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 grade them myself, then I’ll give you Mel Kiper Jr.’s grade. Before I do this, let me give a disclaimer. It’s kind of silly to assign draft grades two days after the draft took place, long before the season is even played out. For example, how many people would have given the Giants an A after last year’s draft? I’m guessing not many people. But at the end of the season, the consensus was that Big Blue had one of the most productive drafts in recent history. So I know that it’s better to assign draft grades on February 28 rather than April 28. But it’s still fun to do, and it gets people talking. So here is the April 28 draft grade for the New York Jets:
- Bill Slattery: B-
- Round 1 (6) – Vernon Gholston, DE/LB. I love this pick. As a Cowboys fan, I may be committing near-blasphemy by saying this, but Gholston could be the next DeMarcus Ware. He is a freak of nature and is genetically engineered to play outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense. He will likely face an adjustment period as a rookie, but he’s got a chance to rack up double digits sacks every year. The knock on Gholston is that he tends to disappear in games. I don’t watch Ohio St. on a regular basis, so can’t really comment on whether or not this is true. But what I do know is that he had 14 sacks last year en route to being named the Big 10 Defensive Lineman of the Year, so he couldn’t have disappeared that often.. I think he will excel in the 3-4 defense and will be a dominant force on the Jets defense for a long, long time.
- Round 1 (30) – Dustin Keller, TE. A lot of people are saying the Jets reached in this case, and I sort of agree. But the Jets don’t have a big-time tight end, and haven’t had one in recent memory. I know the Jets already have Chris Baker and Bubba Franks, but neither of those guys are big-time players. Franks is washed up and Baker has never caught more than 41 passes in a single season in his 6 years in the NFL. Keller should help the Jets offense stretch the field and gives them a decent receiving threat. The concern here is that the Jets haven’t exactly hit many home runs with drafting tight ends in Round 1. Anthony Becht, Kyle Brady and Johnny Mitchell didn’t exactly turn out to be studs. Hopefully Keller bucks the trend.
- Round 4 (113) – Dwight Lowery, CB. A decent prospect, he projects as a nickel or dime player. Smart move by the Jets adding depth to the secondary, which I am never against.
- Round 5 (162) – Erik Ainge, QB. Not a bad quarterback prospect, he could be a solid back-up for the J-E-T-S. If Kellen Clemens does not seize the starting role and Chad Pennington continues to decline, he could get some playing time. Jets fans are probably hoping this doesn’t happen, but Ainge is a solid value pick out of the 5th round.
- Round 6 (171) – Marcus Henry, WR. Brings depth to the wide receiver corps, but is unlikely to ever become an impact guy. You can’t expect too much out of a 6th rounder, so if he ever develops into a decent player that will be a bonus for the Jets.
- Round 7 (211) – Nate Garner, T. I have no idea who this guy is, but odds are that he projects as a back-up.
- Overall - I like some of the Jets picks, particularly Gholston. What I don’t like is the lack of picks in this year’s draft. The Jets gave away too many picks via trade, and they’re not in a position to be dealing away all of their picks. While they addressed some of their needs this off-season, they have an incomplete roster that should be built through the draft. The Jets did this last year too, and while they got two good players, they need to stockpile more good players. If they had more early to mid round picks I’d give them a higher grade, but they traded most of those picks away so they get a B-.
- Mel Kiper Jr.: B-
Lining up opposite Calvin Pace, OLB Vernon Gholston has a chance to get a lot of sacks in his rookie season. Tight end Dustin Keller can be used in a lot of different ways and will give the passing game some much-needed juice. Dwight Lowery had a great junior season at corner for San Jose state, but his grade tailed off as a senior. Erik Ainge does not have that wow factor you like to see in a quarterback, but he has great pocket awareness. And he has the ability to make throws when he’s outside the pocket. Ainge has a little bit of that “it” factor. Kansas wide receiver Marcus Henry does not have a lot of speed and doesn’t separate well, but he caught the ball very effectively. I liked the Jets’ picks, but I thought they would have taken wide receiver a bit earlier in the draft.
Filed under: NFL - Jets, Writer - Bill Slattery
