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Jets' rebuild hinges on drafting better than previous regimes
Richy Cimini ESPN Staff Writer
Whenever Mike Maccagnan discusses his team-building philosophy, the words "build through the draft" invariably come flying out of his mouth. Most general managers feel the same way, but few are able to pull it off. It requires scouting expertise, a clearly defined vision and, yes, some luck.
The moribund New York Jets are selling the youth movement this offseason because the team got run into the ground and they have little choice but to rebuild a talent-starved roster. But there are no guarantees this method will work, and here's the proof:
Leaguewide, only 16.9 percent of the players drafted from 2011 to 2013 (129 of 761) remain with the teams that drafted them, according to research compiled by ESPN Minnesota Vikings reporter Ben Goessling. That's a surprisingly low number, illustrating how difficult it can be to -- cue Maccagnan voice -- build through the draft, develop players and sign them to second contracts.
The Cincinnati Bengals have the most remaining players (10), while six teams have only one apiece. The Jets? They're smack dab in the middle of the league, tied for 16th with four -- Muhammad Wilkerson, Bilal Powell, Sheldon Richardson and Brian Winters. Richardson's immediate future is up in the air, so it could be down to three at any minute.
For now, it's four out out 21 draft picks still on the team -- a 19-percent success rate, slightly above the league average.
Maccagnan's predecessors, John Idzik and Mike Tannenbaum, have taken a lot of criticism for their draft failures, but not many teams knocked it out of the park during this three-year window. It wasn't just a Jets thing, but it's one of the main reasons for the team's current plight. We haven't even mentioned the 2014 draft, which has only four survivors out of 12 picks,
The main takeaway from this statistical analysis is that building through the draft, which sounds great in a news conference, is hardly a cure-all. It must be done effectively and it must be done in conjunction with free agency.
This doesn't even count how bad the Jets 1st and 2nd round draft choices were 2008 through 2010? In other words, the Jets have been virtually INEPT in drafting for far too long. There's no way you can field a decent team when you consistently fail in the draft. The Jets are a shining example of poor drafting.
In order for Mac to survive he'd better start drafting a LOT better than he has. No more nonsense picks with Minnie Mouse linebackers. No more experimental picks in the 2nd round that might POSSIBLY show some value in 3 years.
He needs to start drafting players that hit the ground running. They need to immediately start as rookies and become immediate upgrades on the football field.
Darron Lee was rated as the very worst rookie linebacker last season. He is NOT cut out to play inside. He lacks the size necessary and gets virtually annihilated every time he gets engaged by a lead Guard. That is NOT an example of a guy who is an immediate upgrade on the football. 5-11 is the proof.
Whether you agree or not, one thing we can absolutely agree on is that this team MUST start drafting a lot better than they have since about 2007? About a 10 years stretch now where it's junk in that last about 2 seasons at most. Hell, Jalen Saunders lasted about what? 2 months?
Richy Cimini ESPN Staff Writer
Whenever Mike Maccagnan discusses his team-building philosophy, the words "build through the draft" invariably come flying out of his mouth. Most general managers feel the same way, but few are able to pull it off. It requires scouting expertise, a clearly defined vision and, yes, some luck.
The moribund New York Jets are selling the youth movement this offseason because the team got run into the ground and they have little choice but to rebuild a talent-starved roster. But there are no guarantees this method will work, and here's the proof:
Leaguewide, only 16.9 percent of the players drafted from 2011 to 2013 (129 of 761) remain with the teams that drafted them, according to research compiled by ESPN Minnesota Vikings reporter Ben Goessling. That's a surprisingly low number, illustrating how difficult it can be to -- cue Maccagnan voice -- build through the draft, develop players and sign them to second contracts.
The Cincinnati Bengals have the most remaining players (10), while six teams have only one apiece. The Jets? They're smack dab in the middle of the league, tied for 16th with four -- Muhammad Wilkerson, Bilal Powell, Sheldon Richardson and Brian Winters. Richardson's immediate future is up in the air, so it could be down to three at any minute.
For now, it's four out out 21 draft picks still on the team -- a 19-percent success rate, slightly above the league average.
Maccagnan's predecessors, John Idzik and Mike Tannenbaum, have taken a lot of criticism for their draft failures, but not many teams knocked it out of the park during this three-year window. It wasn't just a Jets thing, but it's one of the main reasons for the team's current plight. We haven't even mentioned the 2014 draft, which has only four survivors out of 12 picks,
The main takeaway from this statistical analysis is that building through the draft, which sounds great in a news conference, is hardly a cure-all. It must be done effectively and it must be done in conjunction with free agency.
This doesn't even count how bad the Jets 1st and 2nd round draft choices were 2008 through 2010? In other words, the Jets have been virtually INEPT in drafting for far too long. There's no way you can field a decent team when you consistently fail in the draft. The Jets are a shining example of poor drafting.
In order for Mac to survive he'd better start drafting a LOT better than he has. No more nonsense picks with Minnie Mouse linebackers. No more experimental picks in the 2nd round that might POSSIBLY show some value in 3 years.
He needs to start drafting players that hit the ground running. They need to immediately start as rookies and become immediate upgrades on the football field.
Darron Lee was rated as the very worst rookie linebacker last season. He is NOT cut out to play inside. He lacks the size necessary and gets virtually annihilated every time he gets engaged by a lead Guard. That is NOT an example of a guy who is an immediate upgrade on the football. 5-11 is the proof.
Whether you agree or not, one thing we can absolutely agree on is that this team MUST start drafting a lot better than they have since about 2007? About a 10 years stretch now where it's junk in that last about 2 seasons at most. Hell, Jalen Saunders lasted about what? 2 months?
