The New York Jets Need to Have the Best 2012 NFL Draft Class in the AFC East

Injuries ravaged the New York Jets in 2011, picking all the meat off the bones and exposing that while the Jets roster had a tough outer shell, the inside was as hollow as a turtle.

For that reason, they must have a stellar showing at the 2012 NFL Draft.

They've made just 13 selections in the past three years, and have missed on far too many.

With 10 picks this season, the Jets could realistically right those wrongs. Vlad Ducasse and Joe McKnight are the two prime examples of picks not put to good use, while the Mark Sanchez pick remains an inscrutable one.

Depth is the biggest issue for the Jets, and as such, they don't have much of a choice but to add to it.

The other three teams, especially the Dolphins, all have needs that must be addressed: The Bills must find depth on the offensive line and talent at wide receiver; the Patriots need to revamp their defense, specifically in the secondary; the Dolphins need...a lot of things.

The Patriots struggled in the draft from 2006 to 2009, a period they are paying for now. While the team might have plenty of suitable depth ready to step into starting roles if they had hit on more picks in that span, many of their free-agent signings this offseason were in response to a need for depth across the roster.

Much of Buffalo's depth has been built through the draft. Eight of their nine picks last year played at least seven games, and six of the nine played 11 or more games. They've also faced some turnover problems of their own, with only one pick from the 2006 and 2007 drafts remaining.

The Dolphins have made some solid picks at the top of the draft, but it's the other rounds where they've struggled. The only player picked outside the first round worth mentioning is Kendall Langford, who left for St. Louis as a free agent. With the number of Sean Smith and Patrick Turner stories, it's easy to see why the bad outweigh the good.

In that sense, it's a pretty close call between the Dolphins and Jets over which team needs a good draft most. Of all the AFC East front offices as a whole, the Jets have the least amount of equity.

The Dolphins, whether they'll admit it or not, are rebuilding. It will take more than one draft to build a contender. For that reason, they shouldn't be in a position of panic. The coaching regime is brand new and will likely have a few years to find their players before the seat warms up.

For Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum, the seat's already cooking.

Every team in the AFC East has to improve, but from this perspective, the Jets have the most to lose by having a bad draft.

Follow @ErikFrenz