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It’s imperative they get a guy like this . . .
Talking about a game-wrecking edge-rusher. It’s been a long time since they’ve had one.
On January 19, they signed defensive end Bradley Anae, a 2020 fifth-round pick of the Dallas, who was waived in November, and re-signed to Cowboy’s practice squad.
It just didn’t work out in Dallas.
It often doesn’t with edge-rushers picked in the draft. Because it’s a lot easier to dominate college offensive tackles, most who will be working at other jobs other than offensive line, after college. Anae had 13 sacks as a senior at Utah.
Clearly he wasn’t able to flash that same ability during his two years with Dallas.
Not being negative about Anae, just talking about edge-rushing prospects in general.
Maybe he will be a pleasant surprise with the Jets
But teams don’t let dynamic edge-rushers out of the building, They are so hard to find. Not saying Dallas is right about every move they make. They let Mike White go.
But Anae runs just 4.93, and doesn’t have ideal flexibility to bend the corner.
We will see how this turns out, but the bottom line is the Jets need to grab an edge-rusher with top-shelf speed, quickness, bend and explosiveness with one of their high picks.
Carl Lawson might come back, but let’s not forget, the injuries have piled up on this 2021 Jets free agent signing, with a serious hip injury at Auburn, a serious knee injury in Cincinnati and then a torn Achilles with the Jets last year. Hip, knee, achilles, that is a lot of lower body stuff that can impact your wheels. We will see how he bounces back. But keep in mind Lawson had 5.5 sacks his last NFL season, in 2020, with the Bengals, and 20 overall in his four years in Cincinnati. He’s a got a great motor, and is very powerful, but is a little stiff athletically, so this can impact his change of direction to a degree. Don’t get the wrong idea. He’s a very good player, but not really a double-digit sack guy.
The Jets need somebody like the Bosa Brothers or T.J. Watt, guys who consistently get to the QB and who can wreck the game.
You usually can’t get these guys off the street (Anae) or in a trade (Shaq Lawson).
Late last summer, after Carl Lawson hurt his achilles, the Jets traded a sixth-round pick to Houston for Shaq Lawson, making the Jets his fourth team in five years. They released him late in the season. Teams don’t give away pass rushers who can help them. Houston moved on for a reason after watching him in camp and the preseason. Lawson plays hard, but there is something missing.
So it’s imperative the Jets add a special pass rusher with one of their premium draft picks, somebody other teams need to game plan for.
It’s unlikely that Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson will be there when the Jets are on the clock at four, but maybe Oregon’s Kayvon  Thibodeaux, but some questions about his motor need to be answered. Maybe Purdues’s George Karlaftis at 10.
We will see how the pre-draft process evolves, and who moves up and down the draft boards.
But the Jets have a lot of premium draft capital and it’s essentially they land a stud pass rusher in the draft.
January 21, 2022
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