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The draft is just two weeks away, so let’s get into some draft nuggets in the latest edition of Dan’s Draft Notebook . . .
People talk so much about Tennessee’s Cordarrelle Paterson and West Virginia’s Tavon Austin as first round receivers, but there is another player out there not getting as much “pub,” who is a first round talent – USC’s Robert Woods.
Woods is a lot more advanced than Patterson as a wideout.
“[Woods] could help you right away; he’s polished,” said ESPN’s Mel Kiper today. “You think about what Peyton Manning had with Reggie Wayne, (some NFL quarterback) could have with Robert Woods. (He) draws strong comparisons through the draft process to a Reggie Wayne.”
Woods will like going in the late first, or early second round . . .
You have to wonder if the Jets would consider Alabama guard Chance Warmack at nine or 13 from a value standpoint.
“Warmack is a heck of a player,’ Kiper said. “It’s helping out, obviously, your running game. He’s a run blocker and an underrated puller.” . . .
The Jets have some interest in Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel, who projects as a second round pick. But like so many college quarterback prospects, you have to be concerned with his ability to read defenses on the NFL level.
“I just saw a kid who didn’t go through progression to the third or fourth option,” Kiper said. “He’d go one, two, and underneath. Didn’t have to read the whole field, read half the field, that’s a concern. At times he made inaccurate throws, questionable decisions. That’s a concern. I didn’t see him take his game to an elite level despite having elite physical and athletic skills.” . . .
The Jets have scouted SMU defensive end Margus Hunt, a 6-8, 277-pound defensive end with 4.6 speed. But remember, the Estonia-native, has only played football for four years, while in college. He had no experience in the sport as a child in his homeland.
So if the Jets pick him (maybe in the third round), they will have to be patient.
“He’s got tremendous physicality and potential; he’s a great athlete, has the right attitude,” Kiper said. “He’s raw. I think the ball location skills, you question him when you watch him. Obviously he needs to improve his technique. You think about where Margus Hunt can be in two or three years with pro coaching, that’s what you’re drafting him on, where he can be two or three years from now, not where he is as a rookie.
“He’s inexperienced. You see that when you watch him. He’s not instinctive as the defensive lineman. I think all those things are concerns.” . . .
We have LSU’s Barkevious Mingo on the cover of the latest issue of Jets Confidential Magazine.
He seems like a good fit for the Jets at nine.
“I would say Mingo immediately as a 3-4 outside linebacker would be a major league factor,” Kiper said. “He gets from Point A to Point B lightning quick. I would like to see him be more productive this year. If he would have been, maybe he would have been the top three pick. If the Jets can get him at number nine, that’s a real nice value pick.”
The one factor that might make Mingo a question mark for the Jets pick are his size and strength. He’s 240 pounds (and sometimes lighter than that recently), and needs to get a lot stronger.
Rex Ryan generally likes big, stout 3-4 OLB’s in his system who can set the edge effectively. Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace are both around 6-4, 260. They might have been great pass rushers, but were solid all-around 3-4 outside linebackers, and both were good against the run.
Aaron Maybin, who is built similarly to Mingo, struggled setting the edge and wasn’t very good against the run – having problems shedding blocks.
I’m not saying Mingo and Maybin are the same player, but I’m talking about the size factor. Mingo needs to get bigger and stronger.