LISTEN | Jets Draft Podcast | 2021 Draft Review

mental well being. What you love the draft. I love that this is one of your favorite weekends of the year. Might be the top weekend of all. The draft. The first padded practice of training camp is right up there, too, but the draft is definitely I think it's up there. It's gotta be one a for me. Yeah, listen, yeah, I think it's an exhausting weekend. But for the New York Jets in their France base, they should be enthused about what actually transpired over the course of three days.

Starts with Zach Wilson at number two overall. He will be the headliner. He will be the person that we will come back to in five, in ten years and say how do the Jets do in the draft. While it's gonna be largely based on what happens with this guy who wore number one at b y you so he comes in there and Joe Douglas adds around him with the next three picks, and then here on day three, we're finishing it up. Here the Jets go final six

picks with the defensive flavor. I think in all, Joe Douglas was very active three trades and like you mentioned, a lot of wheeling and dealing, but the Jets still finished with ten picks. Another good thing is the Jets have a lot of capital for next year's draft that you're already looking forward to Green's two first round picks in two second round picks, Anthony, your thoughts, Yeah, I think they got a lot of production out of their

draft this year. I think that, you know, the players that they felt like they got have more value than the spots that they actually drafted them in, and I think that's great, you know, so they really feel good as an organization. Uh, I'm gonna make an early prediction. I think there's gonna be at least five starters out of least ten. Uh in in in week one. How about that? So that would be unprecedented if you can figure that one out and get those guys going. So

um listen, this team needs competition. Robert Sale has been talking about that pretty much all weekend. These guys are gonna get a chance to compete. And you know, depending on who else comes in undrafted free agents. Uh, this could be a really, really, really good job by Joe Douglas and his staff putting this draft class together. Yeah.

I thought they did an excellent job. And when I look at the overall draft, I mean, obviously you have Zack Wilson, Elijah Vera Tucker, but from then on, it's speed, speed, speed, and and that's what Robert Salad likes. He loves that speed. And you look at the defensive side of the ball. Two former safeties in Sherwood and uh in nationally. Two guys who are big, they're six three, their their long arms, they're they're physical, they come down in the box. They

can cover tight ends. But at the same time they're not afraid to come down in the box and lower the boom. These guys are gonna transition the linebackers covering from sideline to sideline. Then you have the defensive backs who who are very agile. You know, they can play multiple positions, cornerback, nickel, safety. All these guys are versatile. Uh. They added a lot of speed this weekend and it's gonna be exciting to see them. You know, Coleman, I'm gonna pinball it back to you and we'll go in

reverse order. The Jets had seven picks on Day three. Is there one person that stands out to you, maybe not even as a player, but a pick that you particularly like and you kind of alluded to it, I think with Sherwood and Nasrel Dean. But if you used to go in a different direction, that's fine. If you want to go in the same direction, that's fine as well. Well, I'm a love Sherwood. I well, I like Jason Pinnock as well. You know, the corner out of pit this

is a great cover corner. Hey, he did a great job of of getting stops getting off the field. He traveled around the field covering their best receiver. They played a lot of man to man coverage. We all know, and this defense, there's gonna be a lot of single high You're gonna play a lot of man to man. There's gonna be some cover three. Uh, you know, they're gonna have to mix things up. So getting a cornerback like Jason Pinnock is gonna be a big addition to

your defense. What about you, Anthony? Yeah, man, look it's gonna be Surewood. I just listen. I think he's a Day one starter. I really do believe that. Uh there, there's was a lot of buzz about him, you know, not today, like before the draft started, and they got him right, So, uh, they know something about this kid that's gonna fit, and it's all about fit. It's all about what they can what a kid can do for

the system. And uh so listen, you know he played as much as two thirty at Auburn, you know, playing his position. He you're gonna come down and play a little bit of that hybrid backer whatever you want to call it. But uh, power strength, heavy hitter. I mentioned it, you know earlier today. You know, thirty four inch arms, which is the longest arm length in fifteen years of

the draft of any dB. So you know he's gonna be able to go up and contest balls versus you know some of these bigger athletic basketball style tight ends. You know, that are in the league right now, and um, you know, look, I want to see what he's got. What you know we need. We need those components on the field speed side to side, coming downhill and be able to cover. You have to have that package because that's the kind of defense that you know this team

wants and needs. I think I know who he's gonna say, but go for it. I'm going Michael curR Yeah. Just for the record, I'm also going Michael Carter. Yeah, but you might be taking the guy from Duke. I will say, I'm gonna go right in the research triangles, staying right there and say Michael car because I see parallels to what happened to the Jets on Day two of the draft where they were crossing their fingers. Elijah Moore was

there and sure enough was it thirty four. Then we enter day three and here we go again and they get Michael Carter in. You need offensive weapons to win in the National football it does start up front, but this guy can do it in all phases. He fellas this stat is just ridiculous. Thirty three abated tackles, third most in the FBS. Last year, he rushed for more than yards eight yards per carry. He made it happen

big time. Um, maybe he's not the fastest guy in the forty yard dash, but he is a big play waiting to happen. And he is an a depth receiver. He's also sturdy as a blocker as well. He's gonna fit in awfully well in this outside zone running schemes. So, Zack Wilson, were you gonna add while you had a piece up front and Elijah vera tucker, then you get um, Elijah Moore, Elijah squared and then Michael Carter coming back in the fourth round and Michael Carter square else. That

was one of my favorite Joe Douglas lines. He said, we're really cornering the market on Elijah's and Michael Carter's and and you're right, the Jets did draft another Michael Carter. But my favorite selection of Day three was the U n C running back. I mean we saw he saw the highlights just a moment ago. I mean you can really see the vision and the stop startability, that's what he talked about. And I think you hit the nail on the head. I think he fits what the Jets

want to run here extremely well. And this this game UNC against Miami is when Javonte Williams and Michael Carter both ran extremely wild and six point three yards of pop. For his career at U n C, he has an outstanding career there, and he's a solid receiver out of the actfield. But this is really what I would consider like chapter two. In the off season. There's chapter one,

which is free agency, the draft is chapter two. Now comes chapter three, which is, you know a little more trickle of free agency here and there, and then training camp and developing your players. So Anthony, let's start with you, then we'll go to e C. What do you think about the way that this roster is coming together when

you think about where it was before free agency. Now we're two thirds of the way home to training camp, and it seems like this roster has been overhauled by a considerable amount, more than I think a lot of people thought could be possible. Yeah, you know, uh another thinking about Michael Carter, Guys, he's split the carries. I mean, he may have had over two thousand yards rushing by himself if he was the lead back. But yeah, the roster is great. I mean, listen, Carl Lawson, he's a

unicorn pass rusher. He can do a lot of things. Uh led one of the leaders in the NFL and quarterback pressures. Corey Davis. You know, he's a top five draft pick, blew up last year, earned his spot. Now he's gonna be a one. Uh. Jared Dave this. You know, he's another guy that you know. He's an into box linebacker that's aggressive, speed, fast. He's gonna be able to control the inside, and he's gonna add a presence there

at the linebacker position. Rankings. Uh. Coming coming back from the injury two years ago, bouncing back last year, getting back to form, they feel like they got a home run in him at the d line position. And you go on and on and on. I mean, even from a standpoint of Justin Hardy just a tremendous You know, he's a corner. He's feisty to do like literally loves special teams like he he even said it in his president He's like, man, you just he just loves playing it.

And you gotta have those kind of guys. Man, boy's gonna love to have him. You're gonna need a spark plug. Some of us other players are gonna feed off him because he's he plays it at such a high level. So again I'm excited and we have you know, we're just talking in the draft picks altogether. I mean, it's a brand new team. It's a brand new team. It all starts, of course with a quarterback, but again, it takes some of the pressure off the quarterback when you

start adding those pieces and put them in place. Absolutely, and you you talk about the rest of the roster, you know, everyone, it's easy to forget about C. J. Mosley. I mean, listen, this guy was one of the most dominant linebackers a couple of years ago. Played We talked about it over the week and played some of the three of the best quarters. We see that a linebacker in two thousand nineteen. But you know he's coming back into the fold. You know, you you have a lot

of young guys. You have Quentin Williams, who was dominant last year, should have been a pro bowler. Uh, you know, you're adding these other pieces. LaMarcus Joiner is the safety who can come down in the box, cover slot receivers. You add him with Marcus May and the secondary. You know, I just you just can't help but get excited about all the speed that you see, all the agility that you have in this defense. And then on the offensive side of the ball, of course you got backed in already.

Then you had vera Tucker. You you know, the offensive line is getting solidified. It's gonna be very exciting to see how this team comes out, especially once coach Sala starts to get his mentality, trying to get that aggression into the players. Team is really young, which is good. I think it's a double edged sword. It can be good, but you're also going to have a learning process. Right. The Jets, of course won two games last year, and Anthony talked about an infusion of talent and how this

roster has been We've seen a complete overhaul. I'm wondering as I listened to you guys talk, and then we take into consideration everything that's changed on the roster, do you start thinking about what this team is capable of. I'm not talking third team wins all this stuff, but you know, seventeen games schedule next year, we don't know, we know the opponents, we don't know what that's gonna be looking like. But why can't this team, if it all comes together, um be in the mix as far

as being around more like five. Is that jump so significant international football nowadays, where you see teams make the turn every year. Can the Jets be one of those teams that can get themselves into more in the middle of wrong in the National Football League as opposed to where they ended the season last year. I don't think it's far fetched, especially when you consider the caliber of

players the Jets abroad. And I will say, like for someone like Carl Lawson, he only had five and a half sacks last year, but he had a he led the NFL and quarterback pressures among defensive linemen. So for a guy like that, you're hoping you buy stock before they really take off. No Jet pun intended. And so with guys like that, I mean, Corey Davis hasn't had in a thousand yards season, but you look at his

track record, seems like he's an ascending player. Seems like all the players the Jets signed are ascending players, except for maybe somebody like Vinny Curry who's later on in his career. But I really think that the Jets have completely overhauled this auster and it feels like Joe Douglas really putting his imprint on this team more so than last season because he didn't quite have the financial flexibility in the Capitol in the draft that he did this year.

And I'm I'm excited to see to see what happens and the last thing that I want to say and or the last thing I want to do before we wrap up here. And I'm curious because we have two former NFL players across the way here. This is a

draft recap. What's next for all these rookies. I know there's rookie Minicamp, but you know, can you kind of take us through, Let's start with Coleman, what happens when you get the playbook, and then take us through what is a rookie season and what many college players consider and rookies consider the longest years of their lives. Yeah, you know, as a rookie, it is the longest year.

You know, you finish your college season, you go to your bowl, and then you start preparing for the Combine for your pro day, and then you get if you're fortunate enough, you get drafted, you get signed as a free agent, and then this rookie minicamp. You know, we heard coach talking about earlier rookie Minicamp is next week. You know, you come in here, you learn the fundamentals of the defense or the offense. You get your playbook.

You're doing nothing but studying. You're you're diving into that book because if you don't know, you can't go and you have to know what you want to You have to know what you're doing once you get out here, once the veterans come in, listen, if you're a rookie right now, this is your this is your time to take advantage of it. Because everyone's starting off in the same area. You know, the veterans, they don't know this defense, they don't know the offense. It's a new scheme for everyone.

And so if you're a rookie, if you put your mind to it, you study now you can start playing with the big boys. You get in there and get your opportunities to start making a difference in training camp, in mini camp, and next thing you know, you're in the season, going full speed and uh and you're in the mix. College is over right. I mean it's literally, it's like it's a it's a punch you on a phase kind of moment. I talked about it earlier, but it really is like you have to mature yourself at

a different level. You have to be ready to become a pro now because there are expectation levels on younger players. The league right now is a younger league, and and you see younger players having a lot of success across the NFL. The Jets have to have that kind of output from their younger players, and at their most key position.

You know, there's been a tremendous amount of rookie quarterbacks coming in playing some good ball, and I'll be quite honest with you, I expect that out of Zach Wilson, and uh, you know that that that's gonna be the biggest play on this is getting these guys have to make a commitment to professionalism. Because a coach can coach, They can give you everything, all the information you need. But if you aren't dialed in to say, Okay, I got all this money in the bank, put that here.

Get dialed in on the field, note after note, detail after detail, put it all into play. If you don't do it like like Eric was talking about, you will fail. Bottom line, you cannot cut corners, in particular when you're a younger player, because if you do, you fall behind and if you start falling behind it. Every single day, somebody's gaining on you. Somebody's getting and it may not be the guy in the building. It may be the guy in Miami and maybe the guy in New England

or wherever team that those guys are. So it's just so critical for for young players to really just you gotta grow up, period. And Joe talked about the character

of these guys. I expect those kind of guys. You hear about work ethic, you hear about leadership from these players, then I would expect them to do those small things and learn how to get better at those things from some of the veteran players in the building, so that this team, like you said our e A, can be much better than than last year in the year before. But I look more of a three year outlook for this team, Okay, because for me, it's the first year

get growing. Next year all those draft picks, and now another year for them to grow. I look at a three year window with this could be honestly the most improved team in the NFL. Yeah. The sobering thought and all this is that I think every team in the NFC East has gotten better this offseason. We saw that what the Buffalo Bills did last year. They were thirteen and three, I believe, and they want to defeat in

the division. The Patriots spend a boatload. They spend a boatload of money in free agency, um, so I think they definitely improved as well. And then Miami speaking about assets, that's a team that had assets that was on parallel with the New York Jets. So I think all those teams, on paper, at least are did not take a step back here this offseason. And we've talked about this in the pre draft process. Was every team the National Football

League feels better after draft weekend. But I think from a Jet perspective Anthony just mentioned it is that you are installing new systems. But the great thing defensively is Robert Sale Jeff Albert's gonna keep it simple. They're gonna attack the quarterback. They're gonna play that four or three, and they want those guys running all over the place. We saw that attack in free agency along that defensive line, namely Carl Lawson. But they added strength in numbers. Now

we see what they're looking for in the linebackers. Right, we saw that in the draft. You're good at safety cornerbacks. You added an infusion of talent here on Day three of the draft. On the offensive side of the ball. All the talk is gonna be about Zack Wilson, but I think the system that Michael Flour is going to run is going to be very helpful for a rookie quarterback because the Jets are gonna try to pound you

with the run game. Then do the boots and the rolls and get this athletic kid out on the move and he's comfortable doing that, and you've gotten a lot better around him with at the receiver position starting at free agency. Then you had Elijah More in the draft. You're bringing Michael Carter in the draft behind you in the offensive backfield, and it all starts up front and you have two pieces infected and Elijah Vera Tucker. Elijah

Vera Tucker. As as I was looking at my phone, I think my wife just called me here on the podcast. But um, big time pieces in front of your young quarterback. So right now it's getting it on the field and then absorbing those new systems and Robert sala Era is is taken off right now. The NFL Draft came, it went the Jets got ten players, headlined by Zach Wilson, of course at the number two overall, pick E A

and I will be back. We can't thank Anthony and Eric Coleman enough for being here live all three days in the bed MGM studio. That's all we have on this episode of the official Jets podcast, The Draft Podcast, presented by Pepsi