It seems as though we now have our two starting safeties for the 2012 season, Yeremiah Bell and Laron Landry. A few have questioned the lack of coverage with this unit, but going back to who was available. Outside of trading for a safety and having to either give up a hot commodity or a valuable high draft pick, there wasn't really anyone available on the open market.

I was a big fan of Thomas DeCoud for his coverage ability, however when Atlanta snapped him back up before we even had a chance, the coverage safeties in the league were few and far between. With how the league is developing into a passing league, teams who have those coverage safeties will not be wanting to let them hit the open market.

According to Pro Football Focus Tyvon Branch and Thomas DeCoud were the two best safeties entering free agency. Both re-signed with their current teams. Then came Reggie Nelson and Michael Griffin, both players remaining with their current teams from 2011. Then the 5th on the list was none other than Brodney Pool who never quite managed to impress enough to stay on the field as a starter with the Jets.

Then we have a look at the draft where elite safety talent was hard to come by. We have Mark Barron who is better playing the run than the pass and who was over-hyped due to a week class. You then have the fringe starters like Harrison Smith. Further and further back we get Guy Winston and Markelle Martin.

We chose to take Josh Bush, a decision I'm still not sure about. We also managed to grab Antonio Allen a player who is not ready to start but you could develop if given some time to really work on his coverage. he hasn't dropped back into coverage enough in college to feel comfortable in the NFL, however he does have the raw ability in terms of speed, instincts and ball skills to make you believe that he may turn into that starter.

So we have LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell, a better combination than Eric Smith/Jim Leonhard/Brodney Pool trio. The bottom line for me is that there really were not many options to upgrade long term at the safety position and the good to elite coverage safeties weren't available. I do think that we have improved the position for the 2011 season, and I do think we will look to address the position long term next off-season. I know there is disappointment that we haven't found that elite coverage safety yet, but the draft in 2013 will be a chance to improve if the college season goes as planned, the players who should perform do, and then they declare.

We kicked off our on the trail series last weekend with a look at the top 20 prospects in college football, you as Jets fans should be watching in 2012. In this weeks edition we're going to focus in on one player, safety Eric Reid for the LSU Tigers.

Here we are going to just take a quick look at Eric Reid and if you take the jump, I've selected three games in LSU's season that we need to focus on to see how Eric Reid tests against some of the better passing attacks in college football.

This off-season we have signed Landry and we have signed Bell. We've drafted Bush and Allen and we still have Smith and Wilson. I see potential, but I also still see a need for a player with excellent ball skills and more range. A true top end talent. Landry and Bell will likely be short term answers, I'm not sold on Wilson or Bush yet and Antonio is unproven and the less said about Eric Smith as a starter the better.

In an ideal world, a couple of those players make the jump this year and come draft time we are not even discussing the safety position. However I doubt that happens, so I'll be really focusing in on the safety talent in college football this year and if you want somewhere to start, I suggest you start with Reid.

(Eric Reid, a Lifelong LSU fan)

Reid has the potential, skill set and size to play either safety position. A highly recruited prospect (4 star), Reid committed early to the local Tigers. An intelligent man (4.3 GPA) and athletically gifted (Track and Basketball player in High School). Most are predicting a break out season for Reid who has already made a good impression in LSU on both special teams and in the base defence.

This off-season Eric has found himself on the Lott Impact Trophy watch list which is awarded to college footballs Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity. Academics and athletics have always been equally important to Reid and his family, Notre Dame heavily recruited him a couple of years ago and I remember following that recruitment process with interest.

In his Sophomore campaign in 2011, Reid started all 12 games, ranking third on the team with 65 tackles. A free safety at LSU, he has ideal size at 6'2 and 210lb's. He's a natural leader who plays intelligent football, taking good angles to the football and having the capability to come up and play the run or be a free roamer in centre field.

If you just looked at his stats, I don't think you would be that impressed. However if you look at the progress he made last year as a Sophmore, and his skill set. It looks like Eric is set for a massive 2012. Will be enter the 2012 NFL draft? who knows, academics are important to him and he is scheduled to graduate in 3.5 years. However it's going to be a lot of fun watching him develop this year into a guy I believe will be the best safety in college football at the end of it.

Continue reading this post »

We try not to go too overboard with stories about the Jets backup quarterback, but Manish had some great quotes from Darrelle Revis on what he has seen from Tebow, since he joined the Jets earlier this year.

"He’s a born leader," Revis said on Wednesday. "He really is. Very few athletes have the gift that he has. He tries to lead by example all the time and he tries to be positive, which is awesome. I think that results (in) his success on the field. He came in with Denver and did unbelievable. And now he’s with us. We’re happy. We’re excited for him. We’re happy (that) he’ll bring his leadership qualities to this team."

I don't like posting Tebow articles, I'll be completely honest about that. Not because I don't appreciate what is being said, but because it always turns into a Tebow v Sanchez conversation. I think at some point, we are going to have to get over this and just welcome him to the team and appreciate his qualities and how they can be used to improve the New York Jets. Unfortunately I don't think that'll happen until he's on the field this autumn.

"Some people have it. Some guys don’t," Revis said. "It’s the passion within… of him wanting to be a leader, wanting to win. You see it in him all the time… eating lunch. Walking down the hallway you see it. He’s just one of those guys. He’s very positive. He has passion for what he does and you could see it. You can see it on him when you have a conversation with him. He’s just a leader."

I wouldn't read this as some people have it (Tebow) some people don't (Sanchez), just in case you were starting to think that. I know that when I play any sport, I want passionate guys on my team, i want hard workers on my team and most of all I want guys who want to win on my team. Tebow is really settling in with his new team mates and the more time that passes, the more we start to hear about it from guys like Slausen, Mangold and now Revis.

Click on the link to get some more quotes from Darrelle on Tebow

If you have been livingunder a rock recently, you may not have noticed that the Jets are currently undergoing some public positive reinforcement training for their players. Tebow, Hunter, Ducasse have all been praised by their respective position coaches, and now it's Santonio Holmes turn. A player who probably needs a little positive public endorsement after his late season antics.

Well step up Sanjay Lal who spoke to the New York Post:

"very eager, very football-hungry, very competitive."

"He loves coaching technique as much as I do," Lal said. "So, when we go out there he’ll take his rep and then he’ll help with the technique with the rest of the guys. He knows what I’m looking for. He sees it a lot through my eyes and I see it through his eyes. It’s a good synergy I’d say."

Although I wasn't too impressed with Holmes antics towards the back end of the season. You can understand his frustration, on numerous occasions he was open and Sanchez just missed him, but as a captain (terrible idea) you have to control your frustration, you have to turn that into determination. Work harder with the young QB to improve your timing together, don't act out, miss team meetings and then fight in the huddle.

It's a clean slate in 2012. So far the feeling in camp is that he is here to work hard, and that 2011 is in the past. It all came tumbling down but that doesn't mean it can't be re-built. He's being paid to be elite, lets hope his performance reflects his salary.

I had Antonio Allen rated as a 3rd or 4th round safety prospect, when we snagged him in the 7th I was delighted about it. He has agreed to terms on a four year deal with the rumoured signing bonus of $46,000.

I wrote a little player in focus piece of Antonio back in April that you can view here

When you read about Antonio Allen, one thing that will come up continuously is that Antonio played the SPUR position in college with South Carolina. This is basically a hybrid linebacker/safety, which is why he played a lot in the box and why Rex believed he droppd in the draft. A lot of colleges are now moving to the 4-2-5 defence to stop the spread offence, in this defence the SPUR player is the cog that makes it work. He needs to have excellent decision making ability and a lot of athleticism, shifting up into a traditional linebacker position in runs upport or dropping into nickel in passing situations. It's important for this position to read the defence accurately.

At 6'1 and 210lb's, Antonio has excellent size and although he hasn't played the traditional role as a safety, as Rex said, he'll be able to learn that position while contributing on defence. Any defensive player who is productive in the SEC deserves your recognition. He is excellent against the run as you would expect and tackles well in space, he will need to work on his coverage but for a 7th round selection, this is ultimate value. I can't wait to see him develop.

I really don't know what to say in relation to these quotes from our new offensive line coach that Manish has just tweeted. First lets read them:

DeGuglielmo on Hunter: "Until they ship him out of this building or until they shoot me dead in my office, (he's) going to be starting RT"

DeGuglielmo on Wayne Hunter: "This guy has skills. If you find one out there better than that at that position, bring him to me."

More Dave DeGuglielmo on Wayne Hunter: "This is his year. He’s poised to be the man that he believes he can be & I believe he can be"

It reminds me of a situation where you just keep going and going and going on about something, in an effort to convince yourself that what you are saying is true. Apparently the career backup has skills and that all of a sudden in 2012 we are going to see the skills that have been hidden for the best part of a decade.

I'm sorry I just can't buy it. I'll be completely honest, I'm not very good at evaluating offensive line talent, but when it comes to Wayne Hunter, I don't think you need to be. He was the weak link last year, he said as much himself. That was his year to shine, and he failed.

Are we hearing such positive comments from DeGuglielmo because he simply does not have an alternative, but if he asks for the better RT's to be brought to him, I hope he is providing refreshments as that is going to be one very long line.

Now that he had to come in and win any one over really, but the Daily News have a few snippets from coaches on Tebows continued improvement as an NFL Quarterback and his tireless work ethic that I hope rubs off on certain other players on this football team:

think he can be very good," Cavanaugh told the Daily News. "I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him over an extended period of time . . . not just watching him play on film. I think he’s certainly got the arm strength. He has good mechanics. They’re getting better every day."

"I think with Tim, he’s more focused right now in the offseason on just working on the fundamentals of trying to be rhythmic in the pocket," Cavanaugh said. "So (he) can be using the mechanics that (he) wants to be using. We started to toy a little bit with some of the other things that will happen to you . . . And he’s shown great progress. I’m real pleased with him."

I've always been a fan of this move and make no apologies for it, I honestly think that he can really help us win some football games and his attitude around the locker room in relation to team work, work ethic and just doing the right thing on and off the field will really help this group of players. We do have to worry about Tebowmania and everything that brings to an already media centered spotlight in New York, but the one thing we didn't have to worry about was Tebow not giving 100% every single second he is in the facility:

"He doesn’t let a day go by when he’s not focused on trying to get better at something," Cavanaugh said. "When you’re in that role as a backup, you take every rep, every drill, every offseason practice or meeting to get better. . . . The playing time? Nobody knows how much it’s going to be. So I don’t think we worry about that."

"The perfect scenario is that... we win enough games to get into the playoffs, go deep into the playoffs and have a chance to win a Super Bowl," Cavanaugh added. "I want our quarterbacks to be a part of it... I’m not concerned at all about playing time."

A criminal trial that is long overdue is set to get underway this Thursday in Hampton Virginia with a pre-trial hearing:

The Jets were aware of the pending charges when they selected Ellis in the third round of the 2011 draft. A potential complication is that Ellis is not a U.S. citizen. Ellis, a native of Jamaica who moved to Florida at the age of 11, has "permanent resident" status. A permanent resident convicted of an aggravated felony is deportable, according to immigration law. People close to Ellis have said the alleged victim harassed his girlfriend and came after him with a baseball bat, prompting the lineman to act in self-defense.

Ellis also is facing a civil suit. It was filed last April by Dennis Eley, who is seeking $3 million in damages. In his complaint, obtained by ESPNNewYork.com, he accused Ellis of beating him unconcious and breaking his nose and jaw, requiring two surgeries.

It is extrmely concerning for the Jets, who were well aware of the legal issues when selecting Ellis. I didn't like the selection, especially with pending legal issues. I still don't like it after a slow rookie year and depending on how this trial plays out, it could well be one of the most wasted draft picks in recent memory.

If the Jets did know about the legal issues as Cimini suggests, they must believe it to be frivolous. We don't know the full story, if a guy comes at me with a baseball bat when I'm with my girlfriend, then I'm probably going to defend myself and her and if that means the attacker gets hurt, then so be it.

It's going to be an interesting case, we'll keep you up to date with the proceedings.

I am sorry that I have to reiterate this to you this morning, however Wayne Hunter is our starting right tackle for the 2012 NFL season, it's as simple as that as Wayne says:

''I am the starting right tackle, that's it,'' Hunter said. ''Not up for debate. Whatever happens come opening day, I am the starting right tackle. They told me that, so it's clear to me. It's as simple as that.''

'When it comes to the media and fans, I feel I have lived up to (handling) it. I had good games last year, had some great games. I also had some bad games. I didn't pick up where Woody left off. I was the weakest link last year at times, played like a rookie last year, and this year I'm going to play like a nine-year veteran.''

I really hope that he does, I remember a couple of good games, one being the Jacksonville game in week 2. I can't remember too many great games and there were a lof of bad games. At least Wayne appreciates that he was the weakest link last year, and maybe in his 2nd full year of starting we do see some improvement. Nobody goes out there with the intention of being the weakest link, and I don't think his performances last year relate to any short comings in practise or effort, so It's difficult to have any issue with Wayne himself.

I do have a lot of respect for our new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, so hopefully he can work closely with Wayne to improve his performance this year. However to just single out Hunter would be unfair, the offensive line as a unit need to step up. D'Brickashaw Ferguson had a ver poor year last year and teams found it far too easy to get around the man protecting the blindside, memories of that Baltimore game come flooding back.

I do think we will draft a RT high next year, even if Wayne does improve he will be 31 by the time the season gets started. I'm hopeful of improvement and at least Wayne is saying all the right things.

Here we go, on the trail to the 2013 NFL Draft.

We're through Spring practises, there have been some major stories hitting the college football scene. Bobby Petrino being fired from Arkansas, Bill O'Brien trying to rebuild the Penn State program after so much scandal and off-field scrutiny last year. Urban Meyer is now in Ohio, trying to take the Buckeyes back to the promised land. Every news outlet is busy putting together it's pre-season ranking list, and everyone is looking forward to the fall so we can just play some damn football.

So with that all in mind, here is our first article in relation to the 2013 NFL Draft. Here are 20 players we think that you need to pay attention to this college football season. It consists of players we suspect the Jets may look at in 2013 if they declare. So the list mainly consists of pass rushers, safeties and offensive lineman with a few running backs, inside linebackers and maybe even a cheeky tight end.

Join me after the jump guys, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship

Continue reading this post »

An idea that I have been playing with for some time, but a full season of consistent draft coverage. We have done the scouting reports for draft prospects post season for years now. I have noticed that quite a few of our readers and regular contributors wish they had a chance to really see these guys, not just the highlight tape. However until Kiper and McShay release their post season mocks, if you don't follow college football you really don't know where to look.

So this is where our On The Trail series comes into play. Each week I will post up an article, maybe a couple depending on time, detailing some players you should be watching on Saturday. Give you a quick look into their season so far, their potential and why we as Jets fans should be paying attention to them.

They will be focused on our projected needs going into the 2013 draft, they will include some underclassmen who may declare, but mostly they will be focused on seniors who will be entering the draft. The whole point of this, is to introduce potential players before the season has ended, this gives you a chance to watch them in full game mode to get a real feel for their talent, something that is very hard to do from highlight videos alone.

Anyone who has been here for any period of time will know my little saying, when I watch college football I watch it as a Jets fan first, a Notre Dame fan second and a college football fan third. I really hope that you guys enjoy the series, the first on the trail article will be up either later today or tomorrow with my pre-season watch list of 20 players Jets fans need to keep an eye on.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section, do you like the idea? is there anything that you really want to see included?

I could go over the numbers in my own words, but I can't say it any better than Jenny Vrentas, so:

DeVito had been scheduled to earn $2.26 million in the final year of the extension he signed in 2009. In a restructured deal he agreed to last week, he will earn a base salary of $700,000, fully guaranteed, according to NFL Players Association records.

The $500,000 roster bonus he already received this offseason, as well as his $350,000 workout bonus, are intact in his restructured deal. He also received a $950,000 signing bonus, making his total compensation this year $2.5 million.

His cap number, and total compensation, reduced by about $600,000. Since he is due a guaranteed $2.5 million, it is essentially assured that the team will not cut him.

However, the contract also includes a $750,000 escalator, based on playing time, so DeVito has the opportunity to earn his money back.

This was a logical move by Mike. His name has been batted around as potential trade bait, so helping the Jets out and restructuring to lower his cap number increases his chances of being a Jets player at the start of the season. He really kick started his career under Rex Ryan and he has been a valuable asset in the run game over the last couple of seasons. I like depth on the defensive line and DeVito has played a big role, starting 11 games last season.

He is coming off shoulder surgery and of course we have just added more depth to that defensive front in Coples. I like Mike as a player, he is never going to be that superstar, but he is a guy that you are glad you have when he is called upon.

Minicamp has come and gone, and to be absolutely honest we don't know a great deal about anyones game, it's fun to see these guys in Jets green and it's fun to see Stephen Hill catching some passes, Coples getting some "sacks" and Demario doing his best Revis impression in coverage. However you start to get to know these guys, how they handle questions.

Rex and the gang (I.E the rookie class) had some great things to say, unfortunately Cimini took a little descending tone in his article, suprise surprise. One day we will have to get over this fear of Vernon Gholston take two. Personally I think the comparison between Coples and Gholston is completely unfounded, they were drafted high by the Jets and play on the defensive side of the ball. Coples loves the game, Gholston looked like he couldn't give a damn. The real quotes come from rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill:

The Jets' top scout, Joey Clinkscales, said Hill has Calvin Johnson-like athleticism. Hill, not lacking for confidence, didn't mind that at all, noting that he tries to emulate Johnson and Jerry Rice.

"Those aren't guys I'm going to be," he said. "I'm going to be my own self. I'm trying to take their game and put it into mine so I can be the best I can be or be better than them."

A lot of confidence, but you need that in this league. It doesn't just stop with Hill, it continues with 3rd round selection Demario Davis:

At 6-foot-2, 239 pounds, Davis doesn't have the traditional size of an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but he can run and cover and blitz. And, yes, he does have some swagger. He said he models his game after Lewis and Lawrence Taylor.

"I try to play with the recklessness and havoc that Lawrence Taylor played with, and try to have the leadership and passion Ray Lewis has," Davis said.

Oh, is that all?

Personally I don't want these guys coming into camp saying, I'm going to be OK. I'll probably have a couple of good years but not be elite. I model my game after Tony Mandarich and Aundray Bruce. I want them coming in here saying they want to be the best, they model their games on the elite of the elite. Something tells me that confidence isn't a problem with this group and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm guilty of not utilisizing SB Nation to it's full effect, we have hundreds of blogs with 100's of expert fan opinions on any and every sport. So I thought, what better way to learn about our prospects than by reaching out to the writers on SB Nation who have covered them over the past couple of years?

First of all I reached out to Martin Rickman, the editor of Wake Forest's SB Nation blog "Blogger So Dear" I asked for a quick summary on Josh and why he moved from corner to safety. Here is what Martin had to say:

Josh Bush was promising in his freshman campaign as a cover corner, but slipped significantly in his sophomore and junior years, ultimately losing his starting role and leading to the change to safety. He consistently had trouble following the football in man coverage and was always better in zone anyway, so the move made sense. He took to the rover position instantly and was able to see the ball and read routes much more effectively, leading to an All-ACC campaign in 2011.

Bush is a solid tackler in space and does a good job of rotating into help. When he sees the ball, he can get into his break and has good closing speed to the receiver. What problems he had staying with receivers was addressed by taking him out of man and shifting him to safety.

He has good speed and size and should be able to contribute right away on special teams, either on the hands team or on kickoffs and punts.

While he may not be a star, Bush is a solid value pick in the sixth and should be able to hold onto a roster spot somewhere.

The draft season has come to an end for 2012 and now we look to move onto the 2013 class. I just wanted to say a quick thank you to the GGN community for all the excellent work that you put in over the past 4-5 months. I don't think you'll find another community who produce such high quality work on a consistent basis. From draft profiles from a lot of you guys to Crack's "So you think you can scout" threads which were excellent, Tinley with some diamonds in the rough finds and a lot of you guys who made me aware of some players I hadn't even looked at.

You guys often thank the staff for our work, well I wanted to thank you for yours. We're now going back to work looking at the 2013 draft class, and if there is anything that you guys want to see over the college football season, let us know. Obviously now we can concentrate fully on the Jets squad, but the draft is always in mind.

Moving from one safety to the next, we take a look at our 7th round selection from South Carolina, safety Antonio Allen. A player who many believered would be drafted in the 4th or 5th round. Why he dropped is a good question, Rex said he was shocked that he was still there in the 7th and thought maybe he dropped because his roll at South Carolina was not that of a traditional safety. A player with a lot of athleticism, excellent production and good intangibles, Antonio is going to be an interesting guy to watch on specials and on defence over the next couple of years.

Born in Ocala Florida, Antonio has been productive whenver he has taken the field. He finished his high school career with back to back 100 tackle seasons. He logged 124 tackles and 4 interceptions his senior year earning himself first team all state honors. As a 3 star defensive back prospect, Allen was recruited by several notable schools including Louisville, Mississippi and Nebraska. Finally deciding that his college home was in South Carolina.

When you read about Antonio Allen, one thing that will come up continuously is that Antonio played the SPUR position in college with South Carolina. This is basically a hybrid linebacker/safety, which is why he played a lot in the box and why Rex believed he droppd in the draft. A lot of colleges are now moving to the 4-2-5 defence to stop the spread offence, in this defence the SPUR player is the cog that makes it work. He needs to have excellent decision making ability and a lot of athleticism, shifting up into a traditional linebacker position in runs upport or dropping into nickel in passing situations. It's important for this position to read the defence accurately.

In 2007, Antonio played at Fork Union Military Academy in Chatham before enrolling at Carolina in 2008. Playing at both the strong safety and SAM linebacker position, Allen didn't see a great deal of action and only appeared in four games, notching 5 tackles. In 2009 he moved to the SPUR position and although his stats do not jump out at you, he made a good impression adjusting to the new position and finished with 35 tackles and 2 pass defences.

In 2010 Allen really improved and made the SPUR position his own. He finished the year with 70 tackles, 3 sacks, 14 tackles for a loss, 4 pass defences and 1 interception, including a very impressive performance against Tennessee where he had 7 tackles, 4 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. In 2011 Antonio continues his impressive run at the SPUR position finishing with 81 tackles, 9 for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass defences and 3 interceptions.

At 6'1 and 210lb's, Antonio has excellent size and although he hasn't played the traditional role as a safety, as Rex said, he'll be able to learn that position while contributing on defence. Any defensive player who is productive in the SEC deserves your recognition. He is excellent against the run as you would expect and tackles well in space, he will need to work on his coverage but for a 7th round selection, this is ultimate value. I can't wait to see him develop.

Again a few injury concerns with Antonio, he missed some time in 2009 with a slight concussion, in 2010 he missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury and last year he missed some time with a neck injury. He has never been out for long stretches as far as I can see, but he tends to pick up a few injuries now and again.

Welcome to the New York Jets Antonio.

Continuing our look at the new Jets, this time we turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball and our first safety selection, Josh Bush out of Wake Forrest. Josh is a free safety with corner cover skills, he is smart and productive and comes across as a prototypical Rex Ryan safety. He compliments our other safety selection Antonio Allen nicely and also what we have on the roster at the minute in LaRon Landry and Eric Smith. I don't think he'll come in and blow the roof off the facility, but he will work well on specials and move into a role with the Jets defence going forward, at least in my opinion. So lets take a look back at Josh's career to date.

Born in Lexington North Carolina, Josh attended West Davidson high school playing both quarterback/wide receiver and safety. A gifted athlete who was an all conference selection in football and baseball. He was voted the Davidson county defensive player of the year in 2006 after picking off six passes his senior season. As a sophmore in high school, Josh tore his ACL. However he managed to play through the injury and rehab in the summer, which shows the kind of toughness he has.

Despite being an impressive athlete on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and being a baseball standout. Josh was lightly recruited going into college as a 2 star cornerback recruit. He quickly realised the best situation for himself and chose Wake Forest over Appalachian State, East Carolina, James Madison and North Carolina. At the time he was considered a sleeper recruit. In 2007 while adjusting to college life, he redshirted his freshman year.

In 2008 he worked his way through special teams playing on the punt return, punt coverage and kickoff coverage teams. Appearing in 13 games, mostly on special teams but seeing some action as a defensive back. In 2009 he moved over to free safety and made 5 starts, the crowning moment being a pass he intercepted from Russell Wilson to end WIlson's NCAA record streak of 379 pass attempts without an interception.

In 2010 the Wake Forrest defence was shredded through the air, it highlighted a lack of overall talent and Josh actually moved back to cornerback. In 2011 he enjoyed his most productive season, with more talent across the secondary in ACC defensive rookie of the year CB Merrill Noel, and safey Cyhl Quarles. It allowed Josh to play his natural game, ball hawking. He brought down 6 interceptions, 56 tackles and 5 pass break-ups. Named an all ACC first team selection, he was noted for his ability to read the offence and communicate effectively at the back.

My concern with Josh is that he always seems to miss time through injury at some point during the season, in college it was mostly shoulder and hamstring injuries. In high school, obviously there was the ACL issue. Coming into a physical league like the NFL, he will need to show his ability to stay healthy.

Welcome to the New York Jets Josh

We are starting to settle the draft dust which means we can go into more detail on each selection that the Jets made. First up is a player who I believe represents excellent value for the Jets. Selected in the 6th round, 202nd overall it's Terrance Ganaway. A bowling ball running back from Baylor who will put the pound into our ground and pound. If we want to be as physical a team as many suggest, then bringing in another running back to unburden Greene was a necessity. So lets learn a little more about our newest Gang Green running back:

Born in New Boston Texas, Ganaway was a two time class 2A offensive player of the year at Dekalb high school in Texas. He rushed for 2,815 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior in High school and was named Texas's most outstanding running back. Now high school football is a religion in Texas, so to be named as the top running back in the state is a massive compliment. Although renowned for his football ability, he also played basketball and was a four year regional qualifier in track and field.

Ganaway was the youngest of 11 children and grew up having to fight for everything, times were often hard and he has commented that it was not uncommon for the water and the electric to be out. The son of a pastor he always had high morals and a high belief system. His high school coach Buddy Ray commented that you never had to worry about Terrance because he would always treat people the way he wanted to be treated himself

However Terrance's story now gets a little more complicated. While playing at DeKalb high school he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart which threatened his football career and many believe this resulted in the sparcity of the scholarships offers he received. Doctors advised Terrance that the best thing to do may be to give up football all together. However after he expressed his wish to continue, they said it would be OK as long as certain limitations were put on his workout schedule at the time.Rice, SMU and Houston were the only colleges to formally offer Terrance, and after some deliberation he chose Houston. As a true freshman in 2007 he rushed for an impressive 550 yards and 6 touchdowns in only one start but 13 overall games.

Unfortunately just as Terrance was ready to get back to work in Houston, his mother passed away due to cancer and wanting to be closer to home to support and be supported by family, he left Houston and enrolled in Texarkana college where he took a year off from football and concentrated on attaining his associates degree. After a year away from the football field, Terrance decided it was time to pick up his helmet once again. He was recruited to Baylor by the same coach who had recruited him for Houston, Art Briles.

Using his past struggles to inspire him at Baylor. In one start and 12 appearances in total in 2009, Terrance rushed for 200 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Was selected to the Deans list and the Big12 commisioners list in the fall of 2009 and spring of 2010. As a reserve running back in 2010, he rushed for 295 yards total and two touchdowns. Was a first teal all academic as well.

2011 Terrance finally got the chance to start and he took that oppurtunity and literally run with it. He set or tied 13 school records as a senior in 2011 which included single-season rushing yards (1,547), single-season rushing TDs (21), single-season points scored (132), single-game rushing TDs (5, tied) and longest rush (89 yards)... Earned Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP honor after a dominating almost unique 200-yard, five-TD performance in Baylor's victory over Washington. Keep in mind that he only started for one year at Baylor, he ranks 9th in school history with 2,042 rushing yards and fourth with 28 career rushing touchdowns.

What will he bring to the Jets? Well he has a nose for the endzone, he falls forward and power runs in the mould of Brandon Jacobs. People sleep on his quickness because of his size, doesn't have elite speed but plays quicker than you imagine. Has strong arms and hands to break arm tackles and would be an excellent back in short yardage situations and goal line sets. A good locker room guy who has never been in trouble. If you want a guy to root for, then this is the guy.

Welcome to the New York Jets Terrance.

Quinton Coples, our first round selection and future defensive player of the year (positive vibes people) sat down and talked about what he will bring to the team and what Jets fans can expect from him

On his visit to the Jets pre-draft:

I just met with the coached and the GM, started talking and they started to understand me more, we just fell in love with each other. They started hearing my story, respected me for the man that I was and the things I went through in life.

On going into the locker room, looking around and seeing his jersey:

Unbelievable, like a dream come true. You don't think the day will come where you will become a NFL player.

On his relationship with Rex Ryan:

He's definitely a great coach, defensive minded and he's definitely going to make me the best player that I can be. I couldn't ask for a better coach or a better program, this is definitely the best fit for me and I'm just proud to be a Jet

On what he will bring to the team:

Versatility, I can play all across the line, I think that's going to help us.....we have talent across the board, the sky is the limite for us.

Message to the fans:

I'll bring versatility and I'm definitely passionate about the game. I trained and worked hard to get to this point and now I'm here I'm ready to become a proud Jet and move forward.

With the draft in the books Mike T, Joey C and Rex R sat down to talk about what happened. Here are some notes, followed by my thoughts:

Antonio Allen was a guy that we were pleasantly surprised we could get him where we did

He's a bigger back (Terrence), we're looking for size. Something different from the rest of the depth chart there

He has a couple of significant knee injuries, but we felt good about his health (White)

I was shocked that Allen was still there in the 5th, let alone in the 7th. He was productive at South Caroline, always around the ball, good skills. He does have a choppy backpeddal but he played most of his game at the line, so that's not surprising. I think he'll bring really nice depth to the position and he will certainly help us out on special teams.

John Connor will be here, he is on the team for now...... (Mike T), Clearly there is a role for a traditional fullback as well (Rex Ryan)

I don't know if this was just a poor choice of words from Mike or not. John is still learning how to play in the NFL, as a tough ground and pound team there is certainly still a space for John here. We'll see how it shakes out in OTA's and camp but Rex loves this guy.

Speaking on seeing Antonio Allen in the 7th, Rex commented:

We were a little shocked, you know I think the big deal is he played down as a box safety, even almost looked at as a linebacker at times. I'll tell you, he was almost unblockable in one of the games I watched. I warched him against Auburn and I have no idea how many tackles he made, it was a whole bunch.......He's just an outstanding football player. Maybe doesn't have the experience of a true deep safety right now, but one thing we know as he is learning to play that we're sure he's going to be a great player on special teams.

Join me after the jump for more

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So the 2012 draft is in the books. We will have a lot more coverage over the next few days in relation to all draft picks, and any UDFA's that we pick up. I'm sure we will bring in a fair few over the next few hours.

However if you want to view the draft as a whole, or you are catching up on the weekends events. Here are your 'new' New York Jets:

Round 1, Pick 16: Quinton Coples, DE North Carolina

Round 2, Pick 43: Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech

Round 3, Pick 77: Demario Davis, OLB, Arkansas State

Round 6, Pick 187: Josh Bush, S Wake Forrest

Round 6, Pick 202: Terrance Ganaway, RB Baylor

Round 6, Pick 203: Robert T Griffin, OG Baylor

Round 7, Pick 242: Antonio Allen, S South Carolina

Round 7, Pick 244: Jordan White, WR Western Michigan

I have to say that on the face of it, I love this draft. I think we picked up good value across the board at areas of need. We got younger and faster on defence, and we got a couple of potential game changers on offence as well.

Well this completes the 2012 NFL draft for the New York Jets.

With the 244th selection in the draft, we take Jordan White from Western Michigan. A selection that I know a lot of people here will like. He has nice size and excellent build for a wide receiver, he is a confident route runner who already has been applauded for his ability to work through the NFL route tree

In 2010 he had 94 receptions for 1,378 yards and 10 touchdowns. However he passed that in 2011 when he put up incredible numbers of 140 catches for 1,911 yards and 17 touchdowns. This is even more incredible when you consider that White had two ACL injuries while at Western Michigan and missed considerable time at the start of his career.

It's a great value selection that gives an offence that struggled last year, even more fire power.

This concludes the formal part of the draft, now comes the scramble for the UDFA's.

Make sure you check out our friend Max Strauss's interview with Jordan White, it includes a couple of great quotes

After a more eventful 6th round where we selected three players at three areas of need. We now move onto the 7th round. Bryce Brown went to the Eagles, Cam Johnson went to the 49'ers and Alfonzo Dennard went to the Patriots, all three of those guys I wanted to take a run at in the seventh.

Instead with the 242nd pick in the 2012 NFL draft we have opted for Antionio Allen. In my own personal opinion this is a fantastic selection. We needed more help at the safety position and Allen is a guy who i had rated in the 4th round.

He actually played at the rover position and at 6'1 and 210lb's he has very nice size. Now Antonio isn't a cover safety, which I guess comes from the fact he played in the box the majority of the time. However he is a very good run defender and will give us excellent support in this area and on special teams.

Along with Demario Davis, this is one of my favourite picks....hell I've liked the whole draft, who am I kidding.

Back to back selections, and we bring in some offensive line help with Robert Griffin.....the other Robert Griffin.

He can play right guard, left guard, centre and maybe some right tackle as well. Griffin is 6'6 and 335 lb's, his future will rest at right guard. He may well be the replacement for Brandon Moore. I don't know a great deal about Griffin to be honest, so I'll have to do some research and update the post.

He started 22 of his 26 games at Baylor at either right guard or right tackle, and was named an All-Big 12 first- or second-team. He was a player who the Jets brought in for a visit so it's not surprising to him selected. He does have experience at the right tackle position so we might open that up for him.

Leave your thoughts below

So with our first pick in the sixth round we looked to fill an area of need with an intelligent safety prospect from Wake Forrest. With our secound sixth round selection we take a running back to add to our backfield of Greene and McKnight. Powell too.

240lb's and he can really break some tackles for you. I think this helps a lot with our ground and pound philosophy. Terrance is an excellent pick and represents good value here in the 6th. He has nice feet, and managed to rush for a very good 1347 yards and 16 touchdowns next year.

We'll have more up in a moment, but pop your thoughts on Terrance below

The wait is over and we now have our 4th player from the 2012 draft class to join Quinton Coples, Stephen Hill and Demario Davis. Josh Bush is the guy, selected over Markelle Martin and Antonio Allen. 4.5 speed, productive guy who can play strong or free safety. He led the team with 6 interceptions in 2011

We pick up a player at an area of need, personally I would have liked to have seen us take Martin or Allen but I don't hate this selection. We needed to go safety and he is a productive, intelligent player.

At 5'11 and 210 lb's Josh Bush has experience as a cover corner as well as safety. He was a 3 year starter at Wake Forrest starting at both corner and safety. In 2011 he played predominantly at free safety where he had his most productive campaign with 59 tackles, 6 interceptions, 5 pass break-ups and 2 tackles for loss.

We'll have more info on the selection in a few minutes, but get your initial thoughts down here.

OK guys, that was a a pretty dull 4th and 5th round experience for ourselves. A few players are still dropping though and we now have 3 selections in the 6th round and 2 selections in the 7th.

We are going to be welcoming five new players to Gang Green today. There are a few players really dropping now, so Markelle Martin is still there (injury concerns), Iloka went right at the end of the 5th, Antonio Allen is still there. Chris Polk is also still available as are my two guys Marquette King and Bryce Brown.

Billy Winn, Cam Johnson, Alfonzo Dennard and even Tommy Streeter. Lots and lots of talent still there and now we are into the "lets take a risk on some of these guys" territory.

We'll have content on the Jets selections as they come in of course.

Jets Selections:

6th Round, 187 overall

6th Round, 202 overall

6th Round, 203 overall

7th Round, 242 overall

7th Round, 244 overall

Evening/afternoon or morning depending on where you are around the globe. We move now into the two rounds that may hold the least interest for the Jets. We don't have a 4th (Tebow) or a 5th (Hill) selection, I don't expect us to try and move into the 4th but we may see if we can get involved in the 5th if someone we like starts to fall.

We'll have a different thread up for the 6th and the 7th round as we have plenty of picks to find some gems there. There are players still available who interest me. Obviously Massie is still there, Iloka is still there as is Janzen Jackson, Lamar Miller, Ronnell Lewis, Antonio Allen, Zebrie Sanders, Brandon Boykin, Orson Charles, Chris Polk, Nick Toon, Markelle Martin, Marvin McNutt, Shaun Prater etc etc etc

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is a lot of talent still left on the board. I'll be looking out for a few guys who i personally like and who I wouldn't mind us looking at like Bryce Brown and Marquette King.

Who have you got your eyes on this afternoon? Do you think the Jets will make a move to get into the 4th or 5th round? if so how are they going to do it? Share your thoughts below.

We now have three new members to Gang Green and personally I love the addition of each and every one of them. Right now I'm giving a metaphorical pat on the back to Mike Tanenbaum, Terry Bradway, Joey Clinkscales and Rex Ryan. If only we had a 4th round selection to take Massie, It would be an elite first two days for the Jets.

I think the situation we found ourselves in at #16 was a prime example of why trading up this year, really wasn't a logical situation. We had a great choice of Coples, Upshaw, Reiff, Ingram and DeCastro, more choice than I think anyone thought we would have. In the end we took the guy with the most upside. I really like Coples, if you avoid his 2011 tape where he looked pretty lazy, then you love the guy. When it came time to shine at the Senior Bowl, he came out swinging and Mayock commented that he looked every bit the Peppers clone.

There is a big risk with Coples and nobody is going to deny that, but he has this raw talent and if anyone can get a player to play at full speed every snap, it's Rex Ryan. Not only do I think this was the best pick for the New York Jets, I think this was the best situation for Quinton Coples. I can't wait to see what he can bring to the team, I like him more as 4-3 defensive end coming off the edge, and sometimes lining him up inside at DT. It's versatility, and we know how much Rex loves versatility.

Stephen Hill is another player who I just love, and that's pre combine love too. He is extremely raw when it comes to the finer points of wide receiver play, just as all receivers who play in that option offense at Georgia Tech are. However there are benefits to it as well, Hill has spent the last couple of years blocking his butt off. When you run as much as Georgia Tech do, you need these wide receivers to block well. We plan to run a lot going forward, we are going to need the same thing. In 2010 we played off the play-action and we had Braylon who could get behind defenses. In 2011 we didn't have that and we missed it, it effects the whole system. Now we have a guy with blistering pace, it stretches the field and allows more room for Holmes, Keller and Kerley to work underneath. He is raw, but he has first round game changing potential. I'll take that in the 2nd round at a position of need.

Finally it's my boy Demario Davis. I can't express just how happy I am we are the ones that are taking a chance on this guy. A natural born leader, a guy with excellent pace, instincts and the ability to knock you out. Like Mike said in his post day two conference, he will come in and work hard and play specials straight away. However in my humble opinion it won't be long until we start seeing Barts playing time decrease and Demario's increase. I have a lot of confidence in Demario in every facet of the game. Run stopping, running with tight ends and receivers and rushing the passer. It's one of those selections like the David Harris one, where I think we'll realise quite quickly just how good the value was.

All in all, I have absolutely loved this draft. I think we have three excellent players, at three at areas of need. I wish we still had that 4th round pick to select Bobby Massie, and I would consider trading future picks to get a shot at him. It's a case of filling the needs this year, I don't mind losing a 3rd round next year to fill a need that's still going to be there next year if we don't select this year (I'm not sure that made sense but it is 5:30am).

So far, so good. Can it get even better? lets hope so.

Ladies and gentlemen we are just over 24 hours away from the 2012 NFL draft. An event that we have been looking forward to for months. We have interviewed prospects, we have scouted potential Jets, we have talked with draft experts about who we will select and why we will select them. We have gone back and forth, and we have continuously put up a collection of mock drafts over the off-season that highlight who the experts have us taking.

So I thought what better way to finish it off than to put together a final collection. So here we go, starting with the NFL.com analysts:

Chad Reuter:

16. New York Jets: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa. The team has reportedly tried to trade starting right tackle Wayne Hunter in the past. Reiff could fill in at that spot right away if Rex Ryan finally finds a taker before, during or after the draft.

Charles Davis:

16. New York Jets: Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina. Hearing that his stock has dropped a bit as teams search for the right spot to play him. The Jets will use him in a variety of ways to maximize his talents. Don't be surprised if he plays some ILB, too.

Charles Casserly:

16. New York Jets: Whitney Mercilus, OLB, Illinois. A better outside rush prospect than Melvin Ingram.

Greg Cosell:

16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama. There's no question the Jets need to get after the quarterback to underscore one critical element of Rex Ryan's team profile: a dominant, turnover-fueled defense. Upshaw transitions best as a 3-4 OLB. When I studied him, he reminded me in some ways of Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley: similar size, similar body type. In addition, Upshaw showed the natural strength to be an effective power rusher. There were also snaps in which he bent the edge and closed with speed. Upshaw has the versatility to put his hand on the ground and rush from a three-point stance, as well.

Bucky Brooks:

16. New York Jets: Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina. Rex Ryan wants to get back to bullying offenses with an aggressive pressure scheme that sends rushers from all angles. Ingram possesses the speed and athleticism to thrive as a hybrid weapon along the front seven, which will improve a pass rush that has underachieved the past few seasons.

Join me after the jump for a host of more selections

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