Time is Not a Luxury That the Jets' Offensive Line Will Have

The Jets certainly took a risk when trading up for the fifth pick in the 2009 NFL Draft to select USC quarterback, Mark Sanchez.

There are few people who question Sanchez’ talent and leadership skills.

But, whether or not Sanchez can develop into a solid NFL quarterback and how quickly he can do so is a virtual unknown.

Sanchez started just 16 games while at USC and didn’t really make his way to front and center of most GM’s radar screens until the 2009 Rose Bowl where completed a record-setting 80 percent of his passes and completely demolished a revered Penn State defense.

Sanchez could come out in 2009 and be the next Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, or he could require some time to develop, similar to Eli Manning. 

With Sanchez being labeled as the Jets’ quarterback of the future, the front office and coaching staff will need to give him room to develop in a way that best suits him.

That being said, the Jets’ offensive line does not really have the luxury of sitting back for two or three years while Sanchez continues to develop. 

With an average age of 27, the Jets’ high-priced offensive line is one of the older lines in the league, and will be lucky to remain fully intact for another two to three more seasons.

So what does this mean?

Well, it means that if Sanchez is able to come flying out of the gate in 2009, he will have at least two years of protection from a solid, highly experienced offensive line. 

If Sanchez needs time to develop, which could very well be the case, he might have the unfortunate luck of coming into his own at the exact same time as the offensive line is in need of rebuilding.

Obviously, an offensive line can always be rebuilt through acquisitions, trades, and draft picks.

But, the Jets have spent a significant amount of money putting together the current offensive line and you can’t help but feel that the front office and coaching staff will be chomping at the bit for Sanchez to step up and start performing while this high-priced offensive line is still intact.

As if the weight of being the fifth overall pick in the draft and probable starting quarterback of a New York football team was not enough pressure to throw upon Sanchez’s back, you can toss on a little extra pressure to perform while the five extremely well-paid men are stilling lining up in front of him on game day.

Qualities such as maturity and the ability to handle pressure are weighed in on almost as much as pure talent when selecting a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft, and the Jets are certainly banking on Sanchez’s ability to handle all of it.