2012 Wish List: Part 4

The 2012, Jets roster is starting to take shape. With Free Agency winding down, the football world sets its sights on the Draft. If teams want to get younger and better, the Draft is where it happens. Teams are rushing to do as much scouting as possible, to complete their Big Boards. Once the Draft is over, the remaining free agents will fall to teams that weren't able to fill their needs with their picks. It is still a very young offseason, and there are still a lot of players that are not in place. I feel it is time to make another wish list, now that we have a better idea of what we need going into the Draft.

The Draft

Round 1

Quinton Coples, DE/OLB, North Carolina

I do believe everyone has Ingram as their consensus 1st choice at DE/OLB, but who comes next? Some people might have Upshaw, and some might have Mercilus. I have Quinton Coples. You might be saying, "isn't he like 285 lbs?" You would be correct. In 2011, Coples playing weight was around 285, but almost all of that weight was muscle. In 2010, Coples playing weight was 245. This shows that he is really flexible with his weight. Your next concern might be "can he play OLBer?" The answer is yes. Rex personally worked Coples out as a LBer at his pro-day, and was impressed with Quinton's mobility, and quickness. The only real concern for Coples is his motor. It runs hot and cold throughout games. One thing should be made clear though, when his motor is hot, no one can stop him. He has elite pass rushing potential when he is revved up. When he is cold, he becomes a ghost. The good thing though is that he has a sense for when the pressure is on, and more times than not, comes through with a big play when it's needed.

Round 2

Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

It is obvious that the Jets want to get back to the "ground and pound." We brought in Sparano, and O-line specialist, we are keeping Vlad/Hunter who are only decent tackles when run blocking, and we traded for Tim Tebow. The signs are out there that we want to run the ball. The only piece missing is a quality RB to split snaps with Greene. Doug Martin is the ultimate RB. He does it all. He can run between the tackles, or around them. He can catch passes out of the backfield, or block for his QB. To top it off, he has great speed and the ability to return kicks if needed. This pick makes a lot of sense for what we plan to do in 2012. I don't know about you guys, but if I were part of a defense, I wouldn't want to tackle Greene, Tebow, Martin, or McKnight 30+ times a game.

Round 3

Trumaine Johnson, FS/CB, Montana

There is a strong chance that I am dreaming if I think Johnson will make it to our pick in the 3rd. If he does though, we should really consider taking him. He thrives in press man coverage, which is precisely what we need. He is big and physical, and uses his long arms well to gain position on whoever he is covering. He has played a lot of CB, but looks to play FS in the NFL. He does have a little Kerry Rhodes in him when it comes to run support, but would we really complain with the need for his coverage skills? This pick would bring our safety number to 2.5. I don't count Eric Smith as a whole safety.

Round 5

Art Forst, G/OT, Rutgers

I feel that the position on our O-line that needs the most attention going into 2012, is the guard position. Slauson will be out for most of the offseason, and there is no guarantee he will be ready to go come August. On top of that, Brandon Moore is getting up their in age, and will be entering a contract year. Behind those two guys, lies a sea of uncertainty. I don't know how many of you would be comfortable with our backup guards being Caleb Schlauderaff or Dennis Landolt. Forst was injured for most of 2011, but when he came back, he was a force at both run and pass blocking. He also has the flexibility to play either guard or tackle.

Round 6 (Comp)

Hebron Fangupo, DT/NT, BYU

We will be very lucky if Fangupo falls this far to us in the draft. We can only hope that the stock of Akiem Hicks is on the rise after a good Combine/East West Shrine Game. I personally prefer Hebron to Hicks based on game tape. Fangupo is a behemoth of a man, who is never pushed around. He holds his ground better than most mountains. Pouha isn't going to be around forever, and Ellis shouldn't get a free ride to the top. Hebron can compete with Ellis for that future starting role.

Round 6

Isaiah Frey, CB, Nevada

With neither Cole or Strickland coming back, the Jets are thin at CB. I do like Trufant and Lankster, but someone should be brought in to challenge them. The 4th and 5th string positions shouldn't just be given to them. Isaiah Frey would be a decent late round pickup who can challenge those two to up their game. Frey has a nice combination of size and speed. He is through and through a strong sleeper prospect.

Round 6 (Comp)

Adrian Hamilton, ILB/DE/OLB, Prairie View A&M

When 2013 comes around, it will be a long shot for Pace and Bryan Thomas to still be on the team. This will leave our pass rushing corps with only Maybin and whoever we draft in the early rounds(Hopefully). We will need to find someone else. I believe Adrian can be that guy. I don't see Hamilton as a really good small school guy. I see him as a really good football player in general. The physicality and emotion he plays with would translate at any level of play. Hamilton can also play ILBer if he was asked to do so. He is very familiar with the position. I would have him compete with Mauga for 3rd downs, when Scott comes out.

Round 7

Brian Linthicum, TE, Michigan State

I am sure we were all saddened by the leaving of Matthew Mulligan. He will be missed. Anywho, we need a blocking TE. We can't expect to run a run 1st offense without a TE who can block. I know neither Keller nor Cumberland are up to the task. Linthicum would go higher in the draft, but got into a little trouble at MSU. If he has put all that behind, and the Jets agree, he would be perfect for run 1st offense.

Round 7 (Comp)

Brian Stahovich, P, San Diego State

I can't say if Conley is a good guy or not, but I do know he is a horrible punter. Brian Stahovich has been linked to visits with the Jets recently. He AVGed 45.5 yards a punt in 2010. That AVG went down to 44 last year.

Round 7 (Comp)

T-Bob Hebert, C/G, LSU

Other than having a great name like T-Bob, Hebert was a very good rotational player for LSU. LSU had injuries all long the O-line all year. Every situation T-Bob was thrown into, he excelled at. With the loss of Robert Turner, there is no one to fill his shoes. Well the Jets did bring in Mark's old center from USC, but he would be a last resort. I think we should bring in another camp body like T-Bob to compete for the position.

Free Agency

Jim Leonhard SS

It is looking more and more like Jim Leonhard will be returning to the Jets. He must know by now that he would probably struggle mightily in anyone else's defense. We also need him. Our safety core needs some familiarity to it, and Eric Smith isn't enough. When he gets closer to being ready for football, I see the Jets reaching out to him for a return. Jimbo should also stay healthy barring a 3rd freak accident.

Braylon Edwards WR

You may have noticed that I didn't draft any receivers. This was on purpose. I think the Jets have an eye on returning at least one of the two missing "Fly Boys." My vote is for Braylon. Braylon has the run blocking skills that will be used often in 2012. If Braylon is healthy, I feel he will have a bounce back year. We would also be bringing back someone Sanchez is very familiar with.

2012 53 Man Roster

Offense

QB: Sanchez, Tebow, McElroy

WR: Holmes, Edwards, Kerley, Schilens, Turner

RB: Greene, Martin, McKnight, Griffin

FB: Conner, Baker

OT: D'Brick, Hunter, Ducasse

OG: Slauson, Moore, Forst

C: Mangold, Hebert

TE: Keller, Cumberland, Linthicum

Defense

DE: Wilkerson, DeVito, Pitoitua, Dixon

NT: Pouha, Ellis, Fangupo

OLB: Pace, Coples, Maybin, Thomas

ILB: Harris, Scott, Mauga, Hamilton

CB: Revis, Cromartie, Wilson, Trufant, Lankster, Frey

S: Landry, Leonhard, Johnson, Smith

Specials

LS: Purdum

K: Folk

P: Stahovich