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The Jets didn’t draft a QB, but got a player with a late-round grade in Missouri UDFA Brady Cook.
He is very similar to a prospect they brought in last year, former Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez, who is still with the Jets.
Cook, like Martinez, has good wheels to run, a strong arm, but needs to see the full field better and must throw with better anticipation.
With the majority of the college QB prospects, it’s the same rap sheet – one read and run, rinse and repeat.
It’s not a lack of effort by Cook, but right now he’s not great at processing when the real bullets are flying.
The majority of these college prospects all have the same issue: reading defenses.
When we watch Cook at Jets practices, there will be “wow” throws that people will rave about, but going through progressions – one, two, three, checkdown, you will likely not see a lot of that.
Perhaps he will surprise, but usually if you were not a great processor in college, where the defenses aren’t as complicated, you usually don’t become one on the NFL level.
With the final pick of the fifth round, the Jets selected Miami (FL) defensive end Tyler Barron.
The Jets moved up 10 spots, acquiring Baltimore’s fifth-rounder (No. 176 overall) and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for the Jets’ sixth-round pick (No. 186 overall) and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
He certainly looks the part at 6-5, 258 with 4.6 speed, but why not more sacks in college?
He had 19 sacks in five seasons – four at Tennessee and one at Miami.
Much like quarterbacks who aren’t great processors on the college level becoming great processors in the NFL, the same applies to edge-rushers – if you are not putting up big sack numbers in college, it’s likely not going to happen in the NFL where you consistently face better tackles.
But Glenn, a former scout, knows that in the later rounds, you take flyers on players that might have had ideal college production, but have traits – this guy has a really nice size-speed ratio, so the Jets are rolling the dice that they can take his game to another level.
“When you get to this part of the draft, traits is really what you’re looking for is size, speed, length, things like that, so we felt like if we could get a player with traits then we can have our coaches go out there and coach him to help him be able to improve and be a good player in this League, so absolutely he’s that,” Glenn said.
Another later pick with “traits” to work with is wide receiver Arian Smith, who has world-class speed.
“Traits, that would fall in line here – one of the fastest players in the draft – he ran 4.36 and that was actually a disappointment – many thought he would challenge the (40-yard dash) record – big-time track athlete,” said NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.
Once again, not to be negative, and all these kids can prove me wrong, and I love being proven wrong when people flourish, but his hands weren’t great at Georgia, and how often does that change on the NFL level?
“He and the JUGS Machine need to become best friends,” said draft analyst Charles Davis
The Jets have been accused by some of reaching for Smith, who NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zeirlein had a 7th round/UDFA grade on.
It’s hard to argue with the Jets being accused of reaching here, considering Smith had 10 drops last year.
I’m not big on using the word “reach” but when you pick a receiver in the fourth round who had 10 drops last year, using that word would not be a “reach” right now.
Now if Smith goes out and improves his hands, the kid and Jets will make the people using that word eat crow.
April 29, 2025
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