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New Jersey – Let’s take a closer look at the second half of the Jets’ draft. Definitely some good value for Gang Green coming down the stretch . . .
I want to start backwards and move forward.
Seventh round receiver Charone Peake of Clemson is clearly better than a seventh-round talent. He’s a little over 6-2, weighs 209 pounds and runs 4.42. He also has 34-inch arms, one of the longest measurements for any wide receiver. So with his height and arm length he has quite a catching radius. He went so late due to a couple of knee injuries at Clemson, an ACL in 2013 and a torn meniscus in 2014.
On top of his potential as a deep threat and on 50-50 balls on the NFL level, he’s also a tenacious blocker, one of the better blocking receivers in the draft.
Look I’m not putting him in Canton. He has some durability concerns and his hands are a little small and inconsistent, but he could have easily gone in the middle rounds, so to get in him the seventh constitutes good value.
The Jet also picked an Aussie punter in the seventh-round named Lachlan Edwards from Sam Houston State. He will compete with an undrafted free agent Aussie Tom Hackett from Utah. Who knows if either will be the Jets punter opening day. They could still go out and get a veteran.
The Jets traded into the fifth-round to grab South Carolina right tackle Brandon Shell. They liked him an awful lot and had a rated higher than the fifth round. He was a four-year started in the nation’s best college football conference, the SEC, so he’s battle-tested and faced a lot of good pass rushers. Also, his uncle Art Shell has helped him in his development with plenty of sage advice along the way.
Brandon Shell was a left tackle at South Carolina, but he’s a better fit on the right side on the NFL level. At 6-5, 324, he has the requisite size for NFL right tackle. He needs some work on his technique, so he probably will be a challenger for the starting job in 2017, not 2016.
The Jets needed a jumbo corner to throw into the mix who could matchup well with taller receivers, so fourth round pick Juston Burris makes sense. He’s 6-1, 212 with a powerful build. He bench-pressed 225, 19 times at the combine, a lot for a cornerback. Todd Bowles talked about replacing Cromartie as a long cornerback. But here is the difference. Burris is like a Seattle cornerback. He will beat you up on the line, really get after it pressing receivers. This wasn’t a strength of Cromartie, who wasn’t particularly physical at the line.
All of these guys have their degrees and come from major programs. So does third round pick Jordan Jenkins.
I don’t know if the Jets first two picks have their degrees yet because they came out early.
But all the Jets picks are from major programs, are hard workers, smart and have their acts together.
No knuckleheads.
April 30, 2016
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