department led by Bobby Mastroddi, and they are comfortable with the player.
One former NFL GM feels the Jets need to put a weight clause in the Becton’s contract. One big concern is that he’s already 364, his mother is a caterer, and he could get even bigger.
And maybe he might be better off in the 340’s. He says his best playing weight is 355. He’s currently at 362.
He’s been working with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather, who feels that the player isn’t nearly as raw as some would lead you to be believe.
We will a lot more on this player in the coming days.
Thank you “Baldy” for the clue.
Douglas likes all the offensive lineman he signed so far, but wanted that one more guy who can be elite to “anchor” the line.
And that’s why Becton is now a Jet . . .
Dolphins GM Chris Grier trade of Laremy Tunsil to Houston last year for two first-round picks and a second, now turns out to be a stroke of genius. Why? Because they had their eye on Tua Tagovailoa for a year, and he’s a lefty QB, so the blindside protector is the right tackle, not the left tackle. Now they get Tagovailoa, and don’t have to worry about trading their first-round left tackle, because now the right tackle is more important . . .
Interesting anecdote about the NFL Network draft coverage. I heard that one of their main production trucks was in Oklahoma, a state that didn’t have a state-wide lock down . . .
April 23, 2020
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