2013 NFL Draft: New York Jets’ Big Board
Feb 21, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Jets coach Rex Ryan speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
NFL fans, Jets nation, we are less than 24 hours away from the 2013 NFL draft.
I can’t emphasize this enough when I say this: finally!
The New York Jets will enter tomorrow’s draft with eight picks: They currently have the ninth pick overall, followed by the 13th pick, the 39th pick (second round), the 72nd pick (third round), the 106th pick (fourth round), the 141st pick (fifth round),the 178th pick (sixth round) and the 215th pick (seventh round).
After a pretty quiet free agency, the Jets have some work cut out for them going into the draft. New York is still looking for a dynamic pass-rusher, an offensive tackle and help at the linebacker and cornerback positions.
This year’s draft lacks stars like Andrew Luck and RGIII, but that doesn’t mean talented players aren’t there to be had. This draft is great for teams looking to fill holes in their depth chart. So, the Jets do have a chance to pick up a number of quality players this year.
Let’s take a look at some of those players.
All player rankings below come from CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospects
Top Defensive Ends
1. Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
2. Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
3. Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
4. Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State
5. Margus Hunt, DE, Southern Methodist
The loss of superstar Darrelle Revis hurts the Jets and gives them more of a reason to draft a defensive end that can get to the backfield to disrupt offenses.
Top Offensive Guards
1. Chance Warmack, OG Alabama
2. Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina
3. Kyle Long, OG, Oregon
4. Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky
5. Brian Winters, OG, Kent State
The Jets’ offensive line production used to play a key role in their success, but their production has declined recently, and they have gotten older. The Jets also lost some key players, so they need to fill in the guard position.
Top Outside Linebackers
1. Dion Jordan, OLB, Oregon
2. Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU
3. Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
4. Alec Ogletree, OLB, Georgia
5. Arthur Brown, OLB, Kansas State
The Jets definitely need an outside linebacker. A pass-rush specialist. Their main goal will/should be to pick up an outside linebacker who can pressure the quarterback and constantly disrupt the offense—something the Jets have been trying to do for the past few years without the constant blitzes.
Top Cornerbacks
1. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
2. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
3. Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
4. D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston
5. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
The Jets’ secondary was fine last season, even after Darrelle Revis went down. Antonio Cromartie helped out immensely, but now with Revis permanently gone, the Jets need to add a cornerback to their unit.
Top Safeties
1. Kenny Vaccaro, FS, Texas
2. Eric Reid, FS, LSU
3. Phillip Thomas, FS, Fresno State
4. D.J. Swearinger, FS, South Carolina
5. Bacarri Rambo, FS, Georgia
The top strong safeties in the draft:
1. Jonathan Cyprien, SS, Florida International
2. Matt Elam, SS, Florida
3. J.J. Wilcox, SS, Georgia Southern
The loss of LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell will hurt the Jets, big time. One of the main reasons why the Jets secondary wasn’t completely torched was because of those two safeties. Now that they’re gone, the Jets need to add a playmaker here.
Top Quarterbacks
1. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
2. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
3. E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
4. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
5. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
We all know the situation here with the Jets and their quarterback position.
Top Wide Receivers
1. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
2. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
3. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
4. Robert Woods, WR, USC
5. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
The Jets are in some serious need of playmakers at the wide receiver position. Their wide receiver corp doesn’t bring fear to any team. The Jets definitely need to address this position in the draft.
Top Tight Ends
1. Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
2. Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
3. Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
4. Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
5. Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
The loss of Dustin Keller really hurt the Jets’ already anemic offense, and Mark Sanchez. Keller was the quarterback’s security blanket and with him gone, the offense looks to be in trouble unless they pick up a playmaking tight end.
Top Running Backs
1. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
2. Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
3. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
4. Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina
5. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
Just take a look at the Jets’ depth roster at the running back position. Enough said.