The Jets used their first of two seventh round picks to select Greg McElroy, the starting quarterback at the University of Alabama and National Champion in 2009. The team will presumably attempt to groom him into a longterm backup for Mark Sanchez and hope he plays well enough in the future to flip him off for a higher pick in a few years.
I was wondering whether the Jets might take a run at a late round quarterback. They were only one hit away last year from having Mark Brunell as the starting quarterback in huge games. That was not a good situation. The most important player on the field is in many ways the most vulnerable. Quarterbacks handle it on every play, and defenses do their best to knock them around. It is important to have two good quarterbacks for insurance.
As far as developmental quarterbacks go, I think McElroy has some good traits. He played in a pro system in college. He was pretty accurate, and he has the intangibles like leadership. He lost only three games he started in high school and college. He is also battled tested in pressure spots.
First came Joe Namath and Richard Todd. Now Greg McElroy continues the tradition of Jets quarterbacks coming from Alabama.