Mychal Kendricks vs Stanford (via MetaDraft)

Mychal Kendricks vs USC 2011 (via JmpasqDraftjedi)

Mychal Kendricks vs. Derrick Coleman (via schmeezed)

5-11, 240, Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year
105 tackles, 14 TFL, 2 INT, 2.5 sacks

Scouting Report

One of the main complaints about the Jets' defense is the overall lack of speed and athleticism. Aside from our corners, we really don't have any dynamic playmakers; nobody thats a threat to make game-changing plays at any time. Bart Scott is a solid player, but it seems like his main strength right now is to eat up blockers so that others can make the tackle. What good is that really? I mean, why not just add another DL to eat up blocks and roll with more 40 fronts if thats all he's really good for? I'd much rather have a tackle machine and a guy that can get out and run and make plays from the LB spot. Enter Mychal Kendricks.

Kendricks is fast and athletic and aggressive. He's not very good at stacking and shedding between the tackles, but thats ok on our team because the interior of our DL is the strength of our team. Even if we don't bring back Pouha, I still think teams will find it to be tough sledding to bang it up the gut on us. Kendricks can really run and can prevent gains on the edge. He's also really tough to get a body on when he has some space to operate, also making him a good fit on our defense. He often makes a quick twitch, or change of direction, to avoid a block and make a play on the ball carrier. He's definitely an excellent track down defender with his speed and athleticism. Doesn't seem like he's all that good in man coverage, but he can get much deeper into his zone drops than anybody we have on the roster right now. I can see him bluffing blitzes at scrimmage and then getting a deep drop into the middle of the field to disrupt crossing routes. Kendricks is also explosive as a blitzer. He can flash off the edge or burst through A-gaps and climb on a QB before he knows what hits him (see sack on Andrew Luck in game clip above).

Kendricks might not be a highly ranked LB prospect, but his skill-set is a very good fit for our defense. His weakness (stacking and shedding on the inside) would be covered up by the strength of our DL. And his strength (athleticism and aggression) would enhance the unit as a whole. Hopefully, Kendricks is on our radar.