Predicting the New York Jets' 53-Man Roster: Defense

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

This is the second of three articles that will break down my predictions for the Jets 53-man roster. First up will be the special teams and practice squad, followed by the defense on Monday and the offense on Tuesday.

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Defensive End - Shaun Ellis, Marques Douglas, Mike DeVito, Zach Potter

Shaun Ellis is the longest tenured player in the franchise. He has been with the Jets since they drafted him 12th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He has played in 140 games at left defensive end and accumulated 465 tackles and 61.5 sacks over the course of his nine seasons in the league.

Some thought Ellis would have a tough time making the transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 defense end, but Ellis has responded with a pair of five-sacks seasons followed by an eight-sack season last year to lead the team.

Ellis is a leader on this Jets defense and leads by example. It will be interesting to see how Rex Ryan uses Ellis. He will be 32 years old to start the season and the Jets have played with the possibility of using Kris Jenkins at left defensive end with Sione Pouha in at nose tackle on several plays to give the defensive line more beef.

The Big Katt will be a fixture on the defensive line this year and with his past success as a pass rusher, it will just be another toy for Rex Ryan to play with when he creates his blitzing schemes.

Marques Douglas was another ex-Raven that joined Rex Ryan in New York. He signed with the Jets on March 13, 2008 to give the Jets some depth at defensive end.

Little did he know, he will likely be called upon to start for the Jets this upcoming season at right defense end. Why? Because former starter Kenyon Coleman was dealt to the Cleveland Browns in the trade that sent the No. 5 overall pick to the Jets in which they used to select Mark Sanchez.

None the less, Douglas knows Ryan's defense well as he spent four years with the Ravens between 2001 and 2004 and once again in 2008. The Jets are counting on him to fill the void that Coleman left.

Mike DeVito is an interesting player. Despite going undrafted during the 2007 NFL Draft, the Jets brought him in and tried him out. DeVito did so well proving himself to the coaching staff that he won a roster spot over established veterans Bobby Hamilton and Kimo von Oelhoffen.

Ever since, DeVito has established himself as one of the first players off the bench when a defensive end is needed. In 16 games last season, DeVito registered 24 tackles with 0.5 sack.

DeVito is quietly doing a good job in providing depth behind an aging defensive line. With a change in scheme to come under Rex Ryan, it is possible that it could benefit him in the long run and possibly take over as a starter a year or so down the road.

At this point, I'll gladly take him as a solid player on my defensive line depth any day.

The Jets were so depleted at tight end that they have attempted to convert defensive end Kareem Brown to offense and use him as a blocker. While the process is still under evaluation, I don't think it will be a success.

So at this point, we will continue to deem him as a tight end. However, his success at tight end could hinge on the dream of another young player.

Zach Potter was projected to be a mid-round pick in this year's NFL draft. It was quite shocking to see that a player of his caliber was available on the free agent wire following the conclusion of the seventh round.

At 6'6" and 280 pounds, he has a big enough frame to give the Jets what they need as a defensive end. He replaced former Nebraska Cornhusker Adam Carriker as the starting defensive end in 2007. In his two years as a starter, Potter recorded 92 tackles, eight sacks, and 27 tackles for a loss in 25 games (24 starts).

He has all the makings to be a good player in the NFL and under the right tutelage and scheme, there is no telling how far he could go.


Nose Tackle - Kris Jenkins, Sione Pouha, Howard Green

Perhaps the biggest acquisition of the previous offseason, both physically (349lbs.) and from a team standpoint. Kris Jenkins has given the Jets the key component that they have lacked since they made the switch over to a 3-4 defense.

Despite questions and concerns over the conversion from 4-3 to 3-4 for Jenkins, as well as weight issues, he overcame it all and became the key to the Jets successful run-stopping defense.

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