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2014 NFL Draft: Jets Need To Finish Strong

We have three rounds in the books and three new players wearing Jets green next year. Now we need to finish off strong in the bargain rounds.

By David Wyatt Hupton
Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

First of all I would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who joined in our live draft show over the last two nights, we had a ton of fun and it was great to see so many of you tuning in.

In my personal opinion we have had one of the best starts to a draft in recent memory. I know I had some reservations about Pryor, but as I said last night, I think his flaws can be corrected and he has enough about his game to really like the selection. It wasn't a reach, it wasn't a surprise and it finally addressed an issue we have been ignoring for too many years. I can't wait to see a physical presence roaming centre field, flying to the ball. I don't think it is unreasonable to say he has pro-bowl talent, and I trust our coaches to bring out the very best in Calvin. He's going to do some great things in New York, and I'm extremely happy we took him above Clinton-Dix, I think that was a smart move.

If you haven't followed Pryor on Twitter yet, then I urge you to do so immediately, he's fired up and can't wait to get started.

As we moved through the first round and into the second round, the thought that Jace Amaro could fall all of a sudden became the reality. Me, Scott, McGregor all wanted him, and when the selection came through, I couldn't have been happier, and we even got a little dance from Scott.

Amaro is just one intelligent football player, he always seems to get open by using his size and speed, his route-running is spot on and he is a very physical guy. His in-line blocking will need a lot of work, but his blocking in space is reasonably good. However this guy is being taken because he puts points on the board, it's as simple as that. 1352 yards last season with 7 touchdowns. When you can get a guy with that much production, with as much pure physical athletic talent as Amaro has, in the second round, you have to pull the trigger.

At this point everyone is on cloud nine. Two top talents at areas of need. Then we make our selection in the third round and it's Maryland corner Dexter McDougle. Immediately I thought it was a little bit of a reach, but after reading some 'expert' opinions, it seems as though a lot of talent evaluators liked Dexter. A player who doesn't have the best size, but plays a very physical style of football. He had three interceptions in three games last year before having season ending shoulder surgery. I'm going to trust Rex with his defensive back evaluation, and I hope we don't end up regretting this selection as there was a lot of talent left on the board, including Donte Moncrief, who was selected a few selections after Dexter.

As mentioned in the show last night I only saw two of Dexter's games in college, too small a sample size to make a judgement. However our Maryland blog really likes him and every article I read, they mention how physical he is. So it seems as though we are going the Seattle route and putting a physical secondary on the field.

Now we move to the fourth round, through the seventh with 9 selections still to make. So where could we go and who's still available, here are my top picks:

Offensive Guard:

David Yankey - I had him rated as a 2nd round guy, so he would represent great value in the 4th

Cyril Richardson - He's a big unit who will clear room in the run game, 4th is about right

Anthony Steen - Alabama prospect who's as strong as an ox.

Wide Receiver:

Brandon Coleman - A massive unit at 6'6, I'd take him for the red-zone and Slants now and refine him further

Jared Abbrederis - Great technique, good route-runner, good hands, would make a lot of sense

Martavis Bryant - Good speed, good length, big play potential, sounds like something we need

Bruce Ellington - A natural play-maker with explosive acceleration and play making ability.

TJ Jones - Similar to Jared, very good route-runner who finds ways to get open, very smooth and fluid athlete

Running Back:

Lache Seastrunk - An explosive athlete who's a threat to take it to the house every time he touches it

De'Anthony Thomas - Small but explosive, would work well in a WCO system like the one we run.

Andre Williams - Different to the top two, Williams is a bulldozer who would run over his grandmother!

Storm Johnson - One cut runner who has enough speed and elusiveness to contribute in the NFL

Rajion Neal - Big back who has good speed and instincts, a good bet in the 5th or 6th round.

Outside Linebackers:

Adrian Hubbard - Good length, good size and good strength. A lot of upside, already very good against the run!

Christian Jones - Speed, Size, Length, good at rushing the passer, a lot to like. I'd sign on in the 4th

Telvin Smith - A Rex guy, plays with a ton of emotion. Quick and instinctive, he really intrigues me.

Kevin Pierre-Louis - Combine warrior, hard-working, quick to the passer. Interesting upside.

Personally I'm really hoping that we grab a guard in the 4th, and would be happy with either Yankey or Richardson. I want to take an outside linebacker at some point and Jones, Smith make a lot of sense to me. Seastrunk is a guy I would love to see on this roster and I really do like TJ Jones as a refined wide receiver who doesn't have a very high ceiling but will give you solid production throughout his career.

We need to finish this draft strong, and if we end up with a selection of the players I've listed above. I think we'll do just that.

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