The 107th overall pick in the NFL draft is rare on superstars, but it does feature a perennial Pro Bowler and a current New York Jets weapon.
The only NFL draft tradition more enduring than current mocks is revisiting the selections of the past.
Jet X looks back on the nine spots where the New York Jets are slated to select the coming draft and highlights the best players chosen in each role.
After a free agency frenzy, our countdown continues a look back at the names selected with the 107th overall pick, the Jets’ regularly scheduled fourth-round choice. (The team’s 108th pick is technically the No. 107 with the New England Patriots’ third-round forfeiture.)
1963: G Walt Sweeney, Cleveland
Walt Sweeney opted out of the NFL’s proceedings, instead opting for the AFL’s San Diego Chargers, who chose him second overall in their own 1963 selections (behind only Buck Buchanan in Kansas City).
He was a versatile and intimidating prescience on the Chargers’ line, playing every position and forcing Californian defensive star Merlin Olsen to admit that he would “sell cars” if he had to face Sweeney every week.
Sweeney would appear in nine consecutive Pro Bowls (1964-72) and be named to the AFL’s All-Time team after the league’s merger with the NFL. He passed away in February 2013 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
1973: CB Allan Ellis, Chicago
Ellis, a UCLA alum, was the first-ever Bears cornerback elected to the Pro Bowl after a six-interception season in 1977. Like Sweeney, Allan Ellis passed in 2013, but his memory lives on in the Chicago football ledgers.
He was named one of the 100 greatest Bears of all-time during the team’s centennial celebration in 2019. His 22 interceptions earned with a wishbone-C on his helmet are good for a tenth-place tie in team history with some good company: Dick Butkus and Brian Urlacher.
2018: TE Chris Herndon, Jets
The Jets return to some familiar territory with the 107th overall pick this season. Just three years ago, they chose their current starting tight end out of Miami in that very slot. While Chris Herndon had a strong rookie season (39 receptions, 502 yards, four touchdowns), injuries and suspensions have prevented him from capitalizing on that rookie potential.
He did start to regain some of his first-year from with 145 yards on 14 receptions, two of which went for scores, over the Jets’ final three games last season.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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