New York Jets 2012 NFL Draft Strategy: Does Darrelle Revis Impact the Plan?

The New York Jets will have a gigantic elephant in their war room in the form of a 6'0", 205-pound cornerback named Darrelle Revis.

Whether or not the Rex Ryan-proclaimed best defensive player in the league (via NY Daily News) has an impact on their draft plans, the Jets have an opportunity to fix their depth issues. They have over 75 percent as many picks this year (10) as they've had in the past three years combined (13).

Can 10 draft picks even make the team? That's a question the Jets will have to answer, and plan for accordingly.

What else should be on New York's mind in the war room?

The Revis Effect

As stated earlier, the Jets' biggest issue at the moment is depth. But they might have a much bigger issue if cornerback Darrelle Revis holds out.

After using their 2010 first-round pick on Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson (ironically, selected the last time Revis was holding out), the Jets aren't likely to go high for another cornerback. But they would greatly benefit from going mid or low on one, if only for depth.

The Jets are backloaded with sixth- and seventh-round conditional picks, but luckily for them, the draft is deep with cornerbacks. In fact, Wes Bunting of National Football Post called it the deepest position in the draft. The value will be there on cornerbacks later in the draft, which could present multiple opportunities for the Jets to address their lack of depth at the position.

Adding another talented player to the mix should be a priority for the Jets regardless, if only as insurance against a Revis holdout or another season of struggles for Kyle Wilson.

Trends Show Skill Positions a Late-Round Value, Trenches an Early Round Favorite

The Jets haven't done very well at surrounding quarterback Mark Sanchez with talent, but that could be due in part to the lack of resources they've invested in skill position players. Since Mike Tannenbaum took over in 2006, the Jets have drafted four running backs and five wide receivers (if you count Brad Smith) in the fourth through seventh rounds of the draft.

In fact, the only skill position player who didn't fall into this category was running back Shonn Greene, who was drafted in the third round.

Conversely, it's clear where the top value is for the Jets: in the trenches.

The Jets have made six picks on the offensive or defensive line in the first two rounds since 2006: D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold in 2006, defensive end Vernon Gholston in 2008, offensive tackle Vlad Ducasse in 2010 and defensive tackles Muhammad Wilkerson and Kenrick Ellis in 2011.

They have a need at right tackle, and clearly value the battle in the trenches enough to pull the trigger should the right guy be available with either the 16th or 47th picks (I projected Bobby Massie in the second round in my seven-round Jets mock draft yesterday).

My Advice: Do Not Mortgage Depth for Need

Every team has to deal with injuries during a season, and it's often the teams that deal with them best and/or get healthy at the right time that end up competing for the Super Bowl. The Jets don't just get injured; they get crippled by their injuries. 

B/R NFC North blogger and self-described "recovering Jets fan" Andrew Garda and I debated the Jets' biggest need, and we agreed that regardless of position, the team needs to add depth across the board.

The Jets could move up to No. 9 in the first round (valued at 1,350 points) by trading the 16th (950) and 47th (430) overall picks. However, it would be much better if they could trade with a lower team to move up just a handful of spots and pick up an extra third-round pick so that they still make three selections in the first three rounds.

It's not likely that 10 rookies will make the roster, so the Jets could throw in a couple of sixth- or seventh-round picks to sweeten a potential deal if they decide to move up.

While a specific need could drive them to do so, one thing they can't forget is that with 10 picks in the draft, they have a great opportunity to address their biggest need: quality depth.

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