Some interesting tidbits came out of a Rex Ryan press conference tonight.
Tweets via Manish Mehta:
Rex on Hunter: "I believe that Wayne will be have a big year for us."
#nyj
Since the Jets did not take a tackle on the first two nights of the Draft, Hunter is likely to remain the starter. This is more a failure of the free agency period by the Jets than the Draft, though. The problem at right tackle would have only been compounded by reaching for a guy they did not feel was a good fit.
It also seems like Quinton Coples is going to replace Mike Devito as a 3-4 end.
Rex Ryan says that Quinton Coples and Stephen Hill will start this season.
#nyjRex on Mike DeVito's role: "I really can't tell you the exact role right now."
#nyj
This is interesting if true. It indicates that no matter what Rex claims, the Jets do not think Coples can succeed as a linebacker. If you have a starting defensive line of Devito, Sione Pouha, and Muhammad Wilkerson and Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace as your linebackers, it does not take a rocket scientist to know where you need the help more. Starting Coples at defensive end says to me the Jets do not believe he can play well standing up on a regular basis.
This is not necessarily a terrible thing. Nor does it make the pick a bad move. Devito is a wonderful player, but he is limited to being a run defender. Coples might be able to add the ability to collapse the pocket as a pass rusher, something sorely missed last year after the departures of Shaun Ellis and Trevor Pryce. In addition to this, you can never have too much depth on the defensive line. Those guys take a pounding on each play.