New York Jets: A Pretty Good Start

Two out of three ain't bad. Two days and three rounds down. One day and four rounds to go. Thus far I have to say I am pretty happy with what the Jets have done. They have added a pair of premier prospects at positions of major need.

We touched on Calvin Pryor last night. Jace Amaro was in my view a superb second round pick. I think it's important to view his selection not in terms of, "He fills our void at tight end." He does, but his role will be so much bigger. I think it's easy to get caught up in position labels. Amaro isn't just a tight end. He's a movable part and a mismatch in the passing game. Some people might be saying the Jets haven't taken a wide receiver yet. Amaro was their wide receiver. I think heading into this Draft finding another target who could take pressure off Eric Decker would be important. It could be a tight end or a wide receiver. Amaro is that guy. I think eventually he will become the kind of player who dictates matchups and forces the defense to plan around him, taking the heat off Decker.

I'm not wild about Dexter McDougle in the third round. I think his ceiling is as a quality contributor in subpackages who can line up in a few different spots. I want more in the third round, and I think the Jets might look back with some degree of regret on some of the players they passed.

Ultimately, though, I put more stock in the first and second rounds, where the Jets did a terrific job.

I am also not upset to see the Patriots throw a second round pick at Jimmy Garoppolo. I like some of his tools, but I think he has too many question marks in terms of quality of competition, college system, and mechanics to justify investing a pick that high. Last night I was quite concerned to see Teddy Bridgewater fall. It felt like the Aaron Rodgers scenario all over. The team with the legendary quarterback in place who will be retiring in the next few years grabs the top prospect who inexplicably fell. I feel much better about Jimmy in New England in round two than Teddy in round one.