LISTEN | Jets Draft Countdown - Ep. 2 (4/1)

the first of April. Greenings, I pumped. Listen. Anytime the weather is like this, we get an opportunity to get outside, get some solitary exercise, no doubt about that. I don't even like to call it social distancing anymore. It's physical distancing. Make sure you're able to get outside. Smile somebody, um again. I'm so part to be able to talk out of foul football. We're winding down free agency, I would say, Greens, and you know we've by gearing up the podcast towards

the draft. We have some exciting analysts coming on in the weeks ahead. Uh. You know, it's a good day, man. The great thing about the draft staying put April is that it gives us something to look forward to, given that there really are no sports going around. It was just announced that Wimbledon is now canceled. But without further ado,

let's talk about the draft. The Jets hold the eleventh pick in the first round, the eleventh pick overall, and in every mock draft or most mock drafts, they don't project trade and we're not going to project what the Jets will do, but we're gonna talk about a couple of hypothetical situations on where it could make sense for the Jets to move up. And let's start in the first round. And I know that most pundon's think that the Jets are probably taking a receiver or an offensive tackle.

And in terms of the tackles, the Jets might not have their selection and that they want at eleven if they ship back and let the draft come to them, So they might have to turn a little aggressive and leap frog a couple of teams to get one of these guys. The A yeah, and I'm I'm sure that Joe Douglas, Rex Hogan, Phil sav and Chad Alexander and company. Listen, they're setting their board and they're not going to reach.

You cannot reach at any point in the draft. The tie goes to position and need no doubt about that. And when we look at the Jets, Greens will continue to say it is four needs stick out at you right now. Offensively you mentioned wide receiver and tackle, of course, and then defensively, cornerback and edge will continue to be an emphasis. I don't think that's going to change. I like the Jets position at number eleven, but if you love a guy, Greens, then you go up and get him.

I would imagine it's probably unlikely. I think it's more likely as we sit here today that the Jets stay there or possibly even moved back. But in the scenario as we talk about it at the start of the show, is could they move up? Yeah, I think that if they do decide to move up, and obviously this is just hypothetical, the teams that you're looking to leap frog probably include the Arizona Cardinals at eight. Most likely include

the Cleveland Browns at ten. If you're trying to peg which teams are selecting offensive linemen, and I know a couple of months ago, Dane Brugler of the Athletic had a mock draft trade where the Jets actually went up from eleven to seven with the Carolina Panthers leap frogging then both the Cleveland Browns at ten and the Arizona Cardinals at eight. But I wonder what your thoughts are

on it. I know that I don't remember the exact compensation in this hypothetical, but I know for a fact that it was at least one of the third round picks, whether that was the Giants original pick that's now the Jets because of the Leonard william trades at sixty eight, which is the third pick in that round, or their own pick at pick seventy nine. But what do you think about going up from eleven to seven as far

as compensation? And I'm not sure, like I think it would cost you at least the three it's gonna cost you more than that, frankly. But we should keep in mind here at Green's, the Jets have the four picks in the top seventy nine, and you just told me before we started taping, and those act the exact numbers are eleven seventy nine, yet two in the third round. I'm kind of looking at teams you mentioned Carolina and the Dane Brewler example very interesting because that's a team

that's starting their program right. They have a new coach Um. They parted ways with Cam Newton in the off season, broad in former Jet Robby Anderson, who played under Rule at Temple. But that team is kind of in a trade transition period. So would they want to stockpile Arizona? They landed the big time receiver, maybe arguably the top receiver in the National Football League already in DeAndre Hopkins. Do they want to add another tackle the next even

though they did that as well in the spring. And that's sitting right in front of the Jets. Two intriguing teams are Jacksonville and Cleveland because Jacksonville, much like Carolina. I know it's not the first year of that program per se, but they've done a lot of house cleaning their greens and stockpiling picks, and the trade might be on the way for Jonnick and got Way. And then you have Cleveland sitting there at ten. I'm almost assured right now as we sit here yet Cleveland is going

to take a tackle. Cleveland will take a tackle, whether whether they're picking a ten or they moved up. I think the most interesting thing about the Cleveland Browns in terms of a tackle is they signed Jack Conklin, who was the right tackle for the Titans. He played left

tackle in college. So I wonder, like, does that limit who the Browns are gonna take, Like do you think that they would take a peer left tackle or somebody that at least has experience on the left side, like Andrew Thomas and McKay Beckton, Whereas somebody like Jeddrick Wills, who's ranked by a lot of people as the drafts top tackle, maybe he's not as high on their board because they don't they don't know if if they wanna make him make that transition to the left side. Like

I think that's a fascinating debate. But the one thing that I think that's going overshadowed here when you look at the Jets, they do have ammunition with four picks in the top seventy nine, But to me, where does that come into play? And might not necessarily be the first round? And this is Chad Reuter of NFL dot

Com talked about this. He actually pegged the Jets as a potential trade target to go back into the first round at pick number thirty one with the nine is because the Niners don't have a second round pick, or I think it was a second through fourth round pick, they don't. They need some capital there, and the Jets definitely have the capital to jump up. I think that's

a fascinating idea that we haven't talked about. Well, of course not because everybody, as you know so well brings speaks in terms of the draft as it basically ends after the first round, while there's seven rounds, and then you have your priority undrafted free agents that you get on the horn with and hope to bring in a few and hidden John's per se and maybe guys there's a lot of good players in the National Football League who did not get drafted. But yeah, that's what I'm

thinking about. I'm glad you brought up that example because I don't think, okay, necessarily that's the most likely scenario is going up from eleven. It's actually later on in the draft. Is it pacage in one of those threes or two of those threes to do something down the line, maybe getting back up into the first round, which uh your example noted Jed Rude from NFL dot Com, or or doing some work there in the second round. Because this draft has a lot of depth at certain positions

that extends well beyond that first round. So when we think about trade up, I know people automatically go, oh, eleven up. I don't think necessarily we should just think that way we gotta expand our horizons. Is that where you could potentially see the Jets moving up our roums two and three and even on that third day four. So it's even this is kind of like a guessing game because Joe Douglas is it's his first year as

general manager, so we don't know his tendencies. But everybody that we've spoken to from the time Joe was hired to president, which includes stop at the Senior Bowl and the Ambine and other ten pole events, everyone says, well, look at his past stops, particularly Ozzy knew some more

so than Howie Roseman in Philadelphia. But just looking at those two guys in terms of trading back into the first round and trading up to get the guy you want, well, how about this the Ravens Ozzy Knewsome's last draft talked about going out with a bang. He traded back into the first round to select the m v P of last season in Lamar Jackson, and then Howie Roseman. When the Eagles selected Dallas Goddard in the second round. They leap frog to d Alice Cowboys. The Eagles wanted Andre

Dillard last season. I believe they leap frog the Houston Texans. So you're not necessarily looking at top of the line, top of the draft trades. But to what we're talking about, it wouldn't shock me if Joe Douglas and the staff says, you know what, we really want that guy and he's available, let's say late second round to package one of the those third round picks to get that guy, that would not surprise me. Into your point, I think that could be more likely than and trading up from eleven, but

we shall see. And on the other side, we're gonna talk about potential trade back options because it seems like that might be more likely for the jet But without further ado, here's Olivia Landis and Steve White. Obviously, with the coronavirus pandemic going around, this has had a lot of effects on not only football but sports in general.

But when we look at the NFL specifically, with free agency already underway and the NFL Draft coming up soon, what kind of effects or lasting effects do you think this will have on the league? In regards to free agency and the draft. Yeah, this is this is gonna have you know, several different impacts. First off, as horrible as it may sound, the NFL is catching a break. I mean, look, major League Baseball was supposed to start

the NBA and NHL where mid season. The NFL is kind of on its normal calendar, so games and things like that are not being impacted. But like you said, free agency and the draft, the biggest impact will be on the medical issues for these draft picks and for some of these free agents. And let's use Cam Newton as an example. I mean, this is one of the best players in the NFL. He is a man without a team right now, in part because teams they can't get their own doctors in to look at him for

that foot surgery and the shoulder surgery. I mean, he's putting out videos, he's doing what he can. I'm sure he's providing a lot of medical reports to teams. But it's gonna be interesting to see how this slow played. Same for the draft. I don't think it would affect someone like to a Tongue Viola's draft status. I think he's gonna be a top five pick regardless because the teams that may draft him have a bridge quarterback that could play a season if need be, like Ryan Fitzpatrick

in Miami or Tyrod Taylor with the Chargers. But for some late round guys or mid round guys, the fact that they can't get these medicals, a fact that teams can't get their hands on these guys or do medical rechecks, that's going to cause a problem. And and the biggest thing with this we've heard for years, um the teams with the most experienced and the deepest scouting departments always do well. That's gonna be hugely important because now teams

can't bring in guys for interviews. They are going on their in person scouting when they view these guys and practices and games in the fall, and film and then some of these video interviews like you and I are doing now. So it's it's gonna be a lot tougher to evaluate players because they can't look at them. I can't get the medicals. There's gonna be some misses, but there's always gonna be some surprise hits. Well, you mentioned the NFL draft. I want to dive a little bit

deeper into that. I know how you said the medical part is going to play a big role in free agency. But when it comes to the draft with some of these players, is it also safe to say that free agency and how that affects those players because that can then maybe cause an effect in the draft for teams. Well,

that's in any year. Like we saw right now, how the Bengals, the Chargers, and the Dolphins didn't go out and sign a free agent quarterback, even though the Chargers made a run at Tom Brady, So that tips to hand that that's likely the position they're gonna draft early. Okay, so, but but this isn't any given year. Some teams fill

the voids like the like the Colts. Instead of them drafting a quarterback at thirteen or trading up for it, they traded for defensive tackle the Forrest Buckner and signed Philip Rivers. So those are two positions in the first round where they don't have a first round pick, But those are two positions that they're probably not going to address in the early part of the draft because they dealt with those in free agency. So that's a lot

of the domino with this. Then we see a team like the Patriots drafting twenty three overall, they lose Tom Brady, They've made some subtle moves and you know, they signing a veteran quarterback. They've got yards stood him there. But there's still gonna be a position to draft a quarterback or to trade for one, let's say, for Derek Carr.

I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm throwing out there hypothetically, but but that's just the dominoes that are that are still in play, because we're gonna see some trades on Draft Day because some of these teams, like the Dolphins and Rators have got plenty of draft equity to move up and down. The forty nine is the same, um, but that part of it's not going to be greatly impacted by what's going on right now. I want to dive a little bit more specifically into what you do, Steve.

You're all over the NFL, You've been covering it for many years now. How has this impacted the way you've been able to cover all of these teams and what's been going on? Well? Big time. Um. You know, look, normally, you know, based in Los Angeles, but at this moment, I would be in Florida at the NFL's owners meetings. I mean they're they're discussing a lot of things right now, like adding an extra playoff game, expanding the Rooney rule, there's a lot of you know, how they're going to

deal with are the season right now? Um, but we're home, Okay. Everything is teleconference. These owners are doing this video conferencing, and so that impacted we to our studios are closed. We can't get in there. Like nobody's traveling. We don't have like our total access shows are Good Morning Football.

We can't have studio shows live right now because of the social distancing and just some of you know, the NFL has gone above and beyond which some of the governmental orders are in terms of just shuttering the building and everybody working remotely. So technologically it's tough. Um, some things I'm doing, like I am recording and I am doing, um a couple of live projects. But what this is forced me to do, and I kind of love it because I'm an old writer. This is forced me now

to do some things on the written platform. So digitally, you know, I've got a couple of projects coming out this week that would be digital accompanied by video processes which might be easier for because of some of our technological things to get out on the web. Um, easier than maybe do it you know, broadcast wise, you know, into that vertical Um, just because some of the technological things we're dealing with operating remotely. Yeah, I love that. I had no idea that you were an avid writer.

Can we get like a little sneak peek or or do we have to wait? Well? I will be Actually I've got a big piece coming out in NFL dot com tomorrow, um about what players are doing right now, how they're staying in shape. Um. It's it's interesting, um because right now guys usually are with private trainers, but draft picks a lot of them are training at their universe, usually training at their universities. They're closed right now, so what are they doing? You know, nobody knows when this

is gonna start. So some trainers I spoke with there being very careful about not pushing guys like they normally would because O. T A s typically start in April, right, so they'd be getting guys in prime shape. So when they step on the field in April, they're not pulling any muscles in this and that. Well, they're not pushing that hard right now because O, T, A, S and all in. Many camps are suspended indefinitely. Suppose they don't

come until June. They want to burn a guy out, so by the time they get to June, they've got nothing left. So it's a really interesting piece on what some guys are doing they try to stay in shape, to manage things, and how a bunch of young men and their twenties are social distancing in their free time. I mean, sure some of them are still playing video games. Yeah, but these guys aren't hanging out or doing things that

they normally do. So I've got a really cool piece on that coming up, looking forward to it real quickly. Where can people find that so when people watch this they know where to find your stuff? Yeah, to be on NFL dot com and I'm sure we'll we'll put links out on the NFL Media, NFL Network and on my Twitter platform social platforms. I'm at whiteh W y C H E eight nine Old Jersey number perfect. We can't can't wait to see it. It's a very interesting piece.

I'm glad somebody's talking about it because, like you said, this isn't something we've seen ever before. So each guy has to be handling it differently, you know, especially when you think of some of these guys just coming into the league, some of the guys that are getting ready to get drafted, compared to the guys who have been around for a little bit longer. And let's not kid ourselves. Even though they're in the NFL, there are some players who need some structure and we need to be kind

of under somebody's thumb to work out diligently. Yeah something right now, who are sitting around working out two or three times a week and you know, ordering from late night pizza and eat and Cheetos, who aren't staying in the proper shape, They're gonna be exposed. So it's it's gonna be real interesting to see how guys handled this offseason. Who's really committed. Um, let's let's not kid ourselves. I mean,

this is a boon for these private trainers. These guys are gonna make it a ton of money because these guys are gonna because good players are gonna be paying them to keep them in shape. Um Whereas again, normally these guys would be working out with their teams by mid April because of O T A so just another adjustment people are gonna have to make. It's kind of a lot like the lockout year in two thousand eleven and players were locked out. There was still a draft,

but nobody had any place to go. And then in July when everything got settled, late Russian training camp conditioning season started. Wasn't the prettiest of football for two or three weeks, but then everything kind of came together. Thank you to Olivia and thank you to Steve always great here from Mr Whitch of NFL Network and e A. Let's now talk about the trade back options. And again let's start at eleven because that's the jets first election.

And what hypothetical scenario should I say, do you envision a trade back being likely for Joe Douglass and the Jets? Well, let's just play this out. Todd mcshay's latest mock draft. He had the Jets going for the fantastic receiver out of Alabama, Jerry Judy. We've been talking all along that who's gonna be playing across from Perryman? Now, h Perryman, you would think that he takes the spot of Robbie Anderson.

And we know Jamison Crowd is still in the mix, and then there's some question marks as far as Quincy Nowton was howth Also, Vincent Smith is a young guy who's showed some things, especially last season, coming in and playing and things like that. But not to get off point is the McShay scenario is an instance where maybe the trade down makes sense because look at the names that he has at twelve through fifteen Greens twelve he has Ceedee Lamb going right after Jerry Judy out of

Oklahoma to the Las Vegas Raiders. Nanny sticks with that receiver position. He says that the Jets are going to start the run of receivers. San Francisco uses that pick they just acquired from the Colts and they take Henry Ruggs does Speedster the absolute burner out of Alabama. Then the Buccaneers at fourteen go McKay Beckton. That tackle out of Lois Bo started at the right side and then finished up on the left side. We know that. And

then Andrew Thomas goes to the Broncos at fifteen. At sixteen, you're talking about Javon kim Law from South Carolina, the interior Menace going to Atlanta. But that's a run of five or six pick screens where you're like, I could see potentially all those guys fitting in with the New York tests. And on the other side of that, there have been mocked drafts where three or four of the top offensive tackles have come off the board by the

time the Jets are on the clock at eleven. So it wouldn't surprise me if maybe if that's the case, Joe Douglas and his stafford like, you know what, let's trade back a couple of spots. Maybe somebody wants to

come up for the top receiver. I know. I saw a mock draft that had the Broncos going from fifteen to eleven so they could have their pick of the litter at receiver, and then the Jets ended up selecting I don't remember who it was, and I think it was actually Jeddrick Wills felt to fifteen in this mock draft. And then I saw another mock draft where the Jets

actually traded back with the Falcons at sixteen. Who came up to take Caleb On, Chase On, and who's the edge rusher out of l s U. So I think that the trade back scenarios are interesting, and I just want to go back to the other round, similar to what we did with the trade up. I think maybe

in the second round. See, this is what's unfortunate about a tiebreaker in terms of record and strength of schedule, because the Jets in the first rounds to their advantage, they finished seven and nine, their their strength of schedule, the way that it it panned out with the other teams that finished seven and nine, they're the first seven and nine team to be selecting at eleven, and in the second round they're the last because it flipped. So let's say they miss out on a string of players

that they believe would have been worthy of pick. Maybe they trade back and collect another third round pick or another fourth round pick. Considering that the third and fourth rounds of this draft are so deep and you could find Day one contributors, if not Day one starters in those rounds, so awesome. Point. The thing that we have to keep in mind when we go back to eleven

is that not every first round pick is equal. Mean, when the Jets finalize that draft board greens, they might have fourteen players that have actual first round grades assignment, they could have seventeen first rounders on their board. So one through thirty two. The weight is not the same much like the same in the second round, and early second rounder is a lot different than a late second rounder.

And you're talking about how the Jets early on one of those teams at seven and nine first round it helps them second round though a little bit further back, of course. So I love the position they're in with the two third rounders because there's so much you can do with a pair of threes. There really are. You can go up potentially getting the high too. You could sit there on day three, have those threes and then trade.

Maybe somebody wants one of those and they're gonna give you a two, and maybe that's a team who was rebuilding or struggling or whatever two next year. Um, there's a lot of values. There's a lot of value there in the pair of threes. But right now sitting there at forty eight. Um. The other thing you gotta keep in mind is you can't just go need need need, and Joe Douglas is not gonna be forcing anything you gotta especially when you start getting later in the draft.

What's the bus value? How's the guy gonna help you? Um? So, uh, you know it would be interesting that the three one of those threes can get you all higher in the second round. There's no doubt about that. Do you want to do that? Or in a draft that has great dupt, that receiver, great depth, that running back, great dopted a few other positions, do you want to hang on to that pair for Day three? You're gonna have options. You're

certainly gonna have options. Yeah. Absolutely, And to your point, I think it'll be interesting to see if and where Joe Douglas and the Jets decide to trade up or back. I think, to to what you were saying before, it does seem more likely that it wouldn't happen around the eleventh pick if they decided to trade up for more so in rounds two and three, maybe even the back

end of the first round. But again, draft coverage really ramping up here on all of our platforms, and particularly the Official Jets podcast powered by Amazon Web Services e A thanks a lot of thanks to Olivia and Steve White again, and we'll talk again tomorrow. Ro Open happens in a pret