Team needs...

Looking at our current line up heading into the 2009 NFL draft our team needs are very obvious. If you prioritize the draft by ‘gaping holes’ then ‘question marks’ and finally additional depth for your ‘solid positions’ you can begin to target players in each round

First off we have our most ‘solid positions’: Corner, Safety, ILB, Guard, Tackle, and Center. That equals a quality secondary and O-line.

The next category would be ‘question marks’. OLB is a big question mark because of Gholston. Calvin Pace has the strong side locked down but #56 may or may not emerge this year as a force. We have one of the best DT’s in the game Kris Jenkins, but in the nickel and dime packages he needs another solid big man to play alongside him and obviously we need depth at this position. If we Keep Sean Ellis we still are in need of an impact DE. Some free agents have been brought in to compete, so I would also classify DE as another question mark position.

That leaves us with the QB’s, RB’s and WR’s. Obviously the QB spot is a huge question mark, but we have three capable young signal callers who can fight it out for the #1 spot during the next 4 months. As a side note, I am shocked Jeff Garcia signed with the Raiders over the Jets. I am sure we could have out bid Oakland’s 1 year deal and he would have been a nice insurance policy for our offense. Oh well, he’s a Raider, no big loss.

Back to the topic at hand, I have one final category for team needs… ‘gaping hole’. Our WR corps. is missing a true #1WR and our backfield needs a young prospect that can make an impact and compliment ‘Neon’ Leon Washington. I think we should take a shot at Knowshon Moreno. After the combine he looked like he had slipped to the bottom of the 1^st round because of a weak 40 time (4.6). However, as teams do private work outs with the Georgia RB he is quickly moving back up the board. I am not in favor of trading up in the first round to chase him.

If he is gone by #17 and Chris Wells from Ohio State is still available I would settle for him. He would compliment Washington well. And frankly I would dump Thomas Jones. If he is going to be a distraction I would tell the 30 year old back to clean out his locker. He is not a bad veteran RB but he is certainly replaceable.

Our WR’s are an interesting group. Jericho Cotchery can excel as a #2 target or a slot receiver. He flourishes in single coverage. Chansey Stuckey is also a good quality #2 or #3 guy. The most intriguing WR currently on the roster is David Clowney who wore #17 last year and has switched to #87 after Coles departure.

Clowney is lightning fast (4.37 40) great hands and instincts, good character (he is the legal guardian of his younger brother) and is brash and confident. He is the complete package, kinda reminds me of a young Steve Smith from Carolina. Those are his pros; here are his only two cons: he needs experience and much more playing time, and he is a bit injury prone. He has the potential to grow into a true #1 WR but he needs to stay healthy something else he has in common with Mr. Smith from the Panthers.

That being said a tall strong playmaker like Kenny Britt from Rutgers would fill out this squad very well. Weeks ago Britt looked like he would have been obtainable with our second pick. He has moved up the board quickly after a great combine and some great individual work outs. We will have to make a move to pick him up at the end of the first round, much like we did last year moving up for Dustin Keller.

Speaking of Keller you might have noticed that I didn’t mention the TE position at all. I am simply not sure what category that fits in for the NYJ’s this year. Letting Baker walk was an odd move. He complimented Keller well. I assumed the Jets would make a move for FA L.J. Smith but they never even sniffed at him. We went TE in the 1^st round last year so I don’t see us taking another that high again this year. I am sure we will draft a TE somewhere but probably not until day two.

We currently have 6 draft picks. We had 9 before giving up some mid rounders to Green Bay and the Eagles. We have a pick in every round except the 5^th. We pick in the middle of each round with the earliest pick being the 12^th of round 3. Assuming nothing changes I would go RB, WR, WR, DE, TE, OLB, as my top 6 priority’s in the draft. And as you may notice I didn’t mention a QB in this draft. We have the young up and coming signal caller thing all covered. 

J.Wagner