Eric Allen is back with more Brian Schottenheimer on Jets Draft picks. Now he is discussing the seventh round pair, Greg McElroy and Scotty McKnight.
"He (McElroy) has great arm talent. I think the guy is extremely accurate. He has plenty of arm strength, arm velocity, throws the deep ball, throws the nine [go route] really well," Schotty said. "He is maybe not as tall as you would like, like a guy 6’3", 6’4". But he knows how to move in the pocket and that’s what you need. It’s similar to the way we have it with Mark Sanchez — able to move around and find throwing lanes. The guy’s truly underrated when it comes to his physical ability because he has a lot of strong traits we’re excited to work with."
There is no guarantee McElroy will pan out or even make the Jets as a rookie. He does have a lot of the tools Schotty mentions that make him an interesting prospect to try and develop.
"I remember I think it was our bye last year, Mark flew out to Colorado to watch him (McKnight) break the Colorado receiving record for the number of catches or yards," said the Jets’ offensive mastermind. "You start taking notice of that. And then Mark goes out to help out with Colorado’s pro day."
Some people have speculated the Jets only took McKnight because he is Sanchez's friend. I find that tough to believe. The Jets are a professional team competing for a championship. They aren't going to waste a pick on a favor. I think what is more likely is that Sanchez put him on the team's radar. The team might not have been aware at him or looking seriously before Mark said something. The scouts liked what they saw, and Sanchez's background check on McKnight put him over the top.