(Photo: US Presswire)
By Ryan Alfieri, Editor
It’s never too early to look ahead to next year’s draft (this is a draft site, after all), which includes looking at prospects and positions of need for the Jets.
It has only been three weeks of the season, but how is the Jets roster shaping out almost a month into the season?
Outside Linebacker: The Calvin Pace/Bryan Thomas era needs to end. The Jets need an edge-rusher in the worst way. Aaron Maybin has not been getting it done as a situational rusher.
Problem is, finding a Clay Mathews/DaMarcus Ware type is one of the hardest positions to fill in a 3-4 defense.
Running Back: Shonn Greene, who is a free agent after this season, may very well be the worst starting running back in the NFL. Bilal Powell may be a bit more dynamic, but he’s nothing special that strikes fear into defenses. A run-first team needs a dynamic runner immediately, so relying on a rookie in the draft could be a risky proposition.
Safety: The Jets safety play has been exponentially better this season, but both LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell are on one-year deals. There is a decent chance that this could be Bell’s final season, and Landry will always have lingering health issues.
The Jets do have Josh Bush and Antonio Allen waiting in the wings, but perhaps they are looking for a more dynamic player at the position.
Tight End: If the Jets are unable to keep Dustin Keller, this becomes the biggest need area on the team. Even if Keller hangs around, there is no blocking force behind him.
Offensive Guard: Matt Slauson has taken a step back this year, evident by how he and Vladimir Ducasse have been rotating in the middle of games. This position could be put on the back-burner for one more year, but it bears watching as the season wears on.
Offensive Tackle: Austin Howard has been worlds better than Wayne Hunter, but he has not been exactly a dominant force on the right side. He gives up a fair amount of pressure and is probably best suited to be a swing tackle. This is not as big of a need as it was a month ago, but still a position far from being solved.
Tags: new york jets, nfl, NFL Draft
For three years I have thought that the Jets would draft a “Rush OLB” in the first round since thet will lose Pace (for Cap Reasons) and Bryan Thomas to age, and Maybin , McIntyre have not stepped up, Outside LB again in 2013…Due to cap considerations, Eric Smith , Jason Smith, Pace and Scott have to be cut, you could bring them back at a steep discount but the market rules. The best guess for max total Cap, should be 15 million… besides the top 4, the guys with contracts up are :
DeVito
Landry
Bell
Keller
Folk
Maybin
Schillens
Moore
Slauson
Some decisions need to made pre draft