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The best way to handle the draft . . .
is to stick to the value board, and pick the highest-rated player on your board when you are on the clock, regardless of position.
So when running back Breece Hall was still on the board in the second round, the Jets had him rated so high, they traded up two spots in the second round, trading the 38th and 146th picks to the Football Giants, for pick 36.
Was running back a big need? Not necessarily with Michael Carter coming off an excellent rookie year, showing he can be an every down back. Yes, he’s shorter, but he’s got a thick powerful build to make up for it, and breaks myriad tackles. They also have Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson.
But this isn’t about who they have. This is about sticking to your value board and picking really good players, regardless of position. It’s the best way to draft. You can get burned reaching for need.
And Hall, the consensus top running back in the draft, had a first-round grade on the Jets board, and he was sitting there still available in the second, and the Jets made a move.
A lot of people have speculated this is bad for Carter.
But you know what, it might actually be good for him.
While he is capable of being an every-down back, how long is he going to last doing that? During his impressive rookie year, he did hurt suffer a knee injury, forcing him to miss three games.
And now, he has a chance to kind of go back to his college scenario, at North Carolina, where he platooned with a bigger back, Javonte Williams (Denver Broncos), and they kicked butt, complimenting each other extremely well.
Sometimes it seemed like Carter was overused a tad last year, especially between the tackles.
Carter and Hall should complement each other well. Let the 5-11, 220-pound Hall do more of the inside running and let Carter do more work in space.
The Jets have had issues in short-yardage situations, like third-and-one kind of scenarios, or on the goal line. They need a runner who excels in these situations – enter Hall.
“His running style is willful when it needs to be and he’s adept at moving the chains on ‘got to have it’ short-yardage carries,” wrote NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zeirlein.
Consider this stat:
Hall rushed for a touchdown in his final 24 games, breaking the NCAA all-time record for consecutive games with a rushing touchdown.
How bad do the Jets need a guy like that to consistently get the rock in the end zone when running down by the goal line?
And the elephant in the room at the running back position is unfortunately there are a lot of injuries for those guys due to the violent, taxing nature of that job.
Both Carter and Coleman got hurt last year and missed time. You need great depth in the running back room over the course of a 17-game NFL season.
And remember, the Jets offense is a run-first attack. Everything they do plays off the run.
The Shanahan-system, which Mike LaFleur brought from San Francisco, is about running the ball effectively to set up explosive passing plays.
So while the selection of Hall was viewed as a bad thing for Carter, it really isn’t.
Carter and Hall will complement each other well, now, and for years to come.
And it’s always a good thing to stick to the value board and pick really good players.
To the Jets personnel department, Hall was just too good to pass up.
May 5, 2022
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