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They still need to draft one high . . .
Last week, the Jets signed 30-year-old defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson.
It’s a nice depth signing, but they still need a massive, athletic defensive tackle who excels against the run. Jefferson is under 300 pounds.
It helps them to have an extra body for their defensive tackle rotation, but he’s not a guy who is going to be an immovable object up the middle to line up next to Quinnen Williams and take up double teams.
That Jets run defense up the middle the last couple of seasons, was wildly inconsistent, and really struggled during their six-game losing streak to end last season.
The Jets are Jefferson’s seventh stop in the NFL, including three different stints in Seattle.
He feels the Jets system fits his skillset.
“It is a great opportunity to showcase my skill set and to get back into a defense that has an attacking front,” Jefferson told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. “I think the sky is the limit with that group.”
It’s kind of ironic he said that, because the Jets play the long-time system Pete Carroll used in Seattle.
However, Carroll moved away from it last year, hiring Sean Desai, a Vic Fangio disciple, to change the scheme, which Carroll felt needed to be tweaked.
So when Jefferson says he is looking forward “to get back into a defense that has an attacking front” he is talking about the one he used to play Seattle, not the one they played last year.
The attacking thing is fine, but one of the problems for the Jets the last couple of years is guys shooting too far upfield playing in an attacking mode, opening up holes for runners, and scrambling quarterbacks.
Another issue was guys getting engulfed by single-blockers opening big holes. Nathan Shepherd had a lot of issues with his, along with having balance issues leading to him being taken to the ground and he actually had the best size of anyone they had.
They loved his motor, and he was nicknamed the “king of strain,” but there is more to the position than having a great motor.
Look, he made some good plays along the way, but there were also too many big runs right at him and penalties. He signed with the Saints this off-season. It was time to move on. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.
The Jets recently hosted veteran nose tackle Al Woods. He is the kind of guy they need – a 6-3, 330 pounds tree trunk who is good against the run.
In the draft, Adding a guy like Michigan’s Mazi Smith or Baylor’s Siaki Ika would make sense, and maybe Georgia’s Jalen Carter slips to them due to legal issues. It’s a long shot, but you never know.
Some keep saying that size doesn’t matter and that it’s about good technique.
Yes, the technique is important, but you need a guy like the 6-3, 337-pound Smith or Ika (6-4, 350).
Two other guys to consider in the second or third round are Wisconsin’s Keanu Benton (6-4, 315) and Texas’ Keondre Coburn (6-2, 344).
How many times are you going to get gashed up the middle with undersized DTs getting engulfed by offensive linemen before you say – “enough.”
April 11, 2023
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