Possible 2010 New York Jet Selection: Draft Profiles

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This article is a combination of two articles that appeared on Gang Green Nation

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So with it being a bye week and Rex Ryan ordering everyone to vacate the building by Thursday or else, we thought it might be time to switch gears. Start talking about the future potential Jets while the current Jets fly off to Cali (Rhodes) or anywhere else they might be jetting off to (no pun intended).

So this week I'm going to take a look at some of the prospects that the Jets may have their eyes on in 2010, because although the players are taking a welcome break, being a fan is a 24/7/365 job and well, we need something to keep our mind occupied until a week Sunday.

You may not agree with some of the players we profile this week, and obviously that's fine, just leave your comments with your opinions on the particular player being discussed.

So first up after the jump, it's a player close to home, Syracuse's Arthur Jones.

I haven't been able to watch Syracuse all that much, and let's be honest who would want to if your not a fan. However scouts seem to really like Jones. Projected to be a mid-to-late first-round selection, he should be available around where the Jets will be picking.

Currently a 4-3 DT, but definitely more suited to a 3-4 DE in the NFL. Has good, not great size, standing at 6'4" and listed at 294 pounds. Although he is working to add a little bit of weight without losing any of his quickness that makes him so valuable to a team.

Looking at his basic stats, not many would be impressed, but over the course of the 2007-2008 season, he had 30.5 tackles for loss. He had three sacks in 2008 and currently has just the one sack.

In 2008 he was named first team All Big East. As a Notre Dame fan, he left a lasting impression on me after last season. That day he recorded 15 tackles, four for a loss of 24 yards in total and 1.5 sacks. He was the Big East defensive player of the week and earned himself a ESPN helmet sticker for his contribution.

At Syracuse he is double-teamed continuously and that partly explains why his sack totals are not higher, uses a good bull rush and is excellent at using his hands to shed blocks. Difference here to Vernon Gholston , Gholston has a excellent bull rush, but he can't shed blocks, Arthur Jones manages to do this, is quicker than his times suggest, and is continuously in the face of the QB, making life uncomfortable.

However, run defence is perhaps where he excels the most, which can be put to his penetration, moves down the line fluidly, protects the gaps and his tackles for loss shows that he gets excellent push off the line and has an explosive nature to him. His conditioning is above average and he has the motor to play until the whistle stops. He will be seen in the backfield and then seconds later down the field making the tackle.

One of the best attributes in Jones is his awareness. He knows where the ball is and his football intelligence is used to good measure to reveal where the likeliest path of the runner, which helps him bring down the ball carrier. For a defensive tackle, he is a good open-field tackler. He plays very low, and has the length to bring down the ball carrier, uses his hands to his benefit, and rarely gets caught too high. He is not often seen being pushed out of the play.

Another attribute that you won't find on any stat sheet, but that is equally important to a system, is attitude. Jones has a excellent, never give up attitude, which was probably developed through being on a team that has had very little success. His coaches love him, he comes in to play every single day, and has become a leader on the team, gave everything he had for Syracuse, and I'm sure they are sorry to be losing him.

His attitude, back-field presence, and high motor make me predict that he would be a excellent player in Rex Ryan's system.

The second in our prospect watch draft special this week is highly regarded, but often disagreed about, Florida DE Carlos Dunlap.

Many Jets fans might scream when I say that scouts will be more impressed by his athletic characteristics than his on-field action, and the word potential that so many of us have to come to loathe. Athletic ability and potential are the two most-used phrases to describe one Vernon Gholston

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