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Alright...enough bitching about Revis...the draft is soon!!!

Every year I pick out a prospect or two that just give me boners all over the place. These are usually guys who will go in the middle rounds and tend to be less athletic guys who are just good football players. Guys that I think will be really good players for a long time. They probably won't be stars, but the guys that championship teams need.

Past man crushes have included Browns DE Jabaal Sheard, Ravens RB Bernard Pierce, I don't even know what team he's on anymore WR Jordan Shipley, Bucs MLB Mason Foster, Ravens DE Arthur Jones, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, Bears RB Matt Forte, Ravens RB Ray Rice, and Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew.

More or less a pretty successful list...of course I probably have selective memory about the prospects I liked that didn't turn out so hot...but let's not talk about that now. This year I've got a few players that get me all hot and bothered...here they are:

Syracuse S Sharmako Thomas (Rounds 2-3) - I love this little guy, and not just because he has the greatest name ever. He's a baller, and a few inches short of being the most physically impressible safety prospect in years. If he had those inches, he's probably a mid first rounder.


Keenan Allen WR Cal (1-2) - The only thing Allen lacks a WR prospect is elite straight line speed. He is a great route runner with a big, tall frame and excellent hands, and is surprisingly good after the catch given his lack of long speed. Some issues with recovery from a knee injury seem to be pushing his stock down, if he's still on the board at the Jets 2nd round pick and they haven't drafted a WR already I think he'd be a GREAT pick.


Datone Jones DE UCLA (1-2) - Probably not a good fit for the Jets right now, but I love this guy's game anyway. If you watch UCLA games he is always affecting the play, in so many different ways. He may never get huge accolades in the NFL, but he will help his team win lots of games.


Chase Thomas OLB Stanford (3-5) - I see Chase as a Bryan Thomas type player; fundamentally sound, sets the edge well, and provides a little pass rush as well. Played in the 3-4 in college on the exceptionally well coached Stanford teams.


Nickell Robey CB USC (3-4) - He's only 5'-7", but every time I watched a USC game he was so clearly dominant I don't understand why he isn't getting more press. He may never be more than a nickel, but in today's NFL that is still a very important position. BIG FAN of this guy.


The Tight End Depth - This isn't a particular player, but the Jets should definitely look to grab a TE in the middle-late rounds with guys like Levine Toilolo, Gavin Escobar, Joseph Fauria, etc all capable of being contributors at the next level.

I believe schemes have a shelf life, they are only superior as long as everyone else isn't doing it. Two things happen when the majority of the league starts running a particular scheme:

1 - Teams learn how to prepare and game plan for the scheme, and they play against it more often so they learn how to combat it better.

2 - More teams are drafting/signing the players required for that system, making getting those players much more difficult.

Before the 3-4 became so popular, tweeners had no home in the NFL. They were too big and unathletic for OLBs, and too small to hold up as DEs. Along comes the 3-4 and now these are highly sought after elite difference makers. Early 3-4 teams were picking up these difference makers late in the draft or even undrafted.

Problem is, now everyone wants the players. 3-4 teams want tweeners and oversized NTs who can't rush the passer but demand double teams. We've seen these previously poorly regarded NTs be drafted higher and higher every year.

Dontari Poe was drafted 11th overall last year simply because he was big and strong. Despite his lack of solid tape and production, teams just need these players so they start reaching.

But, with the 3-4 become more popular...4-3 players become less sought after. Would the Jets be wise to move to a more base 4-3?

They already seem to have more 4-3 pieces than 3-4 with the current roster cuts. Bart Scott and Calvin Pace were 3-4 players, and they're now gone. The team doesn't even have a starting caliber 3-4 OLB on the roster. Take a look at some of their front 7 players below:

Muhammad Wilkerson - DE/DT
Quinton Coples - DE
Sione Pouha - NT
Kenrick Ellis - NT
Damon Harrison - NT

David Harris - MLB/ILB
Demario Davis - OLB/ILB

Quinton Coples, Demario Davis, and David Harris are arguably better or at least of equal value in a 4-3. Pouha, Ellis, and Harrison are more strictly 3-4 players...and Wilkerson is probably more suited for a 3-4, though I imagine he is good enough to succeed in either scheme.

Would it be easier to find a staring OLB and pass rushing DE for the 4-3? Or two blue chip, elite 3-4 OLB pass rushers? Also, is Coples ceiling higher in a 4-3 than Wilkerson's in a 3-4?

3-4 Lineup

? - Davis - Harris - ?

Coples - Pouha/Ellis - Wilkerson


4-3 Lineup

Davis - Harris - ?

Coples - Pouha - Wilkerson/Ellis - Wilkerson/?

Quote

McDonald's son T.J. is a Safety in this draft from USC. I'm not the biggest fan of him as a prospect...he's got the talent but hasn't seemed to really put it together on the field. Takes too many risks and goes for the big hit, yadda, yadda.



I like his younger son Tevin at UCLA much more...but he's a year away from the draft.

You can replace that photo in your signature of Stephen Hill dropping a pass in college with this photo of Hill dropping a pass in the NFL.



Just giving you a hard time. But this will be the story with Hill for a while, he's raw...and will probably not be consistent for a long time.

Can't help myself...

http://thejetsblog.c...-shipley-wagon/