JETS: WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

Well since free agency is about to start and draft talk is heating up, I thought I should start a new segment called, “What Should They Do?”

As always, the teams that did not make the playoffs, and many teams who did make the playoffs, are scrambling to figure out how to fill the holes on their roster. Since the amount of money each team has to spend has been increased as a part of the new CBA signed before the 2011 season, there are a lot of teams that need to spend a lot of money just in order to get above this amount.

As I am a Jets fan, I will start off with the Jets since I have a very good understanding of the deficiencies on their roster after watching their mediocre 8-8 season.

The Jets would love to see Mario Williams (90) in their uniform
taking down Dolphins the same way he did with the Texans.

Free Agency:

As strange as it sounds, the Jets are best off looking for ways to improve their defense, not their offense, in free agency. The Jets are desperate to get an elite pass rusher and signing Mario Williams would make this defense scary good. Williams has some injury concerns, but he has proven to be one of the best pass rushers in the league and is stout against the run as well.

It might be very hard for the Jets to find the cap space to sign him, and there is a definite possibility that Williams wants to stay in Houston, but the Jets should really focus on trying to convince him why the Jets would be a great fit for him.

If the Jets cannot sign Williams, there are unfortunately not too many other options to upgrade the pass rush in free agency, so they should turn to trying to find a starting safety. Michael Griffin should be their focus from the safety class because the Titans will have a hard enough time trying to lock up cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who will be their focus in free agency. Griffin would be a huge upgrade for this defense and Rex Ryan would feel much more comfortable with him in deep coverage instead of Eric Smith, who was atrocious for the Jets all season long.

Strong safety Jim Leonard will be a free agent for the Jets this season as well so they will either need to resign him if his medical evaluations check out (his last two seasons have been cut short by injuries) or they will have to find his replacement. Signing someone like Tyvon Branch from the Raiders makes a lot of sense depending on the type of contract he wants and who else the Jets can land in free agency, but Branch is an under rated player because of how awful the Raiders defense has been in recent years.

Considering this is a lot to attempt to address just through free agency, and the fact that the Jets do not have much cap space as of right now, there might not be much more they can do than address the pass rush and safety positions.

However, they have to find a way to upgrade the offensive line. Luckily for the Jets, they have two Pro Bowlers at the most expensive offensive line positions (left tackle and center), so they will not have to shell out a huge contract to get a solid player. Since guard Matt Slauson was mediocre and right tackle Wayne Hunter was horrendous last season, it is very feasible that they could land a significant upgrade over these players.

They might look at some second tier receivers to help out Mark Sanchez, but this should not be a priority since the rookie receiving class looks to be one of the best and deepest in a long time. That being said, they should work out guys like Pierre Garcon, Mario Manningham, and Brandon Lloyd (who the Jets would love to keep off the Patriots’ roster). Even adding a guy like Laurent Robinson would be a big upgrade for this offense.

Running back is also a concern, but considering the Jets are still committed to Shonn Greene taking at least 50% of the snaps, they are probably looking for more of a complimentary third down back. A guy like Michael Bush would be a great pick up, since he is unlikely to resign with the Raiders. Mike Tolbert could also be a guy they look at.

The Jets also need to bring in some competition for Sanchez so that he will have to battle for his starting spot instead of being handed it. Guys like Matt Moore (who might be out of Miami if they sign Matt Flynn), Kyle Orton, and even David Garrard would at least be able to push Sanchez to work harder than he had to in order to beat out 41 year old Mark Brunell.

Overview: The Jets should focus on signing Mario Williams or Michael Griffin, and really need to find a way in order to get one of these guys on their roster. After addressing those two players, they should try to figure out which offensive lineman fit their scheme and nab at least one guy they would be comfortable competing for a starting spot. Besides that, I do not see the Jets making too many other moves. Another offensive skill player would be helpful, but the Jets do not have enough cap space to make too big of a splash on offense. They really just need to find some second and third tier guys who they can bring in to compete and fill out the depth chart.

Courtney Upshaw (41) and Melvin Ingram (6) are the top
3-4 outside linebackers in this draft, but one is clearly far
and away better than the other. Alabama safety Mark Barron
(right) will also be high on the Jets draft board in 2012.

The Draft:

If the Jets cannot sign Mario Williams, they almost have to find a pass rushing outside linebacker in the first round. Besides the quarterback, it is the most difficult position in the NFL to find so they cannot afford to wait for one in the draft.

A lot of mock drafts have Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw going to the Jets because he has experience playing in a pro style 3-4 defense, but I think he is a guy that will have his game picked apart a bit in the upcoming months. Watching his tape, he tends to end up on the ground way more often than you would like to see and is not very effective against the run. He had eight sacks last season, which sounds great, but a lot of his sacks came on blown protections in which he was left unblocked. He is not very quick and uses his above average strength to knock over tight ends and running backs to get to the quarterback, but this will not work in the NFL because he will not be able to run through NFL blockers the way he did in college.

Basically, I am not a fan of Upshaw, but I am a fan of South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram. He is way more explosive than Upshaw and has significantly more upside. People say that he will be limited by his height at 6’1, but I see a lot of comparisons to Lamarr Woodley on the Steelers, who was a second round pick mostly because of his lack of height at 6’2. As long as Ingram shows he has the movement skills in order to make the switch to outside linebacker, he very well might be worth moving up in the draft to get.

If Ingram is off the board by the time the Jets pick, they should look at guys like receiver Michael Floyd, guard David DeCastro, and safety Mark Barron with the pick in the first round. Floyd just ran his 40 yard dash in the 4.4 range, which is extremely impressive for a man who is 6’3 220 pounds. DeCastro has been hailed one of the best guard prospects in a long time and helped Andrew Luck stay upright during his time at Stanford. Barron has all the skills and instincts you like to see in an NFL safety but he has some serious injury concerns that are causing him to sit out this year’s combine.

If all of these guys are gone when the Jets pick, which could very well be the case, they should move back in the draft and take someone like Nick Perry from USC, Whitney Mercilus from Illinois, or Bruce Irvin from West Virgina, all of whom played defensive end in college but look to best fit in the NFL as 3-4 outside linebackers. The Jets have not had many draft picks the last few years because of all their trades, so this is a team that is lacking depth at a lot of positions and they could really use some extra picks.

In the second and third rounds, the Jets need to address the receiver and running back positions. There is a lot of depth at both of these positions so they should be able to find someone to contribute immediately with both of these picks.

Doug Martin has all the skills of an every down back and
could be a steal for a team like the Jets in the second round.

The more I watch Boise State running back Doug Martin, the more he reminds me of LeSean McCoy of the Eagles. Martin ran a 4.55 40 yard dash, which seems slow but McCoy ran a 4.5 and was about 15 pounds lighter than Martin. Martin is extremely quick and very agile. He is solid in pass protection and is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, which is a quality the Jets are looking for in a running back to help replace LaDainian Tomlinson’s production. He might be a guy that they can get with their second round pick and immediately be a playmaker for this offense that desperately needs a home run threat like Martin.

Overview: I think the Jets should target Ingram with the first pick, even if it means trading up to acquire him. If they cannot get him, their best option will probably be to trade down and take the best player available. In the second round, they should make a strong push to get Martin on their team to compliment Shonn Greene and help Sanchez out on third downs. If they find a way to draft DeCastro or Floyd in the first and Martin in the second, the Jets offense will have more potential than it has had in probably over a decade. Let’s just hope that they can find a way to turn that into wins.