The NFL draft is over and it suddenly seems like a long time to wait for the next meaningful event on the NFL calendar. But frankly we’re still excited trying to break down what it all means for each team and so we’re going to share some of that excitement.
That’s right every team is going to have each pick broken down as well as a look at their undrafted free agents. Next up we're looking at the New York Jets.
Round 1: Leonard Williams, DE, USC
Grade: B
The Jets clearly went with value over need with the sixth pick of the draft as they add Williams to an already-loaded defensive line. He does his best work in the running game where his run grade and run stop percentage led the nation among interior defensive linemen. He was a solid pass rusher, and perhaps held back by scheme at times, but his subpar third down pass rushing (pass rush productivity of 6.4 compared to class average of 7.6) is a concern, particularly if he’s unable to play on early downs due to a crowded depth chart.
Depth Chart Fit: This is where it gets interesting as Williams’ skillset is perhaps redundant with the current Jets’ defensive line of Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Damon Harrison. Getting all four on the field at the same time is unlikely, so look for Williams to start out moving around to provide depth behind the starting three.
Round 2: Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State
Grade: A
One of our favorite receivers in the draft, Smith led the nation with 754 yards on deep passes. He’s more than just a speed guy, however, as his downfield ball skills are what really separate him from other one-trick, speed receivers. While he was used sparingly at Ohio State, he looks like more than just a deep threat, and he should evolve into a nice addition for the Jets' offense.
Depth Chart Fit: With Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker slotted to start, and Jeremy Kerley in the slot, Smith will ease in as a No. 4 option who can play 20-30 snaps a game to get his game-breaking ability on the field.
Round 3: Lorenzo Mauldin, ED, Louisville
Grade: B+
Mauldin was an underrated edge defender in this class as he showed equally proficient as a pass rusher as he did against the run last season. He ranked in the Top-6 in both categories among edge rushers in the class as he graded positively in all but one game.
Depth Chart Fit: Quinton Coples and Calvin Pace are slated to start at rush linebacker with Jason Babin available as an edge rusher, so Mauldin will have a chance to steal some snaps from that group of veterans who are certainly no lock for playing time in 2015.
Round 4: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor
It’s always worth taking a chance on a quarterback and that’s exactly what the Jets did when Petty was still on the board in the fourth round. He was not as impressive as the gaudy stats would indicate as Baylor’s offense is as quarterback-friendly as they come and Petty’s transition to the NFL will be a challenging one. He leaned heavily on the deep ball (second in nation with 1472 yards on deep passes) while rarely working through progressions, but he showed enough natural talent to make for an intriguing developmental option.
Depth Chart Fit: Petty should be the No. 3 QB behind Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Round 5: Jarvis Harrison, G, Texas A&M
Harrison graded right in the middle of the guard class with a slight negative in pass protection and a decent grade as a run blocker and he mixed in two starts at left tackle. He finished with a strong bowl game against West Virginia while surrendering three sacks, four hits, and 10 hurries on 379 pass block attempts on the season.
Depth Chart Fit: Harrison will battle Brian Winters for a swing backup guard role behind starters Willie Colon and James Carpenter.
Round 7: Deon Simon, DI, Northwestern State
We only have 87 graded snaps for Simon who showed well against Baylor against the run with five run stops. He struggled against the run in his game against Louisiana Tech, but did notch a sack and two hurries on only 19 rushes.
Depth Chart Fit: Simon is the only other true nose tackle on the roster behind Damon Harrison, so he’ll compete to make the roster as his backup.
The Undrafted
Taiwan Jones, LB, Michigan State: Showed well against the run with the 17th-best run stop grade of draft-eligible linebackers.
Deion Barnes, ED, Penn State: Posted positive grades against the run and as a rusher where his pass rush productivity of 8.3 against Power-5 competition ranked 15th among draft-eligible 4-3 defensive ends.
Wes Saxton, TE, South Alabama: Hands were an issue as Saxton dropped six of his 26 catchable passes, second-worst among draft-eligible tight ends.
Jordan Williams, DI, Tennessee: Williams struggled against the run where he posted only one game “in the green,” while picking up only 14 total pressures on 296 rushes.
Julian Howsare, ED, Clarion: We do not have any graded games of Howsare.
Betim Bujari, C, Rutgers: Surrendered seven pressures on 402 pass block attempts this season to tie for 8th among draft-eligible centers with a pass blocking efficiency of 98.6.
Jake Heaps, QB, Miami: The former top recruit too only 45 snaps in a backup role last season.
Greg Henderson, CB, Colorado: Henderson posted the 19th-best coverage grade of all draft-eligible cornerbacks.
Durell Eskridge, S, Syracuse: Graded much better against the run (10th among draft-eligible safeties) than in coverage (118th).
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