When you evaluate a team’s draft there are several factors to take into account.  First, did the team fill positions of need?  Second, did the team get adequate value with each pick?  And third, did the team select players that fit their systems and overall philosophy?

Overall, the Jets did a good job in all three areas.  Their two biggest areas of need were a pass-rushing OLB and a CB.  They addressed these needs with the selections of Vernon Gholston and Dwight Lowery. 

They got good value with most of their picks although their selection of Dustin Keller in the first round was a slight reach.  Keller was more of a second round prospect but to criticize his selection in the late first round is really splitting hairs. 

However, I question whether it was necessary to trade up to get him because Keller did not appear to be in the sights of those teams picking ahead of the Jets.  The Giants, at pick #31, were not going to take a TE nor were Miami, St. Louis, Washington or Kansas City who were all set at the position.  Miami might have had the need but they had bigger priorities at other positions such as QB.

Did Tannenbaum get good value in the trade with Green Bay?  Well, it depends on which value chart you use.  Over the last two years GM’s have started using a different trade value chart because there has been growing sentiment that the old chart, created by former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, overvalued the first 10 picks of the draft and undervalued players in rounds 2 and beyond. 

According to the old chart, the Jets got good value but the new chart suggests they should have surrendered a 6th rounder rather than a 4th rounder to move up six spots.  It is therefore hard to say if the trade was fair.

What was clear with this move was that Tannenbaum targeted Keller as a player he had to have.  With Chris Baker seeking a new deal, the Jets showed they have no interest in retaining him long term and took Keller to be his replacement. 

In addition to the Keller pick, the Jets were true to their overall vision with their selections.  They chose players who possess the core values that they look for: toughness, intelligence, solid work ethic, and passion for the game.

With the exception of CB Dwight Lowery, the Jets selected players that fit their systems.  Lowery, although very talented, was not regarded as a good man-to-man cover corner and was therefore projected as more of a zone cover guy who would fit best in a Tampa-2 system, so it is curious the Jets would take a player like this. 

Lowery’s intangibles are there.  He is a great leader.  He is intelligent and hard working but he did not demonstrate the ability to run with the faster WR’s down the field.  Because of this, many speculate the Jets plan on using him at safety but I am not one of those people.  The team is very pleased with Abram Elam and Lowery lacks the size to be a regular stopper against the run.

There is no denying Lowery’s skills.  He led the nation in INT’s in his junior year so he is clearly a guy who can create turnovers.  Where he actually fits into the defensive scheme is another matter entirely.

The Jet’s selection of Vernon Gholston was a no-brainer.  He was the best pass rusher in the entire draft and possibly, one of the best overall athletes as well.  The only question with him is his consistency.  He did not deliver results on a game-to-game basis and will have to prove he can bring the consistent effort on every play.

What most experts fail to realize about Gholston is he is still very green.  He has not played a lot of football.  He began playing in his sophmore year in high school and came out of college early after his junior year.  That’s only six years of playing the sport competitively.

When you factor in a season-ending injury (a broken hand in the second game) during his sophomore year and limited playing time (4 games) during his freshman year at Ohio State, Gholston had more like four years of real playing time. 

In addition to his inconsistency, the other knock on Gholston was his lack of instincts.  This is fair criticism because Gholston does not look very instinctive when you watch him on film but he will improve in this area as he gains more experience.

Gholston is going to get better. Right now he uses his talent to dominate opponents but that will not get it done in the NFL.  He will need to recognize offensive formations better and must refine his technique in shedding blocks against the run.

In time Gholston will be the Jet’s biggest defensive playmaker.  He has enormous physical ability and will dominate his opponents once that talent is maximized.  Playing with other good players like David Harris, Kerry Rhodes, Darrelle Revis and Shaun Ellis will ease his transition. 

Dustin Keller was one of my favorite players in the entire draft.  According to my pre-draft position breakdown, he was my highest rated TE prospect.

Keller has great athleticism in his own right and was an all-state high jumper in high school.  He will do a great job of going up to snare passes down the seam and will win jump balls in the end zone. 

He has impressive toughness and brings a real attitude to the offense. The unit has lacked an identity since Curtis Martin’s retirement and Keller will restore that competitive fire the team has missed the last few years. 

Tannenbaum moved up to take Keller because he did not want to experience the same situation at TE that he experienced at OG last year with Pete Kendall.  The Jets overestimated the talent behind Kendall and the offensive line took a major step backward after Kendall was traded.

Tannenbaum wanted to avoid the same mistake with Baker who, by all accounts, seems to be headed out of New York.  Baker wants a contract extension but the organization has not been responsive to his demands. 

As I pointed in my position analysis for the Jet’s TE’s, Baker does not stretch the deep middle of the field.  He is solid but will not threaten the opponent’s secondary and as a result the team has no intention to include him in their long-term plans.

It may be difficult to deal Baker at this point so he could remain on the roster for this season but do not expect him to be around long.  Mangini and Tannenbaum have shown a penchant for trading players who make contract demands.

The Jets got excellent value with their fourth-round pick, Dwight Lowery.  This kid is talented.  He has excellent recognition skills, which allow him to jump routes and come up with interceptions. 

His production slipped in his senior year because he was recovering from a broken jaw suffered during spring practices.  But make no mistake, this guy is a player and his senior year was an aberration. 

Lowery stands an excellent chance to be the starter at the right corner back position. He is a student of the game and will dive into his playbook on day one.  He is capable of making defensive calls in the secondary and will know the assignments of all the players on the defense.  He will also put in extra hours in the film room to improve his game.   He is very mature and should learn the pro game quickly.

The Jets had no third round pick because of the Kris Jenkins trade so Jets fans need to view Jenkins as their third rounder.  His addition brings tremendous value to the team.

A dominant nose tackle is one of the most important components of a 3-4 defense.
His contributions won’t show up on the stat sheet but he will make everyone else around him better.  He will command the double team every time he is on the field, which will leave a teammate unblocked. 

Jenkins has an impressive combination of strength and quickness and he is simply too much for one blocker to handle.  He will be very hard to move off the ball so opposing offenses will find little running room up the middle.  

This was a major problem for the Jets last year.  Teams ran right up the middle on us because our NT could not sustain the point of attack. 

Jenkins will be able to contribute immediately, which is something a rookie would not have been able to do.  Rookie DT’s typically need at least a year or two to improve their hands to fight through blocks.

Good move by the Jets in realizing this and being aggressive in free agency to get their guy.  There was no blue chip nose tackle in this year’s draft that would have been able to come in and contribute this year.

Tannenbaum recouped the fifth round pick he surrendered in the Jenkins deal by trading down in the fourth round.  He used the fifth rounder on QB Erik Ainge from Tennessee.  Ainge’s selection will probably hasten the departure of Chad Pennington. 

The team knows Chad’s arm is not strong enough to make all the throws and has kept him as insurance if Clemens falters.  Having a steady back up like Ainge will make it easier to deal Chad as will a good showing this summer by Clemens.

With their sixth round selection, the Jets drafted Marcus Henry from Kansas.  A long, lanky receiver, Henry will provide another red-zone target.  He has long arms and measures 6-4, 207 and has the frame to add another 10 lbs.  He will need to bulk up in order to position himself against smaller DB’s and catch balls underneath in short yardage situations.

I expected the Jets to select a speedy receiver to complement Coles and Cotchery who are more possession guys.  But the decision makers clearly felt the team needed more size at the position and Henry definitely brings that. 

Henry has good quickness for a big guy but does not have the elusiveness to make people miss after the catch.  Keep in mind he is not a finished product.  He will start out as a short yardage target but can still become a well-rounded receiver by working on his route running and setting up DB’s with double moves. 

In the 7th round, the Jets selected Nate Garner, OT from Arkansas.  Garner is a relative unknown who is more of a project.  He is tough and nasty and excels at run blocking.  He fires off the ball with great quickness, which gives him an edge over opposing defensive linemen.  However, he is not very good on the move and struggles when asked to pull.  He is also not very good at moving his feet and struggles somewhat in pass protection.

If he can improve in these areas, he can vie for playing time but for now, he projects as no more than a back up.  It is difficult to evaluate Garner since he had little playing time at Arkansas until his senior year but he is a late bloomer who may surprise once he is coached up.

More so than in their prior two drafts, Mangini and Tannenbaum put their stamp on this group.  They brought in size at WR and RB with Marcus Henry and Jehuu Caulcrick (priority free agent) respectively. Both players will make the offense better in the red zone. 

Keller will help in this area too.  Brian Schottenheimer will design formations that get Keller matched up on smaller defensive backs so he can outmuscle them in the endzone.

They also brought in more size on the offensive line.  Mangini likes his right offensive tackles to be big and strong and he has that in Nate Garner. Last year the team selected Jake Bender out of Nicholls State and he fits the same profile as Garner: a big, mauler who can open running lanes for the Jet’s power rushing attack.

They added more playmaking ability in the secondary with Dwight Lowery who is great at jumping routes. With an expected open competition at the RCB position, Lowery will be in the mix.

The Jets will create more big plays on defense. Gholston will bring more pressure off the edge and he stands a good chance of making an immediate impact. 

Gholston’s skills are very similar to other college players who enjoyed early success in the pros.  Shawne Merriman, DeMarcus Ware and Kamerion Wimbley all made the transition to 3-4 OLB and put up good stats in their rookie years.  Merriman had 10 sacks in his first year while Ware had 8 and Wimbley 11. 

The Jet’s defense needs to create more turnovers and the selections of Gholston, Lowery and free agent DE Bryan Mattison will help accomplish this.  Mattison was a very disruptive force at Iowa, making a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage.  Don’t be fooled by his free agent status. Mattison can play.  He will command playing time at DE despite being an undrafted player.

I labeled free agent Danny Woodhead as “Rudy” but I was wrong.  He is Wayne Chrebet and fans already love this guy.   At the end of day two of the draft, fans were chanting his name as the last few picks were announced. 

With an ESPN camera crew filming Woodhead as he spoke on the phone, Chris Berman and friends speculated he was about to be selected but he was really on the phone with Jets officials who were getting an early jump on signing him as a free agent.

Like Chrebet, Woodhead will be the underdog everyone counts out until he winds up on the opening day roster.  He is an intriguing story but he is also a damn good athlete.  He is extremely fast and shifty and could be used as a kick returner or a third down back.  He is also pretty strong for a small guy; he did 20 reps of 225 lbs at Nebraska’s pro day. His small stature (he measures 5-7) will allow the Jets to hide him behind big offensive linemen like the Jaguars do with Maurice Jones-Drew.

The Jets added some good players in this year’s draft.  Vernon Gholston will be a starter at OLB from day one.  Dustin Keller is not ready to start because his blocking needs work but he will claim significant playing time in passing situations.

It is unclear where Dwight Lowery fits into the Jet’s defensive scheme.  His size suggests he is a better fit at CB but he does not fit as a man-cover guy so they might consider him at safety.

Erik Ainge is a very smart, big game performer who will provide enough stability at the position to convince the Jet’s brain trust to trade Chad Pennington.  The coaching staff will love his competitiveness and leadership and will be a fixture on the team for years to come.

Marcus Henry is a big, rangy WR who can wall off defenders in the endzone and help the offense put points on the board, an area the team struggled with last year.  Free agent Jehuu Caulcrick will also help in this area. He will pick up the tough yards and can wear defenses down in the fourth quarter.  Caulcrick has an excellent chance of making the roster.

Two other free agents, Danny Woodhead and Bryan Mattison also have good chances to make the squad.  Woodhead’s best chance will come on special teams as a kick returner but could also serve as a reserve RB.  Woodhead’s best chance might come as a practice squad player.

Mattison could make the team as a rotation guy at DE.  He is a disruptive force and gives maximum effort on every play.  With little depth at the position, Mattison will get every chance to prove he belongs.

The Jet’s 2008 draft selections all have an excellent chance of making the roster.  The team also did a solid job of signing priority free agents who have a shot as well.  Many of these players bring size, athleticism, toughness and intelligence, all core values of the team.

A few years from now, we will look back at this draft and find key contributors who upgraded the overall talent of the roster and helped elevate the team to be among the ranks of the more consistent franchises in the league.