Mel Kiper Jr. gives the New York Jets a highly touted yet polarizing prospect
Early mock drafts seem to be on target where the New York Jets are concerned. They’re all choosing offensive tackles. The million-dollar question is, which one?
Jets mock drafts:
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. is the most controversial figure surrounding the NFL Draft. He was the original self-styled draft expert and has been very wrong as often (or perhaps more so) as he’s very right.
Still, his mock drafts usually make people pay attention, whether to approve or criticize. In this case, it might be both.
Kiper’s first mock draft gives the Jets Olu Fashanu, the left tackle from Penn State. Kiper compared him to Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a previous first-team All-Pro. This is what he wrote about Fashanu: “At 6-foot-6, 319 pounds, Fashanu has the physical traits and footwork of an elite lineman. He could have been a first-rounder in last year’s draft if he had entered.”
Most draft prognosticators seem to agree, at least in the early going. However, at Jets X-Factor, we’re always going to trust Joe Blewett’s expert film breakdown. He was far less impressed with Fashanu, noting the tackle is raw as a run-blocker and has more pass-blocking issues than others seem to attribute to him.
On the surface, Fashanu would seem like a good candidate for the Jets if Joe Alt is off the board. He has a name as a good pass-blocker and plays left tackle. Still, if Blewett will not necessarily sign on the dotted line for that, perhaps the Jets should look in a different direction. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com seems to think they will, as he has them selecting Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga with Fashanu still on the board.
The Jets’ scouting as a whole has been suspect, especially when it comes to the offensive line. Still, after they seemingly hit on Joe Tippmann last year in selecting him over John Michael Schmitz, perhaps they have some credibility built up in their ability to wade through the consensus.