That's exactly right. Furthermore, you look at this kid's attitude and you have to love the intangibles. First and foremost, he's a senior who could very easily have skipped the Senior Bowl like several other highly rated prospects and no one would have batted an eye. Howard wanted to go, he did and put on a show all week. By some accounts was like a man among boys. Guys like McCafferty and Fournette didn't even play in their teams' bowl games, Watson skipped the Senior Bowl. I don't necessarily blame them (see ND LB last year), but it does say an awful lot about OJ Howard. Couple that with the premium talent, and that's the kind of player you build around. It's also laughable to me why you don't pick a TE that high because of the Johnny Mitchell's and Kyle Brady's of the world. First, the position is completely different in today's NFL and just as importantly you have to look at the player. Its like saying we should never draft a QB or Edge rusher at premium spots because of Sanchez or Gholston. If we select Howard, it'll be a good day for the Jets. IMHO.
Well, like I said, it's the best of ALL worlds IMO for a 1st round draft choice. I also honestly think he'll be a player where he'll contribute the very second he steps on the field? Not anything like all of the 1st rounders that the Jets have drafted over the past 9 or 10 years and that includes players like Leonard Williams or Mo Wilkerson. Those guys are great, but they were both rather QUIET in their rookie seasons.
My feeling is Howard will be a guy that won't be huge in the passing game because the Jets do not really have QB's that can build chemistry with him? The Jets are really still trying to find a QB.
But he'll be huge in the running game IMO. The team will run more and more to his side because he'll be a great assist in the running game.
It's players like that that I have been crying for Mac to get. A guy that will be an immediate contributor. The last guy that was an immediate contributor that the Jets drafted IMO was David Harris? Darrelle Revis? Nick Mangold? Jonathan Vilma?
In other words, it's been a very long time since you were watching opening day and saw the Jets rookie player make a fantastic play and you realized at that moment, this guy is the real deal............