May 5, 2022 • 31 mins
Host Ethan Greenberg and Dane Brugler review the Jets' draft class, which was his favorite class among the 32 NFL teams (1:30). They then go over each selection starting with Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (3:13), Garrett Wilson (6:41), Jermaine Johnson (11:00), Breece Hall (15:36), Jeremy Ruckert (19:51), Max Mitchell (22:50) and Micheal Clemons (26:20). They wrap up with Dane's thoughts on why this group could help the franchise continue in the right direction (29:43).
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The New York get are now on the board. Okay,
Jeff in New York has been one of the greatest questions.
Zack Smith Avenue ran that one right now, the New
York cat Fleck. Welcome to the final episode of NFL
Draft Preview. I guess I should say NFL Draft Review
(00:22):
because the two as NFL Draft is behind us. Jane
Brugler almost is at the end of the tunnel. He
sees the light of summer sunshine. Maybe a nice little
barbecue in a couple of minutes here, maybe a couple
of days. You know, how soon are we talking here?
For you? Like, I know there's a couple of things
you gotta take care of, but how quickly can you
put it behind you and just enjoy you know, what
(00:42):
life should be like? Well, I got I got home
from Vegas last night. Um, actually a late Monday night,
and of course my my nine month old daughter was
up waiting for me. Um, so you know, that was
she and she was very excited to see me. So
of course that was a couple of hours before she
went back to sleep. Um, so it's already started. But no,
you know, towards the end of this week, I'll start
(01:02):
to really wind down, uh, take a breather, uh, and
take a little bit of time just to enjoy enjoy
t ball and mowing my lawn and just doing some
regular things for a little bit here. Oh yeah, well
we're almost there. Obviously, we're gonna have to talk about
the Jets draft. Your favorite draft among all thirty two
(01:24):
NFL teams. You don't do grade, you do power rankings.
Your favorite one was the New York Jets. Why is that? Yeah?
And I wouldn't even say, you know, this isn't like
the best. I'm not ranking one through thirty two with
the best draft classes. He's just my favorite. Uh. You know,
I'm not using some analytical formula here or you know,
I'm just from my gut going over. I laid out
(01:46):
each draft class and went through it all and and
just I I ranked, Okay, which one of these draft
classes did? I just love what they did. And obviously
the teams that had multiple first round picks or multiple
early picks clear advantage because they're getting more players better
play years. Uh. And and of course with the Jets
having three first round picks, uh, that's certainly suade me
and their favor but uh, you know, I love Sauce Gardner.
(02:09):
The top corner this year. Uh, Garrett Wilson, my top receiver,
Jermaine Johnson player we talked about, uh, you know, at nauseum,
just as a I got this Jets team really liked
and I think probably pained them the pass at number ten,
but be able to come back into the first round
at twenty six and still get him, I mean, that's that.
(02:30):
That's huge. And then not only that, but then picking
up Greese Hall in the second Jemaine Jeremy Rucker, who
we talked about a lot throughout the process, is being
a perfect Jet. So from top to bottom, and then
what they did in the fourth round, top to bottom.
I just love what the Jets did. I think, you know,
only seven picks. I think they nailed each one. All right, well,
let's just go pick by pick here, pick number four,
(02:51):
A mod Sauce Gardner. He was a guy that when
you did your mock draft, originally you had him to
the Jets, and then you're like, you know what, I
don't know if I see Joe Douglas and Roberts Solid
going in this direction that early, given their history, they
go in that direction. One were you surprised and to
what makes sauce Gardner worthy of the fourth overall picking.
What what should Jets fans be expecting from a pretty
(03:12):
early stage from him? Yeah, I see, And this is
where we can kind of get ourselves into trouble when we,
you know, look at past, what teams are done in
the past and what has worked for them. Um, And
so we kind of attach ourselves to that when we
project in a mock draft and say, okay, well, you
know Robert Sala, look at the cornerback position, who is
one with uh? I mean, hasn't necessarily had to go
(03:34):
that direction in the first round, So you know, there's
a good bet maybe they don't they don't go that route. Um.
But I mean there's no arguing with sauce Gardner being
one of the best players on the board when they
were selecting there at four uh tall, stretched out athlete,
big times speed for that especially for that size. I
love the length. A guy that wasn't thrown at very
(03:55):
very much. He still had three interceptions each of the
last three years. So with saws in the confidence that
he's gonna bring to that wide receiver room, he's getting
on the field immediately as you would expect for the
fourth overall pick. So even though I think we looked
at kind of the tea leaves and thought they probably
won't go with a wide receiver here just based on
their history, UH pleasantly surprised because I think Sauce Gardner,
(04:17):
one of the best UH defensive players in this draft,
could end up being the best defensive player from this draft.
When are you gonna get a chain? Like the bottle
of sauce that he had? Maybe know he borrowed mine,
so I told him I could lend it out just
I need collateral, you know, a little bit, you know so,
but I trust him? And what what sauce would you
(04:40):
put in there? Because I don't know if you know this,
the top actually pops off. You can put stuff in
it if you wanted to, Not that you'd want to
mess like jewelry and and sauce. That sounds kind of
weird to me, But like, if you have the choice,
what are you putting in there just so you have
it at all times? Maybe you want it on a sandwich,
maybe you want it and whatever situation you need. Well,
I mean, as a data for me, there's a lot
(05:02):
of apple sauce in our house, and so I'm constantly
having to, you know, try to call them these babies down,
and so having apple sauce at my disposal at any
given moment, that I could just you know, spoon in
the mouth, you know, kind of call them down, get
them quiet. That makes sense to me. I like that idea. Yeah,
I think I just might have given you idea. Maybe
not you know, as expensive as that one, but you know,
(05:24):
something to keep in mind, maybe something to put around
your neck. Anyway, just before we move on to Garrett Wilson,
what are your thoughts on this Jets cornerbacks room? Now
that last year we're talking about Bryce all and Brandon
Ecles as the starters at the end of the season.
Now you you add in DJ reading free agency, adding
Sauce Gardner, what kind of facelift do you think the
Jets cornerbacks room got it? Certainly they got better, there's
(05:47):
no doubt about it. And it'll be interesting to see
how they, uh, you know, utilize each one of these
corners and their skill sets. And a Sauce Gardner is
a true outside corner, but you know, with a guy
like DJ Reades, he'd be playing primarily inside in the slot,
how are they going to use him? And then the
competition at the other positions. I mean, this is you
you it's not about necessarily replacing players as it is
(06:09):
upgrading and creating competition. That's what you want to do,
especially at a premium position like corner. Uh, And they
certainly did that this offseason with Sauce Garterer, DJ Read.
A lot more competition at that corner spot. And the
guy's already on the roster. It's not a uh, you know,
a ticket out of town, but it is kind of
heads up that, hey, you better bring your a game,
(06:30):
a game to camp because you've got some competition now,
and you know it's it's not gonna be a necessarily
a cake walk to be a starter or even make
the roster. Alright, Moving on to pick number ten. Garrett
Wilson your top receiver. You've been on that since day one.
So with Garrett Wilson, we know about the body control,
we know about the speed, we know about the vertical threat.
(06:53):
When you factor what he brings to the Jets, what
do you make of that room? Now, that's Corey Davis,
Elijah More, Braxon Barrios, and Garrett Wilson and What should
Jets fans be most excited about in terms of Garrett
Wilson's strengths. Yeah, And with Garrett Wilson, and my comparison
for him has been Ceedee Lamb, and I think similar
(07:14):
to Ceedee Lamb, he could play anywhere on that offensive
on the offensive formation, you want to play inside, outside,
uh X y z uh. You know, you can motion
them all over backfield. He don't have to pigeonhole him
as he's an ex only or a Y only Z only.
He can do everything up and down the formation, and
(07:34):
that gives you flexibility, uh, you know, across your wide
receiver room. And so that's that's that's key with the
guy like Garrett Wilson. And again not the biggest guy,
and that's maybe the biggest knock against him. He's under
six foot, he's under ninety pounds, and so the size
isn't necessarily gonna blow you away. But the strengths of
(07:55):
what he brings to the field, uh, with the speed,
the body, control, the ball skills, he just makes the
playbook come alive. He really does. That has been my
line with him throughout the process, because he can get
open before the catch and give his quarterback a clear
window he can get after, get open after the catch,
and really be a creator with the ball in his hands.
So with a guy like Wilson, he's just uh, he's
(08:17):
an igniter with with your offense. And let's be honest
with this team has done to uh, you know, surround
the quarterback position with all the talent. Now it's up
to the quarterback and Garrett Wilson's part of that. It's
It's okay, Zach Wilson. You know this is your two
What are you gonna do to take that next step
in your development. We just gave you this shiny new
toy to play with and he's gonna help make you better.
(08:40):
Now it's up to you to go make things happen.
I love it. What you just said has to be
music to Jets fans, ears and something that I'm curious
your take on it. This class, I think before the draft,
I mean, I guess you can consider it now too.
But when you look at the class, you're like, maybe
there's no blue chip talent, you know, and there's clearly
a lot of depth. But when you talk about a
(09:01):
top ten wide receiver like Garrett Wilson, Ceedee Lamb wasn't
selected in the top ten. But that's that's as a player,
you say, they're similar as prospects, just the wide receiver
classes as holes like is this I don't want to
like boor Salt and say, like, you know, this receiver
class isn't like quite to the level of that one.
But how do you how do you view both of
(09:21):
those classes because a lot of these receivers like Garrett
Wilson were very productive and they seem to be that
they're on the track to be very good pros. Well,
I mean, we just had to look at the run
that happened when we had four or five receivers taken
or four in the five pick span. I mean, it's
just crazy the way things happened, the way things played out,
(09:42):
um with a run on those guys, and we knew
that was gonna happen, it's just when it was it
gonna start. We thought maybe Atlanta at eight could be
the most logical spot for one of these receivers to go.
And then if you're the Jets, you knew if you
wanted one of these these stud receivers, and we we
saw all six going to top twenty uh and and
none no, other receivers because we thought maybe there'd be
(10:02):
a second run later in the first round or early
in the second, and we just didn't really see that.
Teams waited after that first initial tier. But you look
at what the Saints gave up to go get Crystal
Love a U. I mean, you look with the Lions
gave up to go get Jamison Williams. I mean, each
one of those teams made big, expensive moves to go
get that receiver. So the Jets sitting there at ted,
(10:25):
they didn't have to move, I know it probably paying
them the pass on the past rusher there or some
of these other players that might have been available. But
Garrett Wilson was the no brainer, I think, the way
and we've we've talked about it since January, I mean,
the way he could fit this offense, the way he's
going to help immediately. Uh. Just he was the best
of a really top heavy, impressive wide receiver group. And
(10:48):
obviously the Jets are very excited about the Wilson to
Wilson connection. And we'll talk about the names in admitted
here specifically when we get to Bruce Hall, because there
are a lot of similar names now on the New
York Jets. But before we get there, the Jets had
picks thirty five and thirty eight. They move up nine
spots similar to last year, they moved up nine spots
as well, from twenty three to fourteen to select elijahbr Tucker.
(11:11):
They go from thirty five to twenty six. Jermaine Johnson
at a Florida State. How surprised were you that he
was still available at pick number twenty six? Oh? Extremely?
I mean, pass rushers don't last very long in the
NFL draft, and that he's the exception. I mean, we
we heard after the draft, Uh the Jets got three
(11:32):
of their top eight players, uh, including Jermaine Johnson, which
tells you and we talked about it before the draft.
We knew how much they like Jermaine Johnson. Uh, but
for him to fall as far as he did, and
you have to wonder when did Joe Douglas start making
those calls, uh, you know, trying to get up back
into the first round Jammine Johnson passed, you know, fifteen, seventeen, twenty. Uh.
(11:54):
You know you can bet he was keeping an eye
on that. Uh. You don't you don't want to give
up draft fix to uh, especially when you already had
two first rounders. Uh, you know that this is a
team that's still building, and you know you don't want
to trade away Uh, you know, high draft capital. But
you have a chance to go get one of your
guys that you ranked very high in this draft. That's
why you pour all the resources into scouting, is to
(12:15):
build the board and trust it. And at a certain
point it just became it became too much. We can't
let them fall anymore. Go get Jermaine Johnson. This is
the guy that's gonna come in play the run. He's
gonna get after the quarterback. Um, you know, I don't
know that he's ever going to be a perennial pro
bowler per se, but he is going to be an
above average pro for a long time in my opinion.
(12:36):
So I don't know if you know this or if
you heard this. Joe Douglas said that pick fifteen came around,
he called every single team until he executed a deal
at twenty six. Talk about commitment to a player, The
Jets showed it right there trading up for Jermaine Johnson,
trying to get him from pick fifteen and then ended
up at pick So with that being said, what is
it about Jermaine johnson skill set? Now you think fits
(13:00):
what Robert Salid, Jeff Albrick and company want to run
up front. He's long, he's athletic, he can stand up,
he can put his hand on the ground. Uh, could
play inside or outside the offensive tackle, could play head
up over the tackle. Uh. You know he's not a
Uh his get off is okay, it's not really what
makes him so dangerous as a pass rusher. Um, But
(13:22):
I think his length and a point of attack skills
uh really or or what sets him apart that? And
then his instincts. I mean, he is so quick to
read the backfield action. So you know it's I mentioned
this before, but a lot of my favorite plays from
Jeremaine Johnson this year came first to run because his
recognition was so impressive of understanding the blocking scheme and
to play and what was going with the offense is
(13:44):
trying to do. He sniffed it out immediately put himself
in the position and make plays. Um. And then you know,
you also appreciate a guy that just bet on himself.
You know, he was kind of part of a rotation
at that you know, in that Georgia defense and transfers
to Florida State. Uh, it's a big gamble. Uh, you know,
at least if he stayed at Georgia. I mean he
has a built in excuse why his production wasn't better,
(14:05):
as hey, I had to share time. But when I
was out there, I was pretty good. He goes to
Florida State knowing his snap count was going to maybe double,
and he was up for the challenge. Led the a
C C in cycles for a loss, led the a
C C in sacks. You love a guy that has
that type of football character that believes in himself and
bets on himself. So Jamaine Johnson, I think a lot
of teams in the top twenty five made a mistake
(14:27):
by letting him fall that far. H And why do
you think that he did fall that far? Like? Was
there any post draft chatter that maybe you're like, okay, Like,
I'll give you an example. Nakobe Dean gets selected, people
are like, oh, there's a medical that popped up that
maybe isn't what teams want to see. It doesn't feel
like that was the case with Jermaine Johnson. Feels like
it was almost kind of a mystery very much. So, Um,
(14:49):
I think that because he's not that again, not that elite,
get off, you know type of guy. The burst is
not why you love him. Uh keep you a little
segmented at times with pass rush. So he's not uh,
you know, that type of pass rusher. I mean, he
had he can win, but it's with length, um, it's
with uh, you know, a very technical approach where you
(15:12):
know he's gonna use sweite moves and rip moves and uh.
So I think maybe that was something that turned off
some teams, but still very very surprised at a lot
of teams, especially you look at the Chiefs. Uh, there's
several teams in that early second round range, even seem
like the Cowboys passing on a guy like Jermaine Johnson
(15:35):
was a big surprise. Alright. So just when you thought
the Jets, you know, maybe they'll trade back in the
second round because they traded up to get Jermaine Johnson,
maybe they want to recoup some of those picks, that's
not the case. They move up to spots, they execute
a trade with the New York Giants. They take Bruce Hall,
the running back of Iowa State. We didn't talk a
whole lot about running backs in the pre draft process.
(15:57):
So what is it about Bruce Hall that may him
in your eyes, a viable option to be the first
running back called on draft night. Yeah, personally I liked
Kenneth Walker a little bit better, but I you know,
it's hard to argue with Breeste Hall. I mean it's hard.
It's hard to put holes in him as a player.
I mean everything that you see with Breese Hall. You like,
(16:18):
h forty one touchdowns over the last two years, forty
one rushing touchdowns the last two years, said, an FBS
record with twenty four straight games with at least one
rushing touchdown. The guy just finds the end zone. Um,
and you see the way he tested. I don't know
that necessary. It plays as explosive and dynamic as as
(16:38):
the numbers will you know at the combine show. But
he's not a slug out there. I mean he is.
To me. The most impressive thing with Breece Hall the patients,
the instincts, the decision make We talked so much about
decision making with quarterbacks, not enough with the running backs.
Breese Hall understands understand the blocking scheme. He's patient, he's disciplined,
and he it maximizes every single run and that's what
(17:01):
you love about him as a running back. That and
nobody brings on on passing downs as a pass catcher,
as a guy that can get better in pass protection.
But I think at least as a base that you
can work off of. So when you said earlier that
Garrett Wilson makes the playbook come alive when you factor
in the Jets offensive line editions like Lake and Tomlinson,
(17:24):
moving Elijah Vera Tucker to the right side, hoping that
McKay Beckton comes back to the two thousand twenty former
on that track where he showed that he could be
a very good tackle in this league, particularly in the
run game. When you factor that in, you factor in
what the Jets have in Michael Carter and the way
that he came on. You add Breece Hall to the equation.
(17:44):
What does he bring to that room or what can
he do to that room that you think might take
them to the next level. Well, it's kind of like
Garrett Wilson conversation where Wilson can do everything, Uh you
know it doesn't You can line them up everywhere you
want in the formation and he's gonna be able to
make a a briest all the same thing. It doesn't
matter that the situation third down, first down, UM, wherever
(18:06):
you want him to play, he can do that. And
so I think, especially when you look at the scheme.
He it was primarily a zone scheme at Iowa State,
and you know, looking at the Jets zone based offense,
I think it's a perfect fit for this scheme in particular.
And even though I don't think running back was necessarily
at the top of uh, you know, where we thought
(18:27):
that Jets were going, it's hard to uh, you know, again,
when you want to surround your quarterback with good talent,
it's hard to disagree with what an addition like this,
Uh you know what what do it would do for
for your quarterback? What it does for your passing game? Uh,
it's hard to disagree with, uh, you know, making a
pick like this, even though I know someone will say
it's too early for a running back, and uh, when
(18:49):
you have a chance to get the top running back
in the draft on your board, I certainly understand why
they went that direction. I think there's definitely I know
that you did not have Breece Hall as the number
one running back, but is there a case to be
had that the Jets drafted the top corner receiver and
running back in the draft. Oh, no doubt. I mean
it's there was not a big gap between these two
(19:10):
players for me, um, even though I did give Kenneth
Walker a little bit the edge, But I mean Breece Hall. Again,
it's kind of like Jeremaine Johnson too, where I mean,
point me in the direction of the big negatives on
Jeremy Johnson. Kind of the same thing with Breece Hall,
point me the direction of the you know, the poking
holes in him. Where where are we nitpicking with Bruce Hall.
(19:30):
He's just not a guy that has a ton of
you know, you get to kind of search for for
negatives on him. Uh So, I mean there there's a
lot of like about what he's gonna bring to the room. Uh,
what he's gonna bring to the field. Another guy we
talked about with Sauce Gardner, competition and what that does
for everybody in the room. Breee Hall, He's bringing a
lot of competition to the running back room. All right.
(19:51):
Then the Jets end Day two with pick number one
on one still on offense, tight end, Jeremy Rucker. Now,
we talked a lot about Ruckert his prowess as a
run blocker, but what do you think about the situation
he now walks into behind guys like c j Uzama
and Tyler Conklin where he can develop a little bit
(20:14):
as a past as a receiver, even though he showed
flashes at Ohio State that he can do it and
day one and he'll stick his face in the fan
as a run blocker. Yeah, we know we talked before.
How you know we love what they did at tight
end in free agency. Uh, you know with Conklin and
his Zama and kind of rebuilding that that tight end
room with those guys that they brought in, and then
(20:35):
you dropped a Jeremy Ruckert in there as well. Who
can learn from those guys? Who is a do everything
all around tight end, can block, can run routes, can
catch the football. Uh? I love the fit. I mean
Rutgert was a guy that you know, going into the process,
I thought he's going somewhere top seventy five. You know,
he's that good of a player, even though the production
maybe doesn't jump off the page, and then you know
(20:57):
he has the foot injury, so no combine, no pro day,
no workout, and so I dropped him just a little bit.
He was like number eighty five for me um and
the Jets are able to get him a little bit
later than that. So I love the value with Jeremy Ruckert,
and I love the player. I mean, the Long Island native. Uh,
it's funny, I tweeted back in January. I looked it
(21:18):
up his January fIF how I love the fit of
Jeremy Rucker in that jet scheme and his dad, Jeremy's
dad actually responded to that tweet at the time with
a picture of young Jeremy Rucker with a Jets tattoo
on his cheek, and I thought, oh yeah, I mean
it's perfect. You know, the Long Island native stays close
to home. And you know, it turns out it came
(21:41):
to fruition. So Jeremy Rucker, I love the fit. I
love what he adds to that room. And then you know,
towards the end of his rookie contract your three how
are we talking abou Jeremy Rucker. I think it's there's
a lot of optimism about what he could be possibly
an eventual starter. It came to fruition. For for you?
Huh you really? I remember last year our mock draft
(22:02):
you had Michael Carter the running back in the fourth round.
Now now you're kicking it up. You went to January
fifteenth talking about a potential fit for the Jets and
end up coming fruition. What do you think about that?
Two for sometimes a little bit, sometimes you get lucky.
You know, you throwing up dark, Eventually you're gonna hit one. Right,
So yeah, no, just the fit made too much sense
from the start, just not only that the geographical uh ties,
(22:25):
but just with what the Jets were looking for. And
you know, after they made this two signings in free agency,
you wondered, well, maybe they wait until uh the fourth,
fifth round or if they draft it tight end at all.
But I think the Rutger at that point in the
third round just too much value they couldn't pass on.
All right, how about day three? The Jets have two picks.
(22:46):
Max Mitchell, tackle out of Louisiana is the first one.
What does he bring to the table that maybe the
Jets don't have right now? And I know that day
three you're talking about traits, you're talking about developmental traits.
What does he bring that you see what the Jet
saw with a player like Max Mitchell. You have to
trust the team because it was surprising at the combine.
(23:08):
He did not test like I expected or a lot
of scouts expected. Um. You know, the forty time wasn't great.
Uh three time Cohen was three. Cohne time was not great.
The jumps, the vertical. So but when you watch the tape,
you see a guy that uh really looks, loves to
mix things up with his hands. Uh, moves pretty well. Um,
(23:29):
and you love that he has experienced across the across
the offensive line started. He was primarily a right tackle
at Louisiana, but also played left tackle, played a little
bit of guard. Um. And this is a player that
should have red shirted, but he didn't. They needed him
right on the field immediately. Uh. And I mean he
was basically a starter when he showed up. So, Um,
a guy that's still learning, still developing, but at that
(23:50):
point in the fourth round, I really like that. Uh,
that investment. Uh, it's you know, low risk, but there
is some reward possible with a player Mitchell who has
understanding with his hand what to do with his hands,
and then also you know, moves pretty well. Despite what
the testing numbers say. You know, for a guy like
this Dane coming from a smaller school like Louisiana, the
(24:13):
Jets have their starting tackles in place, no doubt if
he were to be like the Jets swing tackle year one.
Is that a little ambitious of a thought and you'd
like to see some development or you think that if
for whatever reason, his number were called as a rookie
to fill in at one of those spots, he could
do it at a reasonably efficient rate. I don't think
(24:34):
that he's necessarily NFL ready. Um. I think that if
you throw him out there, there will be some speed bumps.
There's no doubt about it, and um you know it's
it's something that's to be prepared for if he's on
the field. But with that said, I do think that
he can hold his own because he moves. Not only
does he move well, but I think it's a really
strong understanding of timing and you know where his hands
(24:57):
need to be. And that's especially a but when you
know when they're not. If he's just a tick off,
he can be jostled at contact. Uh, you don't you
know the base strength, the core strength. I don't think
it's quite where it needs to be. He needs a
little bit of time developing, uh in the weight room, uh,
you know there with the Jets coaches. So if he's
(25:18):
out there, uh, you know, at any point in this
rookie season, I would expect some speed bumps. But you
know that's sometimes that's the best time you learned is
when you're on the job like that. If that is
definitely the case, especially when you think about the Jets
rookie class last year, even the day three guys thrown
to the fire immediately definitely progressed as the season went on,
forgot like Max Mitchell before we wrap up with Michael Clemens.
(25:41):
Is that what you'd like to see in a couple
of years though, in terms of a swing tackle or
you think he has a potential to even be a
little more than that. No swing tackle is exactly that.
That's that's kind of where I graded him as a
early Day three developmental swing tackle, a guy that uh,
you know is uh, you can really grow into being
a steady pass blocker, can get the job done as
(26:03):
a zone run blocker. So again, I think the fit
is exactly what this team is looking for on their
offensive line. It's just he might not be you know,
in ready made packaging. He might need a little bit
of time, uh, you know, in the crack pods. Just that,
just to finish him a little bit, all right, Michael Clemens.
This is the Jets final draft pick, pick number one,
(26:25):
seventeen Texas A and m the story's great. He's a
very quiet, reserved guy at least so it seems when
you watch him interview, But on the field, something definitely
switches for him, and he plays with a little bit
of violence as you can see. So what is it
about Michael Clemens that if you're the Jets, that excites
you about him as a prospect? Yeah, I mean throwing
(26:48):
the l s U tape from last year. If you
want to get excited about Michael Clemens, his ability to
you because he's he's so long as a player, almost
thirty five inch arms, um, and he's so powerful contacked,
his hands are so so heavy. His ability to attack
blockers and then work off of that, whether he wants
to go through the blocker or use a little bit
(27:11):
of that quickness to uh you know, work him off
balance and then get around him to the quarterback. He
can do that. Um, you know, he's not a uh
necessarily a a twitchy pass rusher, but he does have
some explosive this in his lower body. And when he
uses that forward lean where he can just go forward
towards the blocker and get him off kilter, that's where
(27:31):
he's at his best. So, um, the speed to power
is really impressive. Uh. He's an older player. You know
that there's some stuff in his background that you know,
you weren't sure how teams are going to to handle it.
But on the field, it's not hard to really like
this player. And it's because he already owns NFL physical traits.
He he looks the part. When he goes into that
(27:53):
uh Jets locker room. I think his teammates will kind
of look at him and say, oh, when when when
we signed you? I mean, I don't think they'll realize
this is a rookie we're talking about here. He is
physically ready for the NFL. That that is amazing. I
definitely got that sense, even just when you you look
at him sitting down, even when you look on on YouTube,
if you just pop on any kind of highlights of
(28:14):
Michael Clemens. But the last thing I want to ask
you in terms of Michael Clemens. If the if your
hope for Max Mitchell is to become a swing tackle
in a couple of years, what is your hope for
Michael Clemens in a couple of years, And what do
you hope for him as a rookie. Yeah, well, I
mean I think that, uh, you know, he's gonna be
part of the rotation from from the get go. Um,
(28:34):
as long as he can handle the playbook. Uh, he's
gonna be out there and making, you know, being part
of a rotation because he can play the run, he
can give you a little bit of juice Russia the passer.
And I think he has that size where kick him inside. Uh,
you know, he's not a you know, you have to
put him in a certain spot, use them inside outside. Uh.
And I think when you look at the Jets defensive line,
(28:57):
they've got versatility up front with with the current roster
and the guys they've added. So I'm excited you drop
a Clemmons in there. I think you've got another guy
that has that versatility that can be really a strong
part of your rotation. All right, last question here is
the following every team right now in the NFL feels
(29:17):
good about their draft. You would imagine because you just
added players that you like, you feel like you got
a little bit better. With that being said, what is
it about this Jets draft that you would really hang
your hat on and say, this is the reason why
I think the New York Jets are a better team
today than yesterday, and the players that they drafted will
(29:38):
be good pros and helped turn the corner for this franchise. Well,
it starts with them drafting three of their top eight players.
I mean that's there. There's there's no way, no, no,
no point getting cute that with my answer. I mean
it's as simple as that. Uh, you know, they got
three really good players in the first round, they come
back with two really good offensive players in the second
and Day two, and then they add too fourth rounders
(30:00):
guys that, uh, you can be part of the long
term plans. And so if I'm Zack Wilson, I'm watching
the draft unfold, I'm seeing who he added. I'm getting excited,
and I'm looking at this and saying, Okay, they're surrounding
me with really good players and now it's up to
me to go make things happen. Um, So if I'm
a Jets fan, I'm ecstatic about what would happen. Uh.
(30:21):
You know, this is why you add if you're able to,
this is why you add the draft capital. It gives
you options. You want to try back up to the
first round to get it, Jamaine Johnson, you could do that. Uh,
if you want to move around a little bit, and
you know, make sure that you're getting your guys, the
guys that you graded high for your scheme and your
culture and what you're building. You have the flexibility to
go do that. And that's what we've seen with Joe Douglas. Uh,
(30:43):
in this coaching staff and the draft picks they have had.
They have been aggressive, but at the same time, you
can you know you understand the plan. You know it's
not they're just not throwing darts out there. Uh, And
that you understand that there's a plan in place. And
if if I'm a Jets fan, that makes me excited.
That is the perfect way to end the review episode
(31:04):
of NFL Draft Preview that puts a period Dane at
the end of the two thousand twenty two NFL Draft.
As always, it's been a pleasure, and you know, next year,
maybe the Jets don't have two first round picks as
it stands, but you never know what's gonna happen. So
it's been a pleasure and we'll talk to you next season.
Can't wait. Thanks even
The New York get are now on the board. Okay,
Jeff in New York has been one of the greatest questions.
Zack Smith Avenue ran that one right now, the New
York cat Fleck. Welcome to the final episode of NFL
Draft Preview. I guess I should say NFL Draft Review
(00:22):
because the two as NFL Draft is behind us. Jane
Brugler almost is at the end of the tunnel. He
sees the light of summer sunshine. Maybe a nice little
barbecue in a couple of minutes here, maybe a couple
of days. You know, how soon are we talking here?
For you? Like, I know there's a couple of things
you gotta take care of, but how quickly can you
put it behind you and just enjoy you know, what
(00:42):
life should be like? Well, I got I got home
from Vegas last night. Um, actually a late Monday night,
and of course my my nine month old daughter was
up waiting for me. Um, so you know, that was
she and she was very excited to see me. So
of course that was a couple of hours before she
went back to sleep. Um, so it's already started. But no,
you know, towards the end of this week, I'll start
(01:02):
to really wind down, uh, take a breather, uh, and
take a little bit of time just to enjoy enjoy
t ball and mowing my lawn and just doing some
regular things for a little bit here. Oh yeah, well
we're almost there. Obviously, we're gonna have to talk about
the Jets draft. Your favorite draft among all thirty two
(01:24):
NFL teams. You don't do grade, you do power rankings.
Your favorite one was the New York Jets. Why is that? Yeah?
And I wouldn't even say, you know, this isn't like
the best. I'm not ranking one through thirty two with
the best draft classes. He's just my favorite. Uh. You know,
I'm not using some analytical formula here or you know,
I'm just from my gut going over. I laid out
(01:46):
each draft class and went through it all and and
just I I ranked, Okay, which one of these draft
classes did? I just love what they did. And obviously
the teams that had multiple first round picks or multiple
early picks clear advantage because they're getting more players better
play years. Uh. And and of course with the Jets
having three first round picks, uh, that's certainly suade me
and their favor but uh, you know, I love Sauce Gardner.
(02:09):
The top corner this year. Uh, Garrett Wilson, my top receiver,
Jermaine Johnson player we talked about, uh, you know, at nauseum,
just as a I got this Jets team really liked
and I think probably pained them the pass at number ten,
but be able to come back into the first round
at twenty six and still get him, I mean, that's that.
(02:30):
That's huge. And then not only that, but then picking
up Greese Hall in the second Jemaine Jeremy Rucker, who
we talked about a lot throughout the process, is being
a perfect Jet. So from top to bottom, and then
what they did in the fourth round, top to bottom.
I just love what the Jets did. I think, you know,
only seven picks. I think they nailed each one. All right, well,
let's just go pick by pick here, pick number four,
(02:51):
A mod Sauce Gardner. He was a guy that when
you did your mock draft, originally you had him to
the Jets, and then you're like, you know what, I
don't know if I see Joe Douglas and Roberts Solid
going in this direction that early, given their history, they
go in that direction. One were you surprised and to
what makes sauce Gardner worthy of the fourth overall picking.
What what should Jets fans be expecting from a pretty
(03:12):
early stage from him? Yeah, I see, And this is
where we can kind of get ourselves into trouble when we,
you know, look at past, what teams are done in
the past and what has worked for them. Um, And
so we kind of attach ourselves to that when we
project in a mock draft and say, okay, well, you
know Robert Sala, look at the cornerback position, who is
one with uh? I mean, hasn't necessarily had to go
(03:34):
that direction in the first round, So you know, there's
a good bet maybe they don't they don't go that route. Um.
But I mean there's no arguing with sauce Gardner being
one of the best players on the board when they
were selecting there at four uh tall, stretched out athlete,
big times speed for that especially for that size. I
love the length. A guy that wasn't thrown at very
(03:55):
very much. He still had three interceptions each of the
last three years. So with saws in the confidence that
he's gonna bring to that wide receiver room, he's getting
on the field immediately as you would expect for the
fourth overall pick. So even though I think we looked
at kind of the tea leaves and thought they probably
won't go with a wide receiver here just based on
their history, UH pleasantly surprised because I think Sauce Gardner,
(04:17):
one of the best UH defensive players in this draft,
could end up being the best defensive player from this draft.
When are you gonna get a chain? Like the bottle
of sauce that he had? Maybe know he borrowed mine,
so I told him I could lend it out just
I need collateral, you know, a little bit, you know so,
but I trust him? And what what sauce would you
(04:40):
put in there? Because I don't know if you know this,
the top actually pops off. You can put stuff in
it if you wanted to, Not that you'd want to
mess like jewelry and and sauce. That sounds kind of
weird to me, But like, if you have the choice,
what are you putting in there just so you have
it at all times? Maybe you want it on a sandwich,
maybe you want it and whatever situation you need. Well,
I mean, as a data for me, there's a lot
(05:02):
of apple sauce in our house, and so I'm constantly
having to, you know, try to call them these babies down,
and so having apple sauce at my disposal at any
given moment, that I could just you know, spoon in
the mouth, you know, kind of call them down, get
them quiet. That makes sense to me. I like that idea. Yeah,
I think I just might have given you idea. Maybe
not you know, as expensive as that one, but you know,
(05:24):
something to keep in mind, maybe something to put around
your neck. Anyway, just before we move on to Garrett Wilson,
what are your thoughts on this Jets cornerbacks room? Now
that last year we're talking about Bryce all and Brandon
Ecles as the starters at the end of the season.
Now you you add in DJ reading free agency, adding
Sauce Gardner, what kind of facelift do you think the
Jets cornerbacks room got it? Certainly they got better, there's
(05:47):
no doubt about it. And it'll be interesting to see
how they, uh, you know, utilize each one of these
corners and their skill sets. And a Sauce Gardner is
a true outside corner, but you know, with a guy
like DJ Reades, he'd be playing primarily inside in the slot,
how are they going to use him? And then the
competition at the other positions. I mean, this is you
you it's not about necessarily replacing players as it is
(06:09):
upgrading and creating competition. That's what you want to do,
especially at a premium position like corner. Uh, And they
certainly did that this offseason with Sauce Garterer, DJ Read.
A lot more competition at that corner spot. And the
guy's already on the roster. It's not a uh, you know,
a ticket out of town, but it is kind of
heads up that, hey, you better bring your a game,
(06:30):
a game to camp because you've got some competition now,
and you know it's it's not gonna be a necessarily
a cake walk to be a starter or even make
the roster. Alright, Moving on to pick number ten. Garrett
Wilson your top receiver. You've been on that since day one.
So with Garrett Wilson, we know about the body control,
we know about the speed, we know about the vertical threat.
(06:53):
When you factor what he brings to the Jets, what
do you make of that room? Now, that's Corey Davis,
Elijah More, Braxon Barrios, and Garrett Wilson and What should
Jets fans be most excited about in terms of Garrett
Wilson's strengths. Yeah, And with Garrett Wilson, and my comparison
for him has been Ceedee Lamb, and I think similar
(07:14):
to Ceedee Lamb, he could play anywhere on that offensive
on the offensive formation, you want to play inside, outside,
uh X y z uh. You know, you can motion
them all over backfield. He don't have to pigeonhole him
as he's an ex only or a Y only Z only.
He can do everything up and down the formation, and
(07:34):
that gives you flexibility, uh, you know, across your wide
receiver room. And so that's that's that's key with the
guy like Garrett Wilson. And again not the biggest guy,
and that's maybe the biggest knock against him. He's under
six foot, he's under ninety pounds, and so the size
isn't necessarily gonna blow you away. But the strengths of
(07:55):
what he brings to the field, uh, with the speed,
the body, control, the ball skills, he just makes the
playbook come alive. He really does. That has been my
line with him throughout the process, because he can get
open before the catch and give his quarterback a clear
window he can get after, get open after the catch,
and really be a creator with the ball in his hands.
So with a guy like Wilson, he's just uh, he's
(08:17):
an igniter with with your offense. And let's be honest
with this team has done to uh, you know, surround
the quarterback position with all the talent. Now it's up
to the quarterback and Garrett Wilson's part of that. It's
It's okay, Zach Wilson. You know this is your two
What are you gonna do to take that next step
in your development. We just gave you this shiny new
toy to play with and he's gonna help make you better.
(08:40):
Now it's up to you to go make things happen.
I love it. What you just said has to be
music to Jets fans, ears and something that I'm curious
your take on it. This class, I think before the draft,
I mean, I guess you can consider it now too.
But when you look at the class, you're like, maybe
there's no blue chip talent, you know, and there's clearly
a lot of depth. But when you talk about a
(09:01):
top ten wide receiver like Garrett Wilson, Ceedee Lamb wasn't
selected in the top ten. But that's that's as a player,
you say, they're similar as prospects, just the wide receiver
classes as holes like is this I don't want to
like boor Salt and say, like, you know, this receiver
class isn't like quite to the level of that one.
But how do you how do you view both of
(09:21):
those classes because a lot of these receivers like Garrett
Wilson were very productive and they seem to be that
they're on the track to be very good pros. Well,
I mean, we just had to look at the run
that happened when we had four or five receivers taken
or four in the five pick span. I mean, it's
just crazy the way things happened, the way things played out,
(09:42):
um with a run on those guys, and we knew
that was gonna happen, it's just when it was it
gonna start. We thought maybe Atlanta at eight could be
the most logical spot for one of these receivers to go.
And then if you're the Jets, you knew if you
wanted one of these these stud receivers, and we we
saw all six going to top twenty uh and and
none no, other receivers because we thought maybe there'd be
(10:02):
a second run later in the first round or early
in the second, and we just didn't really see that.
Teams waited after that first initial tier. But you look
at what the Saints gave up to go get Crystal
Love a U. I mean, you look with the Lions
gave up to go get Jamison Williams. I mean, each
one of those teams made big, expensive moves to go
get that receiver. So the Jets sitting there at ted,
(10:25):
they didn't have to move, I know it probably paying
them the pass on the past rusher there or some
of these other players that might have been available. But
Garrett Wilson was the no brainer, I think, the way
and we've we've talked about it since January, I mean,
the way he could fit this offense, the way he's
going to help immediately. Uh. Just he was the best
of a really top heavy, impressive wide receiver group. And
(10:48):
obviously the Jets are very excited about the Wilson to
Wilson connection. And we'll talk about the names in admitted
here specifically when we get to Bruce Hall, because there
are a lot of similar names now on the New
York Jets. But before we get there, the Jets had
picks thirty five and thirty eight. They move up nine
spots similar to last year, they moved up nine spots
as well, from twenty three to fourteen to select elijahbr Tucker.
(11:11):
They go from thirty five to twenty six. Jermaine Johnson
at a Florida State. How surprised were you that he
was still available at pick number twenty six? Oh? Extremely?
I mean, pass rushers don't last very long in the
NFL draft, and that he's the exception. I mean, we
we heard after the draft, Uh the Jets got three
(11:32):
of their top eight players, uh, including Jermaine Johnson, which
tells you and we talked about it before the draft.
We knew how much they like Jermaine Johnson. Uh, but
for him to fall as far as he did, and
you have to wonder when did Joe Douglas start making
those calls, uh, you know, trying to get up back
into the first round Jammine Johnson passed, you know, fifteen, seventeen, twenty. Uh.
(11:54):
You know you can bet he was keeping an eye
on that. Uh. You don't you don't want to give
up draft fix to uh, especially when you already had
two first rounders. Uh, you know that this is a
team that's still building, and you know you don't want
to trade away Uh, you know, high draft capital. But
you have a chance to go get one of your
guys that you ranked very high in this draft. That's
why you pour all the resources into scouting, is to
(12:15):
build the board and trust it. And at a certain
point it just became it became too much. We can't
let them fall anymore. Go get Jermaine Johnson. This is
the guy that's gonna come in play the run. He's
gonna get after the quarterback. Um, you know, I don't
know that he's ever going to be a perennial pro
bowler per se, but he is going to be an
above average pro for a long time in my opinion.
(12:36):
So I don't know if you know this or if
you heard this. Joe Douglas said that pick fifteen came around,
he called every single team until he executed a deal
at twenty six. Talk about commitment to a player, The
Jets showed it right there trading up for Jermaine Johnson,
trying to get him from pick fifteen and then ended
up at pick So with that being said, what is
it about Jermaine johnson skill set? Now you think fits
(13:00):
what Robert Salid, Jeff Albrick and company want to run
up front. He's long, he's athletic, he can stand up,
he can put his hand on the ground. Uh, could
play inside or outside the offensive tackle, could play head
up over the tackle. Uh. You know he's not a
Uh his get off is okay, it's not really what
makes him so dangerous as a pass rusher. Um, But
(13:22):
I think his length and a point of attack skills
uh really or or what sets him apart that? And
then his instincts. I mean, he is so quick to
read the backfield action. So you know it's I mentioned
this before, but a lot of my favorite plays from
Jeremaine Johnson this year came first to run because his
recognition was so impressive of understanding the blocking scheme and
to play and what was going with the offense is
(13:44):
trying to do. He sniffed it out immediately put himself
in the position and make plays. Um. And then you know,
you also appreciate a guy that just bet on himself.
You know, he was kind of part of a rotation
at that you know, in that Georgia defense and transfers
to Florida State. Uh, it's a big gamble. Uh, you know,
at least if he stayed at Georgia. I mean he
has a built in excuse why his production wasn't better,
(14:05):
as hey, I had to share time. But when I
was out there, I was pretty good. He goes to
Florida State knowing his snap count was going to maybe double,
and he was up for the challenge. Led the a
C C in cycles for a loss, led the a
C C in sacks. You love a guy that has
that type of football character that believes in himself and
bets on himself. So Jamaine Johnson, I think a lot
of teams in the top twenty five made a mistake
(14:27):
by letting him fall that far. H And why do
you think that he did fall that far? Like? Was
there any post draft chatter that maybe you're like, okay, Like,
I'll give you an example. Nakobe Dean gets selected, people
are like, oh, there's a medical that popped up that
maybe isn't what teams want to see. It doesn't feel
like that was the case with Jermaine Johnson. Feels like
it was almost kind of a mystery very much. So, Um,
(14:49):
I think that because he's not that again, not that elite,
get off, you know type of guy. The burst is
not why you love him. Uh keep you a little
segmented at times with pass rush. So he's not uh,
you know, that type of pass rusher. I mean, he
had he can win, but it's with length, um, it's
with uh, you know, a very technical approach where you
(15:12):
know he's gonna use sweite moves and rip moves and uh.
So I think maybe that was something that turned off
some teams, but still very very surprised at a lot
of teams, especially you look at the Chiefs. Uh, there's
several teams in that early second round range, even seem
like the Cowboys passing on a guy like Jermaine Johnson
(15:35):
was a big surprise. Alright. So just when you thought
the Jets, you know, maybe they'll trade back in the
second round because they traded up to get Jermaine Johnson,
maybe they want to recoup some of those picks, that's
not the case. They move up to spots, they execute
a trade with the New York Giants. They take Bruce Hall,
the running back of Iowa State. We didn't talk a
whole lot about running backs in the pre draft process.
(15:57):
So what is it about Bruce Hall that may him
in your eyes, a viable option to be the first
running back called on draft night. Yeah, personally I liked
Kenneth Walker a little bit better, but I you know,
it's hard to argue with Breeste Hall. I mean it's hard.
It's hard to put holes in him as a player.
I mean everything that you see with Breese Hall. You like,
(16:18):
h forty one touchdowns over the last two years, forty
one rushing touchdowns the last two years, said, an FBS
record with twenty four straight games with at least one
rushing touchdown. The guy just finds the end zone. Um,
and you see the way he tested. I don't know
that necessary. It plays as explosive and dynamic as as
(16:38):
the numbers will you know at the combine show. But
he's not a slug out there. I mean he is.
To me. The most impressive thing with Breece Hall the patients,
the instincts, the decision make We talked so much about
decision making with quarterbacks, not enough with the running backs.
Breese Hall understands understand the blocking scheme. He's patient, he's disciplined,
and he it maximizes every single run and that's what
(17:01):
you love about him as a running back. That and
nobody brings on on passing downs as a pass catcher,
as a guy that can get better in pass protection.
But I think at least as a base that you
can work off of. So when you said earlier that
Garrett Wilson makes the playbook come alive when you factor
in the Jets offensive line editions like Lake and Tomlinson,
(17:24):
moving Elijah Vera Tucker to the right side, hoping that
McKay Beckton comes back to the two thousand twenty former
on that track where he showed that he could be
a very good tackle in this league, particularly in the
run game. When you factor that in, you factor in
what the Jets have in Michael Carter and the way
that he came on. You add Breece Hall to the equation.
(17:44):
What does he bring to that room or what can
he do to that room that you think might take
them to the next level. Well, it's kind of like
Garrett Wilson conversation where Wilson can do everything, Uh you
know it doesn't You can line them up everywhere you
want in the formation and he's gonna be able to
make a a briest all the same thing. It doesn't
matter that the situation third down, first down, UM, wherever
(18:06):
you want him to play, he can do that. And
so I think, especially when you look at the scheme.
He it was primarily a zone scheme at Iowa State,
and you know, looking at the Jets zone based offense,
I think it's a perfect fit for this scheme in particular.
And even though I don't think running back was necessarily
at the top of uh, you know, where we thought
(18:27):
that Jets were going, it's hard to uh, you know, again,
when you want to surround your quarterback with good talent,
it's hard to disagree with what an addition like this,
Uh you know what what do it would do for
for your quarterback? What it does for your passing game? Uh,
it's hard to disagree with, uh, you know, making a
pick like this, even though I know someone will say
it's too early for a running back, and uh, when
(18:49):
you have a chance to get the top running back
in the draft on your board, I certainly understand why
they went that direction. I think there's definitely I know
that you did not have Breece Hall as the number
one running back, but is there a case to be
had that the Jets drafted the top corner receiver and
running back in the draft. Oh, no doubt. I mean
it's there was not a big gap between these two
(19:10):
players for me, um, even though I did give Kenneth
Walker a little bit the edge, But I mean Breece Hall. Again,
it's kind of like Jeremaine Johnson too, where I mean,
point me in the direction of the big negatives on
Jeremy Johnson. Kind of the same thing with Breece Hall,
point me the direction of the you know, the poking
holes in him. Where where are we nitpicking with Bruce Hall.
(19:30):
He's just not a guy that has a ton of
you know, you get to kind of search for for
negatives on him. Uh So, I mean there there's a
lot of like about what he's gonna bring to the room. Uh,
what he's gonna bring to the field. Another guy we
talked about with Sauce Gardner, competition and what that does
for everybody in the room. Breee Hall, He's bringing a
lot of competition to the running back room. All right.
(19:51):
Then the Jets end Day two with pick number one
on one still on offense, tight end, Jeremy Rucker. Now,
we talked a lot about Ruckert his prowess as a
run blocker, but what do you think about the situation
he now walks into behind guys like c j Uzama
and Tyler Conklin where he can develop a little bit
(20:14):
as a past as a receiver, even though he showed
flashes at Ohio State that he can do it and
day one and he'll stick his face in the fan
as a run blocker. Yeah, we know we talked before.
How you know we love what they did at tight
end in free agency. Uh, you know with Conklin and
his Zama and kind of rebuilding that that tight end
room with those guys that they brought in, and then
(20:35):
you dropped a Jeremy Ruckert in there as well. Who
can learn from those guys? Who is a do everything
all around tight end, can block, can run routes, can
catch the football. Uh? I love the fit. I mean
Rutgert was a guy that you know, going into the process,
I thought he's going somewhere top seventy five. You know,
he's that good of a player, even though the production
maybe doesn't jump off the page, and then you know
(20:57):
he has the foot injury, so no combine, no pro day,
no workout, and so I dropped him just a little bit.
He was like number eighty five for me um and
the Jets are able to get him a little bit
later than that. So I love the value with Jeremy Ruckert,
and I love the player. I mean, the Long Island native. Uh,
it's funny, I tweeted back in January. I looked it
(21:18):
up his January fIF how I love the fit of
Jeremy Rucker in that jet scheme and his dad, Jeremy's
dad actually responded to that tweet at the time with
a picture of young Jeremy Rucker with a Jets tattoo
on his cheek, and I thought, oh yeah, I mean
it's perfect. You know, the Long Island native stays close
to home. And you know, it turns out it came
(21:41):
to fruition. So Jeremy Rucker, I love the fit. I
love what he adds to that room. And then you know,
towards the end of his rookie contract your three how
are we talking abou Jeremy Rucker. I think it's there's
a lot of optimism about what he could be possibly
an eventual starter. It came to fruition. For for you?
Huh you really? I remember last year our mock draft
(22:02):
you had Michael Carter the running back in the fourth round.
Now now you're kicking it up. You went to January
fifteenth talking about a potential fit for the Jets and
end up coming fruition. What do you think about that?
Two for sometimes a little bit, sometimes you get lucky.
You know, you throwing up dark, Eventually you're gonna hit one. Right,
So yeah, no, just the fit made too much sense
from the start, just not only that the geographical uh ties,
(22:25):
but just with what the Jets were looking for. And
you know, after they made this two signings in free agency,
you wondered, well, maybe they wait until uh the fourth,
fifth round or if they draft it tight end at all.
But I think the Rutger at that point in the
third round just too much value they couldn't pass on.
All right, how about day three? The Jets have two picks.
(22:46):
Max Mitchell, tackle out of Louisiana is the first one.
What does he bring to the table that maybe the
Jets don't have right now? And I know that day
three you're talking about traits, you're talking about developmental traits.
What does he bring that you see what the Jet
saw with a player like Max Mitchell. You have to
trust the team because it was surprising at the combine.
(23:08):
He did not test like I expected or a lot
of scouts expected. Um. You know, the forty time wasn't great.
Uh three time Cohen was three. Cohne time was not great.
The jumps, the vertical. So but when you watch the tape,
you see a guy that uh really looks, loves to
mix things up with his hands. Uh, moves pretty well. Um,
(23:29):
and you love that he has experienced across the across
the offensive line started. He was primarily a right tackle
at Louisiana, but also played left tackle, played a little
bit of guard. Um. And this is a player that
should have red shirted, but he didn't. They needed him
right on the field immediately. Uh. And I mean he
was basically a starter when he showed up. So, Um,
a guy that's still learning, still developing, but at that
(23:50):
point in the fourth round, I really like that. Uh,
that investment. Uh, it's you know, low risk, but there
is some reward possible with a player Mitchell who has
understanding with his hand what to do with his hands,
and then also you know, moves pretty well. Despite what
the testing numbers say. You know, for a guy like
this Dane coming from a smaller school like Louisiana, the
(24:13):
Jets have their starting tackles in place, no doubt if
he were to be like the Jets swing tackle year one.
Is that a little ambitious of a thought and you'd
like to see some development or you think that if
for whatever reason, his number were called as a rookie
to fill in at one of those spots, he could
do it at a reasonably efficient rate. I don't think
(24:34):
that he's necessarily NFL ready. Um. I think that if
you throw him out there, there will be some speed bumps.
There's no doubt about it, and um you know it's
it's something that's to be prepared for if he's on
the field. But with that said, I do think that
he can hold his own because he moves. Not only
does he move well, but I think it's a really
strong understanding of timing and you know where his hands
(24:57):
need to be. And that's especially a but when you
know when they're not. If he's just a tick off,
he can be jostled at contact. Uh, you don't you
know the base strength, the core strength. I don't think
it's quite where it needs to be. He needs a
little bit of time developing, uh in the weight room, uh,
you know there with the Jets coaches. So if he's
(25:18):
out there, uh, you know, at any point in this
rookie season, I would expect some speed bumps. But you
know that's sometimes that's the best time you learned is
when you're on the job like that. If that is
definitely the case, especially when you think about the Jets
rookie class last year, even the day three guys thrown
to the fire immediately definitely progressed as the season went on,
forgot like Max Mitchell before we wrap up with Michael Clemens.
(25:41):
Is that what you'd like to see in a couple
of years though, in terms of a swing tackle or
you think he has a potential to even be a
little more than that. No swing tackle is exactly that.
That's that's kind of where I graded him as a
early Day three developmental swing tackle, a guy that uh,
you know is uh, you can really grow into being
a steady pass blocker, can get the job done as
(26:03):
a zone run blocker. So again, I think the fit
is exactly what this team is looking for on their
offensive line. It's just he might not be you know,
in ready made packaging. He might need a little bit
of time, uh, you know, in the crack pods. Just that,
just to finish him a little bit, all right, Michael Clemens.
This is the Jets final draft pick, pick number one,
(26:25):
seventeen Texas A and m the story's great. He's a
very quiet, reserved guy at least so it seems when
you watch him interview, But on the field, something definitely
switches for him, and he plays with a little bit
of violence as you can see. So what is it
about Michael Clemens that if you're the Jets, that excites
you about him as a prospect? Yeah, I mean throwing
(26:48):
the l s U tape from last year. If you
want to get excited about Michael Clemens, his ability to
you because he's he's so long as a player, almost
thirty five inch arms, um, and he's so powerful contacked,
his hands are so so heavy. His ability to attack
blockers and then work off of that, whether he wants
to go through the blocker or use a little bit
(27:11):
of that quickness to uh you know, work him off
balance and then get around him to the quarterback. He
can do that. Um, you know, he's not a uh
necessarily a a twitchy pass rusher, but he does have
some explosive this in his lower body. And when he
uses that forward lean where he can just go forward
towards the blocker and get him off kilter, that's where
(27:31):
he's at his best. So, um, the speed to power
is really impressive. Uh. He's an older player. You know
that there's some stuff in his background that you know,
you weren't sure how teams are going to to handle it.
But on the field, it's not hard to really like
this player. And it's because he already owns NFL physical traits.
He he looks the part. When he goes into that
(27:53):
uh Jets locker room. I think his teammates will kind
of look at him and say, oh, when when when
we signed you? I mean, I don't think they'll realize
this is a rookie we're talking about here. He is
physically ready for the NFL. That that is amazing. I
definitely got that sense, even just when you you look
at him sitting down, even when you look on on YouTube,
if you just pop on any kind of highlights of
(28:14):
Michael Clemens. But the last thing I want to ask
you in terms of Michael Clemens. If the if your
hope for Max Mitchell is to become a swing tackle
in a couple of years, what is your hope for
Michael Clemens in a couple of years, And what do
you hope for him as a rookie. Yeah, well, I
mean I think that, uh, you know, he's gonna be
part of the rotation from from the get go. Um,
(28:34):
as long as he can handle the playbook. Uh, he's
gonna be out there and making, you know, being part
of a rotation because he can play the run, he
can give you a little bit of juice Russia the passer.
And I think he has that size where kick him inside. Uh,
you know, he's not a you know, you have to
put him in a certain spot, use them inside outside. Uh.
And I think when you look at the Jets defensive line,
(28:57):
they've got versatility up front with with the current roster
and the guys they've added. So I'm excited you drop
a Clemmons in there. I think you've got another guy
that has that versatility that can be really a strong
part of your rotation. All right, last question here is
the following every team right now in the NFL feels
(29:17):
good about their draft. You would imagine because you just
added players that you like, you feel like you got
a little bit better. With that being said, what is
it about this Jets draft that you would really hang
your hat on and say, this is the reason why
I think the New York Jets are a better team
today than yesterday, and the players that they drafted will
(29:38):
be good pros and helped turn the corner for this franchise. Well,
it starts with them drafting three of their top eight players.
I mean that's there. There's there's no way, no, no,
no point getting cute that with my answer. I mean
it's as simple as that. Uh, you know, they got
three really good players in the first round, they come
back with two really good offensive players in the second
and Day two, and then they add too fourth rounders
(30:00):
guys that, uh, you can be part of the long
term plans. And so if I'm Zack Wilson, I'm watching
the draft unfold, I'm seeing who he added. I'm getting excited,
and I'm looking at this and saying, Okay, they're surrounding
me with really good players and now it's up to
me to go make things happen. Um, So if I'm
a Jets fan, I'm ecstatic about what would happen. Uh.
(30:21):
You know, this is why you add if you're able to,
this is why you add the draft capital. It gives
you options. You want to try back up to the
first round to get it, Jamaine Johnson, you could do that. Uh,
if you want to move around a little bit, and
you know, make sure that you're getting your guys, the
guys that you graded high for your scheme and your
culture and what you're building. You have the flexibility to
go do that. And that's what we've seen with Joe Douglas. Uh,
(30:43):
in this coaching staff and the draft picks they have had.
They have been aggressive, but at the same time, you
can you know you understand the plan. You know it's
not they're just not throwing darts out there. Uh, And
that you understand that there's a plan in place. And
if if I'm a Jets fan, that makes me excited.
That is the perfect way to end the review episode
(31:04):
of NFL Draft Preview that puts a period Dane at
the end of the two thousand twenty two NFL Draft.
As always, it's been a pleasure, and you know, next year,
maybe the Jets don't have two first round picks as
it stands, but you never know what's gonna happen. So
it's been a pleasure and we'll talk to you next season.
Can't wait. Thanks even
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