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Finally, the Kabuki theatre is coming to a close, and reality will set in, a real story will fall in our laps . . .
The coverage, during the month or so leading up the draft, is filled with words like “might” and “could.”
The Jets “might” pick Jamal Adams or they “could” pick Marshon Lattimore.
It gets ridiculous after a while, the nonstop guessing and speculating.
The Jets’ big board of player rankings, at One Jets Drive in Florham Park, is under lock-and-key.
Even the cleaning lady or man isn’t allowed in the room to dust and vacuum.
None of us know how they have ranked the players in the draft.
So any of us speculating on who they are going to pick, in the myriad mock drafts, are just taking wild guesses at what the Jets, and all the other teams are going to do.
Like I wrote the other day, the most illuminating bit of information about the Jets’ draft came from ESPN’s Jenna Laine, who reported that Adams said the Jets asked him, “what are you doing here,” during a visit to Florham Park. In other words, he probably shouldn’t even go to the Jets on a pre-draft visit, since he won’t be there at six.
So it would stand to reason if they said that to Adams, they would be ecstatic if he was available at six.
But they better make darn sure he’s more than a box safety, and can excel covering in space. You don’t pick box safeties that high in the draft. You pick the Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, Troy Polamalu-types who are superb all-around safeties.
But to me, the Jets are in a win-win situation. If they stay at six, they have a chance to get a really good starter, whether it’s Adams, running back Leonard Fournette, cornerback Marshon Lattimore or tight end O.J. Howard, somebody really good is going to fall into their laps. It’s kind of similar to the last time they had the sixth pick, and Leonard Williams fell to them. Somebody really good is going to slip through.
And if Cleveland wants to trade into the six spot perhaps to pick Mitchell Trubisky, the Jets can move back and get a couple of quality picks, perhaps 12 and 33.
So to me, they are in a good spot either way.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the five picks in front of them, and see who drops to them.
While it’s a win-win whether they get a good player or six or trade down, you could make a strong argument it might be best for them to stay put.
They need more difference-makers, elite players on their roster.
While if they trade down to 12, they will still get a good player, but they might not get an elite player.
Let’s say they get Lattimore at six – they are getting a special corner who has the skill set to be a #1 cornerback. If they get Howard, they are getting a huge TE with 4.5 speed, if they get Fournette, they are getting a player who has been compared to Adrian Peterson and Bo Jackson.
You get the idea.
They have a chance to get a potential star at six.
So it might be best to stay put.
But it will certain be good to finally get past the “might” and “could” stage of the game, starting a 8 pm Thursday night.
April 26, 2017
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