New York Jets: Fan favorite selected in full mock draft
Round Four: 107. Kemoko Turay, Edge, Rutgers
This guy was brought to my attention in a recent mock draft by the great Connor Rodgers of Bleacher Report, among other places. He is obviously a local young man so he is familiar with the area and the team, and a guy with potential to contribute. Granted, his sack production dropped off after his freshman year, from 7.5 sacks down to two in each of the next two years. He did undergo two surgeries in 2016, and climbed back up a bit in 2017, with a career best 60 tackles and a rebound year of 3.5 sacks.
His speed is explosive, as he posted a 4.65 forty yard dash at the Combine. Turay looked good at Senior Bowl practices, gaining the interest of some scouts in attendance. He is best known for his strong motor and his ability to finish his tackles strongly. Here is a bit more from Lance Zierlein:
"Aware when dropping into coverage. Slides in space to mirror quarterback’s eyes. Able to ramp up secondary rush to harass quarterbacks. Has coachable traits as pass rusher."
The fact that he can cover is something that will make him appealing in pro schemes almost as much as his ability to finish his tackles.
Turay moves laterally quite well. See how he can slide up the line to seek out the ball carrier? It looks good. Also the way he can come on the secondary blitz bodes well for defensive schemes. We see that run a lot on the big stage, a defender delaying to let the play begin and then coming at the quarterback unblocked.
He will have to be coached on his rush technique as it is far too upright. He can be controlled by big tackles that meet him on the edge and that will happen more often at the NFL level. Turay must get a better knee bend to get leverage on his opponent. That is coachable, and the Jets would be well-served giving him a shot here in the fourth round.