Jets Draft Stock Watch: 5 Players Rising and Falling on New York's Board
With free agency winding down and draft season kicking into high gear, the draft boards are beginning to take shape.
For the New York Jets, a lot has changed in the past few weeks that could impact who the team selects come April 30. New head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan have done a good job of getting their team-building started in the right direction.
Some positions that were once of dire need (cornerback, wide receiver) have been completely addressed. Others (third-down running back, outside linebacker) remain to be filled. But beyond the pure positional standing of each player, offseason workouts serve as a time for the hundreds of draft prospects to either enhance or reduce their draft stock.
Which players are falling on either end of the spectrum? Here's a handful from a Jets perspective.
Stock Up: Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
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With the spotlight shining so brightly on the top outside linebacker prospects like Vic Beasley, Shane Ray, Randy Gregory, Bud Dupree and Dante Fowler Jr., one prospect who has been largely overlooked is Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold.
At 6'3" and 247 pounds, Harold may not be the spitting image of a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he has shown the skill set to play in that style of system. He ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, and his combination of strength and explosiveness could make him a force off the edge. He notched 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his final season at Virginia, as well as 36.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in his career.
The one concern with Harold's fit in the Jets defense is his ability to drop into coverage. Todd Bowles does not ask his outside linebackers to cover too much, though, as Arizona Cardinals starters Alex Okafor and Sam Acho dropped into coverage far less frequently than they rushed the passer in 2014, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
If Harold is still on the board when the Jets come up with their second-round pick, he should be in the discussion.
Stock Down: Jarvis Harrison, OG, Texas A&M
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After adding James Carpenter as a free agent, the Jets' need at guard is 50 percent less dire than it was just a month ago. That being said, they can't be 100 percent confident in veteran Willie Colon or young upstarts Brian Winters and Oday Aboushi.
But no matter how badly they need a guard, the Jets should not turn to Texas A&M's Jarvis Harrison. The four-year starter showed up late to his pro day, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, which certainly did not help to alleviate the concerns around his commitment to football that have been raised by those in the scouting community.
"I believe he has Pro Bowl-caliber talent, but his work ethic is a major concern for me," said an AFC scouting director, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "I know he loves basketball, but not sure if he feels the same about football. The talent? That's a given. He's really, really talented."
Between Winters and Aboushi, the Jets already have two young guards with potential. Do they really need to add another who may never realize that potential?
Stock Up: Taiwan Jones, ILB, Michigan State
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The Jets just re-signed veteran inside linebacker David Harris, and they already have emerging young inside linebacker Demario Davis, but they are one injury away from seriously testing their depth at the position. Michigan State inside linebacker Taiwan Jones could be a player whom the Jets target to help fill out the depth chart.
Jones was highly productive at MSU, notching 60 tackles, 12.5 for loss and four sacks in his senior season, along with 183 tackles, 25.5 for loss and 5.5 sacks in his career. He had an admittedly rough outing at the scouting combine, clocking a sluggish 4.95-second 40-yard dash; he still wasn't quite as fast as he might have liked at his pro day, running the 40 in 4.71 seconds, but it's an improvement.
He readily confessed what made Indianapolis so intimidating.
"Just the name," Jones said, according to Zach Libby of The State News. "You got a lot of teams there and a lot more people there than it was here. It's [nerve-racking] because you go through a lot of things over the week and your last day is testing, so you have to deal with that."
One problem with that whole theory: If he admits he cracked a little under the pressure of the number of people and "the name" of the scouting combine, how will he do in front of more than 50,000 fans in whatever NFL stadium he calls home?
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Stock Down: Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri
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Missouri defensive end Shane Ray was once considered a lock as a top-five pick, but his stock appears to be slipping.
It all began when he measured in at 6'3" and 245 pounds at the scouting combine, where he also only participated in the bench press. His 33.1" arms give him some length to ward off blockers, but he could be sporting a bull's-eye on his chest in the running game. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein indicates that he was "engulfed and glued to the bigger tackles he faced," and he'll be facing even bigger tackles in the NFL than the ones he saw in the SEC.
He posted a school-record 14.5 sacks in 2014 along with 22.5 tackles for loss, but if the Jets were hoping to employ him as a 3-4 outside linebacker, it looks like some scouts may have some bad news for them.
"People see who he is, they're going to fall off him quick," an NFL scout said, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The body structure. No way in hell he can be an outside 'backer."
The Jets are desperate for young, athletic outside linebackers, but they would be wise to look elsewhere for their best fit.
Stock Up: Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
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The spotlight is firmly on quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston as we get ready for the draft, but UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley is creating his own share of intrigue.
Last year, Hundley completed 69.1 percent of his throws for 3,155 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions, tacking on another 644 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. But more important than the production is the skill set, and Hundley measured in at 6'3", 226 pounds and finished among the top five quarterbacks in every single drill at the scouting combine.
Yes, UCLA head coach admitted to NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock (h/t Bryan Fischer of NFL.com) that Hundley may not be ready to start in the NFL, but Fischer also says that Hundley showed off some arm talent that could pique the interest of scouts:
"Hundley worked a variety of route concepts that he had not shown very much on tape and impressed with a tight spiral and good velocity. He appeared to be on the money with all but a handful of passes. The signal-caller looked to be on the same page as his wideouts and he was particularly proud of the footwork he showed off inside the pocket while avoiding a faux pass rush.
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He has a tremendous ceiling, and his athleticism will increase his allure to teams that are searching for a new-age dual-threat quarterback. If Mariota is not the pick at No. 6, the Jets could wait until Day 2 to scoop up Hundley and groom him for the future.
Unless otherwise noted, all scouting combine information and draft notes provided by CBSSports.com and NFL.com.
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