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Let’s continue to get into the draft, get the thoughts on a former NFL scout, and respond to some of what he had to say . . .
“The running back and tight end classes is phenomenal,” said former NFL scout and player Bucky Brooks of the NFL Network. “I believe this running back class [will be] regarded as one of the best classes in some time.”
This is good news for the Jets.
While running back isn’t as big a need as tight end, Leonard Fournette might be too good for the Jets to pass up at six. He’s a 6-1, 235-pound runaway freight train who can run you over and out run you. This LSU phenom can take the corner (meaning out run defenders to the edge). He is a rare talent who has drawn comparisons to Adrian Peterson.
Bilal Powell turns 29 in October and Matt Forte turns 32 in December, so Fournette at six might be too tempting to pass up.
It’s no secret the Jets could use another tight end, so this deep class is good news for them. They could grab Alabama’s O.J. Howard at six or they could wait, and still get a very good player.
I really like Iowa’s George Kittle in the second or third round. He’s 6-4, 245 with 4.52 speed.
There has been a lot of speculation about the Jets picking a quarterback high in his draft since Christian Hackenberg is a major question mark, and Bryce Petty didn’t make much a statement last year.
If the Jets wait until after the first round to pick a quarterback, Josh Dobbs of Tennessee might make sense in the third round. Remember, they have two third round picks.
“Joshua Dobbs, I believe a lot of teams in talking to them, he’s kind of pegged as the sleeper pick,” Brooks said. “He will benefit from the Dak Prescott effect, meaning a guy that you’re trying to figure out how can he transition from the spread to a pro-style system. There are four things that Dobbs exhibits. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s athletic, and he has arm talent. When you watch him in the Senior Bowl, he got better each and every day. You begin to believe that he is going to transition pretty quickly and smoothly into the National Football League. I believe he’s a guy that may sneak into the bottom end of day two, has a potential to eventually be a starter. I think teams are warming up to him because he’s a four-year player, and he has some core traits that you look for at the position.”
The problem with the Jets picking a quarterback in the first round is that MacBowles probably need to win this year, and no quarterback from this class is likely going to help them win in 2017.
“The reality of the situation with Maccagnan and Bowles, they may be on kind of the hot seat in terms of being able to extend their stay in New York,” Brooks said.
So, to me, MacBowles needs to land an immediate impact player at six, a potential star – whether it’s Fournette, Howard, a safety like Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker, a cornerback like Marshon Lattimore or a defensive lineman like Jonathan Allen (if they trade Sheldon Richardson).
The Jets need a 2017 difference-maker at six. They don’t have enough talent on their roster to get cute.
April 14, 2017
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