Mel Kiper Downgrades Jets Draft Grade

We've spoken at length about mock draft, early draft grades and judging a class far too early. So everything you read below, take with a pinch of salt.

Every year Mel Kiper revisits his initial post draft grades after the season. He then offers up a new grade, taking into consideration the first year of the players career.

Jets post draft initial grade: B

Jets grade one year on: C+

Mel Kiper's conclusion: There is going to be a misconception about this dropped grade. Let me dispel that quickly, because I hear "struggled" when this player's rookie year is described, pretty much all the time. The truth: Calvin Pryor was just fine as a rookie. He was better than a league-average safety, and in a league where safeties and corners look bad all the time as they adjust to the speed and technical ability of receivers, tight ends and backs running at them -- remember Dee Milliner's rookie year, Jets fans? -- Pryor wasn't remotely bad. He just wasn't a star, had his ups and downs in coverage, and assuming he improves, he can be a really good player. He wasn't a bad pick. Jace Amaro caught 38 passes (tied for second on the team) and if he can ever find chemistry with whomever is at QB, can be a good one. Dexter McDougle got hurt, so that's just bad luck.

Where this draft suffers is New York simply didn't find even the hint of a playmaker at wide receiver when so many others did. They took Pryor when Brandin Cooks was available (excusable), McDougle instead of John Brown or Donte Moncrief, then both Jalen Saunders and Shaq Evans in front or Martavis Bryant. Heck yes, this is total hindsight, but that's what an early re-grade is. I wrote then, "I thought the Jets did a nice job with my one question being whether they really added a player in the passing game that will scare defenses." Amaro is a start, and a trade for Percy Harvin that came too late helped, but there was some bad luck and missed opportunities. There's nothing really to be said yet for the many late lottery ticket picks they had. The fact that the team struggled so much doesn't help, either.

I find it hard to disagree with anything that Kiper said here. Pryor started off very shaky but came on towards the end. Although his bad angles (see Minnesota) do give up the big play far too often. I was delighted with Amaro and I'm expecting great things. We said it at the time but Dexter McDougle was a reach and I think we may end up regretting that selection but we won't know for a year or two.

The wide receiver selections really killed us in this draft. Most of them were either hurt or cut and we didn't take Cooks when we had the chance, or Benjamin for that matter. . I think this is a very fair assessment of the draft and how I personally view it a year on. As always, lets wait another year or two before making final judgements.