2013 NFL Draft Concludes: Three Takeaways

Another NFL Draft is in the books. The Jets picked seven players and added another one by trade. Like it or not, the roster you will see in 2013 is largely set. Here are three takeaways.

A "Rex Draft":

Whether by design or coincidence, it felt like Rex Ryan had a lot of influence with what the Jets did. With their two first round picks, the Jets grabbed a cornerback and a defensive tackle, two positions Rex covets. Then look at what they did after Geno Smith. They grabbed staples to build a Rex style smash mouth offense such as two offensive linemen who are more powerful than athletic, a running back in a trade, a fullback, and even the obligatory defensive lineman who will be converted to the offensive line.

The question heading into the Draft was who was in charge with the Jets. Did John Idzik totally change the culture, or was he a consensus seeker who would yield to the old crew? Our information is imperfect, but this Draft produced circumstantial evidence to suggest the latter. Whether that's good or bad is up for debate.

Ground and pound returns:

So much for the talk about things like Marty Mornhinweg and "all weather offense." The Jets grabbed a ton of ingredients that say Rex wants to return to the regular ground and pound. They have a rookie quarterback to protect, a shiny new running back, a shiny new fullback, few playmakers, and offensive line personnel more adept at run blocking than pass blocking. Given the team the Jets have now, one might expect an offense based around the power run game. It's the offense Rex favors. Again, whether this is good or bad is up for debate.

The end of Mark Sanchez:

This Draft sent a signal that the Jets do not believe Mark Sanchez can be saved. Taking Geno Smith in the second round is not necessarily a big commitment to Smith, but it sends an unmistakable message that the team is ready to move on from Sanchez. If the Jets truly believed Sanchez was salvageable, they would have made an effort to grab offensive weapons, not a new quarterback and the ingredients to protect that quarterback behind the power run game. This really isn't up for debate. It's good. Even with all of the problems the Jets have dumped into his lap, Sanchez has done little to suggest he can ever been a quality NFL quarterback.