Grade may not be the best word. I think it's pretty dumb to assign a letter grade to a Draft completed less than a week ago. Nobody really knows how anybody selected will really turn out. Even so, we can at least see where the guys selected by the Jets will fit in 2010 and beyond.
Kyle Wilson: Wilson will see the field immediately as the nickel in subpackages. He will line up with the other team's slot receiver in man coverage most of the time. He may see action against an extremely athletic tight end like Dallas Clark or Antonio Gates. He will also serve as the primary backup to Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis and line up on the outside should anything happen to either. Rex may like to mix up his coverage schemes with his top three corners so he could move outside then too. If Antonio Cromartie underperforms or is not retained after next season, he will slide into the starting lineup. He will also probably serve as primary punt returner.
Vladimir Ducasse: Ducasse has all of the physical tools to succeed. He has a unique mixture of strength, size, and athleticism. All he needs is more experience and to learn technique. He will have a chance to immediately compete for Alan Faneca's starting job at left guard against Matt Slauson, Wayne Hunter, and Robert Turner. The Jets probably want him to win the job. If not, he will probably back up both tackle and guard spots. If he wins the job, he still might be the primary backup for Damien Woody and D'Brickashaw Ferguson. In the long term, he may kick outside to replace Woody.
Joe McKnight: McKnight will be the new Leon Washington. He will be the team's change of pace homerun threat, attempting to get to the perimeter. He will also be a pass catching threat out of the backfield and split out wide and in the slot at times. His speed makes him a likely candidate to take over as the sweep handoff option when Brad Smith takes the snap in the Tiger formation. He also may figure as a kickoff returner.
John Conner: Conner will sit behind Tony Richardson as the backup fullback. He will probably work as a blocker on kickoff returns. He will take over the starting fullback job when Richardson retires.