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I’ve said this all along and I’m sticking to my guns. To me, the guy that makes sense for the Jets at 20 is clear, but it comes with a caveat.
It’s the guy who is on the cover of the latest issue of Jets Confidential Magazine.
If Noah Spence is available at 20, that is who I’m picking.
But like I said, this comes with a caveat. Jets security chief Bobby Mastroddi needs to check off on this. As you all know, Spence was suspended at Ohio State after failing a couple of tests for the drug Ecstacy.
So if Mastroddi thinks Spence now has his act together, the Jets need to think long and hard about picking him.
He transferred to Eastern Kentucky and passed five drug tests and got his degree. So perhaps the light bulb has come on.
I was at all the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile. He was unblockable. Man, do the Jets need an edge rusher like this. I’m not saying he’s in Von Miller’s class. Nobody in this draft is, but as far as edge rushers from the 3-4 OLB spot, Spence is at the top of this class. Joey Bosa is a best suited to play 4-3 end.
Spence has as terrific first step and has a low center of gravity to get under tall tackles. He has a great motor.
Can you imagine how good the Jets defense could be if their talented defensive line group were complimented by a difference-maker at outside linebacker? The sky’s the limit.
I can’t tell you right now if Mastroddi has cleared him, this is the guy the Jets need from a football standpoint.
They can’t mess around anymore at the outside linebacker position. It’s been too long since they’ve had a sack daddy at outside linebacker.
If Spence isn’t cleared, I’d take a long, hard look at Alabama ILB Reggie Ragland.
He’s the best middle linebacker in the draft, and the Jets are getting a little long in the tooth on the inside with David Harris (32) and Erin Henderson (30). They need a stud in the pipeline. Ragland hits like a sledge-hammer and is very instinctive. He’s clean from a character standpoint, and was trained and developed well by Nick Saban. He should be a long-time starter at inside linebacker on the NFL level. And he has the versatility to move out to the edge on third down and get after the passer. In fact, he came to Alabama as an outside linebacker before moving inside.
You continue to hear the Paxton Lynch talk.
Like I said, if he’s there at 20, picking him is fine, but it’s not to be the starter in 2016. He’s not ready. So you are picking him for the future.
But I will say this – while Lynch isn’t being picked to replace Ryan Fitzpatrick now, if the Jets do pick him, it does hurt Fitz’s bargaining position a little.
Fitz wants a multi-year contract, perhaps three years.
If Lynch is picked, while he won’t be ready to start this year coming from a funky college offense at Memphis, he might be ready in a year, so the Jets might be apt to pull back on the length of their offer to Fitz.
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April 26, 2016
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