It was September 28th when Aaron Maybin came back to us. Since then, he has been a refreshing burst to our LBing core. He adds speed, and a never ending motor that we drool over. Maybin and Pace are tied for the team lead in sacks. I, for one, am very happy that this Rex project has turned out well. On Sunday, Maybin has the chance to go back to his NFL roots, and burn the place down. My question to you guys is this. If Maybin continues to learn our system, and produce on the field, does our need for a new OLB/DE become less dire?
More after the jump...
I feel that we should still go after some young pass rushing talent. This draft is dripping with juicy prospects, that I would love Jets to sink their teeth into. To pass on a pass rusher in this draft could come back to bite us in the butt. As of right now, the only OLBers on the team for 2012 are Calvin Pace and Garrett McIntrye. Both Bryan Thomas, and Jamaal Westerman are free agents next year. We do have Ricky Sapp on our practice squad, who both me and Ryan loved coming out of college. It's had to say what we really have with him just yet though.OLB depth is going to be very thin. We must also realize that even if we sign Maybin to more years, he is still not an every down player. He is very weak against the run, and is only a situational pass rusher. Pace has stepped his game up against the pass, but isn't getting any younger. He is 31, and doesn't have many more solid years left in him. It is for these reasons, that I believe an OLB/DE should be one of our 1st 3 picks, as long as we aren't reaching.