FanPost

Why the Huge need for a WR?

In a lot of mocks and opinions I have seen, there is a genreal consensus that the Jets need another wideout, and badly. I realize its always nice to have a ton of playmakers on offense, but I can't seem to understand why everyone thinks we need a WR so badly.

Let's take a look at what we got so far. Braylon Edwards, in my opinion, is a "true #1" wideout. Yeah, he dropped some passes. But take a look at what he brought to the offense. The running game exploded after he was brought in. Hes a big red zone target, stretches the field, and a great run blocker, which is something a lot of WR's don't bother with. Don't forget, this is the same Braylon Edwards that had that monster season in 07.

Jericho is the ideal #1 or 2 reciever, if you know what I mean. He has the talent to be that #1 guy, and before Braylon came in, he was Sanchez's go-to-guy. Hes a fantastic route runner and the most sure handed player on the team. I don't think he had a single drop all season. So, in my opinion, the Jets have 2 "#1's" starting at wideout, and one of the better tandems in the league.

Concerning the rest of the group, Keller is basically a WR in a TE body, who is rapidly improving his blocking skill. Clowney was inconsistient, but he made a couple of plays here and there. He is still young and raw and I think we should keep him in case he begins to really improve. Brad Smith isn't quite the WR everyone thought he might be, but his additions in the Wildcat were huge. Don't forget, Leon can line up in the slot from time to time and can catch out of the backfield, and Danny Woodhead is developing into a WR.

With all of this, I really don't see a pressing need to take a Golden Tate or a Jordan Shipley on day 1 in the draft. I'm not going to get into who we should draft instead in this post, but consider this:

Every year, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees light it up. You know as long as these guys are around these offensive-minded teams are going to score serious points every year. As long as you have some certain players in place, continuity is relatively easy on offense.

Take a look at this year's Steelers. There defense was decent, but not one of the all time great's like last year's was. Same with the Ravens. Yeah, they had injuries. But Anthony Gonzalez was out for the year in Week 1, and it didn't hurt the Colts.

Point is, it is extreamly difficult to maintain having a great defense year in and year out. Thats just another reason why I don't agree with drafting skill players, like WR's and RB's high (exept for QB's). So, if we should draft a WR, I don;t think we should do it before round 3 or so. The value just is not there, no slot reciever is worth maintaining or improving on a #1 ranked defense. Having this great defense has given the Jets a mentality they have never had before, tough and hard-nosed, and without it, they never make it to the AFC championship game.

What do you think, is WR really that big of a need?

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