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Some random thoughts on Day 3 . . .
Let’s start with the Jets’ three fourth-round picks.
Florida RB Lamical Perine is a perfect example of Adam Gase’s world view at the running back position
What does that mean?
It means you can pick running backs in the middle rounds, not pay the position a fortune, and you can get the kind of production you need.
In other words, you don’t need to go out in free agency and give Le’Veon Bell a king’s ransom. Ian Rapoport announced last spring that Gase thought the team’s former GM, Mike Maccagnan, overpaid Bell.
Perine is an example of how Gase views the position – Get him a solid running back, who can move the chains and catch the ball, and he’s good.
The Jets second fourth-round pick was FIU QB James Morgan. He is one of those quarterbacks, like Sam Darnold, who looks like he’s right out of central casting to play NFL QB, at 6-4, 230 with a rocket arm. I’m not saying he’s as good as Darnold, just saying he looks the part.
Morgan needs some work on his mechanics, but he has a great raw tools. He probably needs a couple of years before he’ll be ready to start in the NFL, but he’s the kind of guy, who if you fix his fundamentals, he could be great trade-bait in a couple of years. I have mentioned on many occasions that long-time NFL executive Ron Wolf said you should pick a QB every year in the draft because it’s a good investment.
But it’s a long-shot that Morgan will be ready to be the #2 this year, especially with no off-season field work at OTA’s and minicamps. So David Fales (or another veteran) will likely be the #2.
As for the Jets third fourth-round pick, it was Charlotte guard Cam Clark. Charlotte is the school former known as UNC-Charlotte. They play on the lowest level of Division I football in Conference USA. Kind of similar story to Mekhi Becton in terms of the school had a coaching change after the 2018 season, and like Becton, Clark took his game to the next level with a new coaching staff.
The head coach, Will Healy, is a rising start in coaching circles, and won’t be at Charlotte long. His offensive line coach, Lee Grimes, played in the NFL, did a really nice job with Clark in their one year together. The 49ers had their best season ever in Healy’s first year, and made a bowl game.
Clark will likely make the Jets in 2019, but be one of those guys who is on the 53, but is inactive for most games, barring injury.
But in a couple of years, the Jets could have a starter here.
A big need for the Jets entering this draft, that was neglected in the first four rounds, was a starting cornerback. It’s possible that Jets found a potential starter in UVA’s Bryce Hall, who slipped to the fifth-round due a broken ankle as a senior. So this is obviously a risky pick because it was hard to check players medically in the month leading up to the draft, since there were no player visits allowed. Also, he didn’t run a 40, so his speed is unclear.
But before the injury, he looked like a guy who could possibly start on the next level. Not a bad guy to roll the dice on in the fifth round, especially since they didn’t address this big need earlier.
We will get into the sixth-round punter, and the trade of their other sixth-round pick for Indianapolis CB Quincy Wilson, on Monday.
April 25, 2020
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