Here’s what Scouts, Inc. had to say about each of the New York Jets draft picks:
- Round 1: Vernon Gholston, DE/LB
No prospect at this or any other position in the draft has more upside than Gholston. The 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive end ran a 4.67 40-yard dash, and showed excellent upper-body strength at the NFL scouting combine. He’s also athletic enough to move to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. However, he is a boom-or-bust prospect, especially this early. He’s just not as consistent on film as a player with his talents should be.
- Round 1: Dustin Keller, TE
No tight end in this year’s class projected as a first-round pick in our opinion, making this pick a reach. One of the biggest knocks on Keller is that he’s probably never going to develop into an excellent in-line blocker. Also, he doesn’t have the frame to add a lot of bulk without sacrificing his greatest strength: his speed. However, Keller certainly has the athletic ability, versatility and burst to make an immediate impact as a receiver. He will be a tough matchup for opposing defenses; his size can cause enormous problems for defensive backs and most linebackers are going to have problems turning to run with him.
- Round 4: Dwight Lowery, CB
Lowery is a playmaker who changes directions well and shows good burst out of his backpedal. He gets pushed around too much, though, and is going to struggle to run with pro wideouts.
- Round 5: Erik Ainge, QB
Ainge doesn’t have great mobility and has only adequate arm strength, but he has the potential to develop into an excellent game manager. He makes good decisions, reads defenses well and is a leader on the field.
- Round 6: Marcus Henry, WR
He’s a smooth route-runner with good size and he’s not afraid to go over the middle. However, his lack of ideal upper-body strength is a concern because physical corners can muscle him off routes. In addition, he drops some catchable balls.
- Round 7: Nate Garner, T
Garner is big enough to engulf defensive ends and he can drive defenders off the ball. He is a far better run-blocker than pass-blocker.
Filed under: NFL - Jets, Writer - Bill Slattery
[...] the Jets Posted on April 28, 2008 by Bill Slattery Yesterday I gave the evaluations of the Jets draft class from the guys at Scouts, Inc. Today I’ll give you the grade on their draft. First, I’ll [...]