This could be considered “Captain Obvious” material, but every player the Jets pick this year, especially with their four picks in the top 44, should have great instincts.
“Instincts” should be a mantra in the Jets’ war room.
Last year, especially on defense, you saw too many players out of position, not trusting their eyes.
The Jets need to load up on players who are smart and assignment-sound. They need to load up on players who have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Last year, especially on defense, they seemed to have too many, what scouts would call, “see and go” reactors, who got to the scene of the crime too late. They need to focus on adding players who have a knack for seeing things before they happen.
Yes, size and speed are important, but if you don’t have great instincts, a 4.4 player could look like a 4.8 player on game day.
They need to add more guys in coverage who can process quickly and jump routes, guys who read keys and react quickly.
Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez are poster children for the kind of defensive players they should be looking for in this draft, players with great instincts and positional awareness.
The Jets can never repeat last year’s defensive season, one their worst ever. Yes, part of it was scheme-related, but it was also personnel-related.
The chant in the Jets’ war room should be “J*E*T*S, Instincts, Instincts, Instincts.”
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