When free agency resumes, he will no doubt have his eye on some big names again and will probably follow a similar strategy - to identify the best talent on the market and go after it aggressively.
He loves blue chip talent and does what he has to do to obtain it. He follows a similar strategy with regards to the draft.
He has traded up to snag the likes of Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene, Dustin Keller, Darrelle Revis and David Harris. To acquire these five, he traded away two 2nd round picks, two 3rd rounders, a 4th rounder, a 5th rounder, a 6th rounder, QB Brett Ratliff, DE Kenyon Coleman, WR Chansi Stuckey and S Abram Elam.
That is a lot to give up (7 picks and 4 players) in a three year span but it was worth it. Tannenbaum hit on every selection he garnered from those trades and the Jets have been to two consecutive AFC Championship games, at least in part, because of the play of these core guys.
Tannenbaum also does well when he stays put. In 2006 he tried moving up for Reggie Bush but he was unwilling to give away too much and decided to stay at #4 overall and selected D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the player he coveted initially, and has the critical LT spot nailed down for years.
He stayed put at 29th overall and tabbed Nick Mangold who has started every game since being drafted and is now a perennial All-Pro. Mangold and Ferguson were two excellent picks - they nailed down a shaky offensive line and demonstrated to Jets Nation that Tannenbaum “gets it”.
His first two picks as GM showed he understood the importance of building the roster from the inside out and he resisted what his predecessors had done for years - grabbing more glamorous positions of need - mainly quarterbacks, receivers and running backs - and avoided their fates as well, which was ultimately whiffing on many of the picks.
Tannenbaum is underrated for his ability to mine the late rounds for good players. In 2006, he found Drew Coleman who has done a nice job as the team’s nickel back the past 5 years.
He drafted Matt Slauson in the 6th round in 2009 and with the help of Bill Callahan, he is now a starter on the left side. He took Chansi Stuckey in the 7th round in 2007 and he made an immediate impact as a slot receiver.
He has also signed some good priority free agents such as Brandon Moore and Mike DeVito, who are now starters, and James Ihedigbo who is an excellent special teams player and sub package safety.
Tannenbaum’s draft strategy is to target blue chip prospects, move up aggressively to obtain them and then maximize his late round picks and priority free agents to fill out his roster. That formula has worked well and he now has a young, talented team that is strong enough to compete for a championship for a third year in a row.
I prefer a value-based draft strategy based on taking the best available player and moving down whenever possible to collect more picks. That gives you more margin for error. But that is a tough approach in New York where immediate results and over-the- top media attention are the norm.
Kudos to Tannenbaum for understanding that and excelling with a model that fits his market. More importantly, his approach has delivered results and that is all that matters.
He drafts based on need, particularly in the first round, and moves up to get players he cannot do without. The Jets’ biggest need this year is for a pass-rushing outside linebacker and if one is available within Tannenbaum’s striking distance, I would not rule out a deal.
But the far more likely scenario is either staying put or moving down, if for no other reason than he lacks the ammunition to move up. Without a second rounder and being restricted from trading players, he does not have much to trade.
But Tannenbaum has plenty of company when evaluating these decisions. He may have ultimate responsibility for each pick, but he does not make his decisions in a vacuum.
He has an excellent supporting cast. Terry Bradway did not work out as GM but is still an excellent talent evaluator and Tannenbaum relies on him heavily, both leading up to the draft and on draft day.
In fact, it was Bradway (along with VP of College Scouting, Joey Clinkscales) who convinced Tannenbaum to move up 12 spots in the 3rd round in 2009 to take Shonn Greene. He was their 19th rated player overall and was still on the board after 64 picks.
After trading away a lot to get Sanchez, Tannenbaum was hesitant to make the deal but since he uses a consensus from his braintrust, he wisely listened and selected a guy in Greene who, I will admit, I was not particularly high on yet Greene has proven to be a solid back.
Bradway is a seasoned draft veteran with over 26 years of scouting experience and has over 60 notebooks full of notes from prior drafts. He keeps the evaluation process on point and ensures the Jets keep with their offensive and defensive philosophies when stacking their board.
Clinkscales drives the entire draft process. He stacks the Jets’ board and reduces a list of 500 players from his scouts to a board of 250 in December that is then massaged and tweaked over the next four months.
He ranks each of the 250 by position and overall and translates it into a usable summary for Tannenbaum and Ryan. Clinkscales is the guy to whom Tannenbaum turns in order to get big picture opinions on the draft’s positional strengths and players to target based on the team’s identified needs.
In addition to Bradway and Clinkscales, Assistant GM, Scott Cohen also has considerable input. Not too many people know about him but he came up through the Redskins organization under Charley Casserly who used him first as an intern then a scout.
But he really established himself as the Eagles’ Director of Pro Personnel, the job he held between 2001 and 2007, and was an integral member of the organization that went to four championship games and one Super Bowl in that span.
Cohen's draft responsibilities involve gathering as much intelligence on teams' needs and determining whether the Jets can move up or down the draft order. He'll track private workouts by teams and dissect rosters before offering suggestions to Tannenbaum to gauge how many slots he can safely move for draft-day trades.
Rex Ryan is very involved in the draft as well. He defines the types of players he wants and probably does a better job in this area than any Jets’ coach in recent memory. Eric Mangini did a good job identifying player traits but was a disaster when he pushed for a player he wanted.
He loved Anthony Schlegel, linebacker from Ohio State, who the Jets drafted in the 3rd round in 2006 and was cut the following summer. He was a guy Mangini lobbied hard for and after he failed miserably, Mangini never had significant influence in the draft room again.
Ryan, on the other hand, lobbied hard for a tough fullback out of Kentucky and that worked out pretty well. All John Conner has done is wipe out any player who comes within a few feet of him and in the process endeared himself to the coaching staff and fans alike. The “Terminator” will step in as the team’s starting fullback in 2011.
Between Rex, Scott Cohen, Joey Clinkscales and Terry Bradway, the Jets have a pretty formidable braintrust that works well with Tannenbaum to identify top tier talent and to aggressively pursue it on draft day.
While preparing to make their picks, they examine their depth chart with Ryan and evaluate their needs. “It’s really more just checking the boxes off,” Tannenbaum said. “If we can do that with three picks, great. If it’s nine picks, that’s fine. I don’t think we’re ever fixated on the number of picks. To me, I’m always thinking about solving the problem of the need.”
The Jets have one of the biggest scouting departments in the NFL. It is known for its meticulous attention to detail and thoroughness. Based on their picks over the last few years, it is easy to see why they have been so successful.
Their braintrust is a hardworking group. They log a ton of hours and leave no stone unturned. Under Tanenbaum’s leadership, they have been organized, extremely prepared and do not panic when on the clock.
They will draft for need, particularly in the early rounds and will always try to bring in blue chip talent when they can.
Picking at #30, with little ammo to move up, will make for an unfamiliar day one for this group. They finished with just seven picks in the prior two years combined but will have six to play with this year.
Knowing Tannenbaum, that number could quickly decrease but whomever they select with their first pick, you can be sure he will be an impact player and will likely fill a position of need.
Jets fans should feel confident with this group. They know how to identify talent and usually bring in guys that fit their system and contribute quickly.
They will certainly be tested this year with the 30th overall pick. The better teams in the league (Steelers, Ravens and Colts) consistently pick near the bottom of the draft and make their picks count and the Jets will have that challenge for the second year in a row.
Gang Green does not have a ton of needs but you can bet the few they have will be addressed early and often by Tannenbaum and company.
Written by Alan Levin