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New Jersey – The New York Jets need to pick a quarterback in this draft. There is no question about it, and this guy would be perfect in the fourth round.
When I was coming back from the NFL Combine, I was at the Indy Airport waiting for my flight to Newark.
The flight before me to Newark, at the same gate, was delayed, so I saw the people boarding it as I was sitting there (I tried to get on, but it was sold out).
LSU QB Zach Mettenberger boarded that earlier flight to Newark
I’m like, “Why is Mettenberger, who is from Georgia, flying to New Jersey?”
It turns out he was rehabbing this surgical knee just a few miles from Jets camp. He torn the ACL in his left knee in the Tigers final regular season game, and missed their bowl appearance.
So Mettenberger was an easy pre-draft visit for the Jets. He was rehabbing about 15 miles away from Florham Park.
The Jets absolutely need to pick a quarterback in his draft.
Geno Smith showed some flashes late in the year, but he’s still a major question mark, and by no means a slam dunk as the long-term answer.
Michael Vick is clearly the leading candidate to start for the Jets this year, but has major durability questions.
Perhaps it was just some bad luck in recent years. Or maybe he’s starting to break down physically, on the cusp of his 34th birthday. We shall see.
Matt Simms is an awesome guy, but I just don’t see it. He isn’t great a reading defenses, and throws a ball with very little arc. He’s young, perhaps he can improve.
The Jets have 12 picks, and need to throw somebody else into the mix.
They have three fourth round picks, and that is the round that Mettenberger makes the most sense.
He’s might be a little better than a fourth round pick, but he’s likely to slip because he’s still rehabbing the knee.
From a size/arm strength standpoint, this guy is right out of Central Casting to play in the NFL.
He’s 6-5, 230 and has an absolute howitzer of an arm. He can make all the throws. He’s got an ideal arm to deal with the tricky winds of the Meadowlands. I view him as a similar prospect to Nick Foles.
Former Green Bay Packers GM Ron Wolf had a great philosophy that a lot of other personnel guys now subscribe to – pick a QB every year. If you develop the QB well, and you don’t need him to start, you can trade the player, in this quarterback-driven league.
And Mettenberger, is his knee checks out, and he interviews okay, he would be a nice guy for the Jets to take a flyer on this year, and essentially redshirt – get his knee in great shape, get him stronger overall (looking at him up close at the airport, he definitely needs to get stronger). Take it slow with him. He needs work on reading defenses.
The Jets don’t need to pick a QB to start this year. They need to win, and it’s hard to do that with most rookie quarterbacks, and it’s going to be the Geno-Vick Show this year.
But Mettenberger would a terrific prospect to take a flyer on in the fourth round, looking ahead to 2015.
April 30, 2013
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