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How far is Anquan Bowers going to slip due to his knee problem? Will Nate Solder be there for the Jets? We look into these questions and more . . .
There are rumors that Clemson DE Anquan Bowers, perhaps the most talented player in the draft, is going to need microfracture on his bad knee.
If this is true, Bowers could slip significantly in the draft, and maybe into the Jets range.
“He’d of been the first or second pick overall if he didn’t have the knee concern,” said Mel Kiper. ‘He was a great player this year. What he did this year different from last year – and I said this back in August – is that last year he didn’t finish. He would be close, but he wouldn’t get the sack. He got hurries, he got tackles for loss, but he didn’t get sacks. This year, to be the first or second pick, he needed to finish…I have him going 12 to Minnesota right now because of the knee concern. He had a great year. He did everything he could do on the field and more to be the first and second pick, but unfortunately he has the knee concerns.” . . .
If Colorado OT Nate Solder is available at 30, he might be too good for the Jets to pass up.
“The Issue with him will be consistency,” said Kiper. “You have to keep developing his strength quotient. Is he a talented kid with a lot of upside? Yes, he is…He’ll be there in the 20’s and he’ll be a guy that you roll the dice with hoping that you can have your line coach develop him, your strength coach develop him. He lacks a lot of experience because he was a former tight end…He’s not a finished product. He’s not an Anthony Costanzo who’s going to come in ready to play at a solid level…with Solder you have to mold him into an outstanding left tackle.”
With Wayne Hunter a free agent, and the release of Damien Woody, the Jets have no depth at backup tackle. Solder could be a good value for them as a backup swing tackle, an essential position in the NFL.
If Solder slips to the Jets, they might be able to trade the pick, and move back. A lot of teams need left tackles . . .
All this down time for NFL players isn’t good. Santonio Holmes, who has had controversies on twitter before, like “wake and bake,” has been getting into spats on twitter with fans . . .
Intelligence is important at wide receiver, and this could hurt Georgia’s A.J. Green.
“The only real concern is how [Green] fared on the Wonderlic test,” said Nolan Nawrocki. “He scored a 10, which was the lowest score of any receiver at the Combine. I think when it comes down to it, you’ve got to look at offensive coordinators designing packages that are suitable for a receiver to adjust to as rookies. I think a lot of offensive coordinators tend to make the game too complex. If you’ve got four reads to make in a route, I think they’ve need to trim it down to two if he’s not getting it right away, and just allow him to thrive.” . . .
You get the sense that finding a platoon partner for Sione Pouha (pictured above) is a priority in this draft.
