Highlight Videos and Opinions of the Jets 2011 Draft Selections

I always enjoy researching and writing about my teams draft choices. A few years back, I watched highlights of Dustin Keller dominating Big 10 competition during his time at Purdue.

The Jets selected Temple defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson with the 30th pick. Let's take a look at his highlights.  

The knock on this kid is that he played against sub par competition in the MAC conference. That's a legit concern and I'll allow it. He does need to add some strength in his upper body and thighs. What I notice is his footwork and balance, two key characteristics for a DT. They need to be able to shift weight quickly to avoid getting shoved around by a fat o-lineman. He had 70 tackles, 9 sacks and 13 tackles for loss (run plays) during his Junior (2010) season. The tackles for loss is way above average. I'll look for him to do exactly the opposite of what Rex Ryan did last off season and GAIN some weight in addition to NOT hiding snacks in his camp dormitory.

The Jets' 3rd round pick, 94th overall, is Kenrick Ellis, the a DT from Hampton, who is MASSIVE in both height and weight at 6’5″, 346 pounds.

If you like Akon then you must of really liked this video. If you're also a Hampton alum then you must of LOVED this video. Kenrick spent time at South Carolina before transferring to Hampton. The knock on this kid is that he is a trouble maker and got in trouble with drugs. As long as he isn't shooting heroin or selling crack then I really don't give a shit what he does when he's 19 years old. I watched him get interviewed and he seems to like the attention and the spotlight. Rex will be able to use this to motivate him and harness his size which is on display at around the 1:30 mark. I think that he will play the interior of the 3 guys up front while Wilkerson plays the left or right side. I see them both as starters by their sophomore campaigns. 

The Jets then drafted Louisville RB Bilal Powell in the 4th round. I watched some of his highlights and was mildly impressed. Nothing really stood out to me but I'm sure he is capable of running through a hole. I was more impressed with their 5th round selection from TCU, WR Jeremy Kerley.

Kerley reminded me of a player who donned the green and white this past season. Who? I'll give you a hint. Here's a snippet from Kerley's NFL Combine capsule: 

"He is a very raw route runner, but he has the lateral agility to separate on underneath routes and a knack for making people miss in the open field"

Sound familiar? It's this guy, #10 Santonio Holmes. Holmes has better top end speed but they are the basically the same height and weight (5'10, 190 pounds). This leads me to believe that it will be Holmes and not Braylon that will play somewhere else in 2012 (or 2013 pending these greedy sob's figure it out by then). You know Schottenheimer likes this Kerley because he's adept on those quick out patterns when the defense is in soft man coverage. Mark Sanchez has been accustomed to throwing these easy completions and having turning them into 5-8 yard catches with Holmes. The success of these routes are essential because it gives the Sanchez and offense rhythm while keeping the defense honest. Kerley can also return punts which is something the Jets could utilize. I expect this kid to make the team and contribute on special teams out of the gate. I wouldn't be shocked if he also got action in the slot. TWSS. 

In the 7th round the Jets selected Alabama NCAA Champion QB Greg McElroy, which should make former Razorback QB Joe Namath very proud. WR Scotty McKnight, a friend of Sanchez, was then chosen with the Jets final pick in the draft. 

Overall I was happy with how things went. I thought it made sense to draft a safety instead of two WR's and two DT's, but perhaps Tannenbaum plans to address this during free agency. Thanks for reading. Free free to let me know what you think in the comment section.