It’s nice to have a professional in charge.
I didn’t like all of Mike Maccagnan’s moves during the 2015 NFL Draft. I don’t think he should’ve drafted a defensive lineman with the sixth overall pick when the Jets are already strong at that position and weak at many others. And based on what I saw of them in college, I’d take UCLA’s Brett Hundley over Jets fourth-round selection Bryce Petty any day of the week -- especially on Sunday.
But after the abominable John Idzik era, where it seemed like Gang Green’s personnel decisions were being determined by a Magic 8 ball, the Jets’ new GM has quickly proven that he knows what he’s doing.
I would have liked to see Maccagnan trade down in the first round, in order to get more prospects to fill areas of need, rather than make a play for depth. Still, Williams undoubtedly possesses great size, skills and potential. Remarkably, he’s still young enough that he couldn’t legally celebrate his entry into pro football at a bar. The fact is, at six, Maccagnan got a guy many think is the best player in the 2015 draft class.
With his second pick, the Jets got the deep threat they so sorely need in Ohio State’s Devin Smith, who averaged an eye-catching 21 yards a reception for the Buckeyes. With Gang Green already flush with big targets in Eric Decker and new addition Brandon Marshall, Smith should be a pace-changer that can stretch the field for QB Geno Smith.
Third-round selection Lorenzo Mauldin arrives in New York with an incredible story, having lived in more than 15 foster homes while growing up in astonishingly challenging circumstances. Mauldin now faces another herculean task: generating much needed pressure on opposing QBs from his outside linebacker slot.
Trading up to get Petty didn’t grab me. The signal-caller obviously put up impressive numbers at Baylor -- 8,200 yards, 62 TD and just 10 INTs in two years as a starter, for a team that went 22-4 during that time -- but so did Nick Florence, the guy who was under center for the Bears between RGIII and Petty. What, you’ve never heard of Florence? That’s my point.
Petty seems like a “system quarterback” to me, while Hundley -- who ended up going in the fifth round to Green Bay -- put the Bruins on his shoulders over the past few years. But again, to get Petty in the fourth round seems like a good value move.
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One move I really did like was the trade of RB Zac Stacy from the Rams for a 7th round pick. Yes, Stacy is now low on a depth chart that includes Chris Ivory, Stevan Ridley and Bilal Powell, and he’s coming off a serious knee injury. But he was very productive as a Rams rookie two years ago, and there’s no position in the NFL where depth is more important than running back.
Maccagnan clearly has game. If only he could play QB.
