These are the guys on the Jets roster listed at the QB position:
- Geno Smith,
- Bryce Petty,
- Christian Hackenberg.
Geno Smith has played 31 games of NFL football. He played so well the Jets brought in journeyman QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to replace the former 2nd round pick. Fitzpatrick is a free agent and doesn’t want to play for New York at the 8 million he was offered.
Bryce Petty is a 2nd year player and has zero games of NFL experience.
Christian Hackenberg is a rookie who completed 53.5% (that’s bad) of his passes in 2015 for Penn State. NFL pundits predicted Houston could draft Hackenberg because O’Brien worked with the passer at Penn State. The Jets drafted him because Mike Maccagnan had downed enough whisky by pick 19 (round 2) that doing so seemed like a good idea (probably).
The Colts had (entering the NFL draft) a pressing need for a running back. The team hasn’t had a 1,000 yard runner since 2007. So GM Ryan Grigson responded by not drafting a running back at all. To be fair to the Colts, they did invest heavily in offensive linemen, blocking being a major issue for the team in 2015. Instead they’re relying on 32 year old Frank Gore and former Marshawn Lynch backup Robert Turbin to accept fake hand-offs from Andrew Luck.
The Colts made the playoffs in the past without a strong run game, but the AFC South is more competitive now. They’ll face stiff competition with a vastly improved Houston and Jacksonville clubs.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted a kicker in the second round. In the 2000 NFL Draft, NFL legend Al Davis drafted kicker Sebastian Janikowski in the first round. That’s something Al Davis can get away with because of his reputation. Aguayo will need to have a career like Janikowski for this pick not to look silly in years to come.
Special teams is a big part of the game, the Buccaneers could have gotten a replacement kicker later in the draft. The Bucs could really use an upgrade at the safety position, Ohio State standout safety Vonn Bell was available at pick 59 when Tampa picked Aguayo.
The San Francisco 49ers traded back up into the first round to draft….a guard. *Cue the Keegan-Michael Key voice* “Why? But I ask again. Why?” Josh Garnett is one of the top rated linemen in the draft. Trading up into round 1 would make sense to get QB Paxton Lynch, or even a game-changing wide receiver like Laquon Treadwell. The move implies Kelly wants to emphasize defense and the run game, a recipe the 49ers relied upon heavily prior to 2014.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, Radiohead’s new single: “Burn the Witch” was just released. It’s wicked. The music video is a stop-motion, claymation 3 and a half minute remake of The Wicker Man. You can find it on youtube.
Remember to call your mom this Sunday and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day.
Gridiron Seasonal 