New York Jets fan begs Robert Saleh not to draft Kyle Hamilton
The New York Jets recently hosted a conference call for season ticket holders in which they could ask questions to head coach Robert Saleh.
Matt of the Broadway Jets Podcast was a part of the call and shared a hilarious exchange in which a fan pleaded to Saleh about why he should not draft Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
Full Clip: Jets Season Ticket Holder “Teddy” pleads to Robert Saleh to not draft Kyle Hamilton #Jets 📹 NY Jets YouTube pic.twitter.com/fU3vdmcark
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) February 24, 2022
The fan, who has been a season-ticket holder for over 40 years, explained that he would rather see the team upgrade its pass rush before looking to the secondary.
“I think I speak for all Jet fans, we want to see somebody on the defensive line picked … we’ve been down this road with Jamal Adams, great player, but, you know, he made some good plays but didn’t get us anywhere.”
Continuing his plea, the fan said, “We’re looking for a defensive end, an edge rusher, instead of a cornerback or safety, because, without an edge rush, the safety’s just gonna sit there and basically, he’s not going to have enough time to do what he has to do. It’s not beneficial. … I think I speak for all Jet fans, we need an edge rusher. We haven’t had somebody that can really attack the quarterback since [John] Abraham.”
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Saleh avoided giving a direct answer regarding Hamilton but did say that he agrees with the fan’s philosophy.
“You’re right. It starts up front, always has, always will,” Saleh said.
“We’re about to dive deep here with the draft stuff as the Combine approaches and we start studying and talking to these guys and getting our hands on them. You know, everything’s always open, but you and me, we talk the same language. If you want the secondary to be better, fix the pass rush, right?”
As expected, Saleh continued to dance around the subject and refrain from tipping his hand at all.
“There’s a million different directions we can go and to kind of pinpoint it to one position right now would be premature,” Saleh said.
Regardless, Saleh deserves credit for giving the most detailed and thorough answer that he could.
A 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior from Atlanta, Georgia, Hamilton is coming off of a productive three-year career with the Fighting Irish in which he produced 138 tackles, 16 pass deflections, and eight interceptions in 31 games.
Hamilton is widely considered to be a top-5 prospect in the 2022 draft class and has been projected to be selected as high as No. 2 by some mock drafters.
