Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We’re looking at every No. 30 overall pick selected since the 2000 NFL Draft and the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of landing an impact player.
The Eagles need impact players on both sides of the ball, and with two first-round picks in this month’s draft, Howie Roseman will have another opportunity to add depth to a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
First-round picks are expected to be critical contributors.
The list of No. 30 overall selections has several misses, hits, and a few Hall of Fame-worthy performers.
With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re looking at every player selected with the 30th pick since 2000.
Take quarterbacks out of the equation, and it’s been more than a decade since the Jets used a first-round pick on a skill position.
Quarterbacks aside, it’s been more than a decade since the Jets used a first-round pick on a skill position.
Dustin Keller was the last. The Jets used the 30th overall pick in the 2008 draft on the Purdue tight end. Now, after 12 years, Gang Green is tied with the Steelers for the second-longest streak without drafting a non-QB skill position in the first round. The Packers own the longest such streak at 18 years.
Since 2008, the Jets have used first-round picks on four defensive backs, three defensive tackles, two defensive ends, one linebacker and one offensive tackle. They have also drafted two quarterbacks — Mark Sanchez and Sam Darnold — since 2008.
Since Keller, wide receiver Devin Smith is the highest Gang Green has drafted a non-QB skill player. He was taken with the 37th overall pick (second round) in 2015. That didn’t work out for New York, as Smith battled injuries from the onset of his career.
Keller, meanwhile, was an effective tight end for the Jets, catching 17 touchdowns and totaling just under 3,000 yards over five seasons in New York.
The question now is whether or not the Jets will snap their streak.
Joe Douglas is expected to take a quarterback — specifacally BYU’s Zach Wilson — with the second overall pick. But the Jets also own the 23rd pick in the first round. It’s possible Douglas uses that on a talented wide receiver or a do-it-all running back depending on who’s still available, but it makes more sense to use that selection on an offensive lineman or a cornerback.
Upgradring the pass-rush and trading back are also more likely options at this stage in the draft.
Fortunately for Douglas, this is a deep draft when it comes to skill positions. He should be able to find some impact players later on if New York’s streak continues.
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Take quarterbacks out of the equation, and it’s been more than a decade since the Jets used a first-round pick on a skill position.
Take quarterbacks out of the equation, and it’s been more than a decade since the Jets used a first-round pick on a skill position.
The last was Dustin Keller. The Jets used the 30th overall pick in the 2008 draft on the Purdue tight end. Now, after 11 years, Gang Green is tied with the Steelers for the second-longest stretch without drafting a non-QB skill player in the first round. The Packers own the longest such streak at 17 years, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
#Jets draft factoid of the day: The last time they drafted a non-QB offensive skill player in the first round was TE @DUSTINKELLER81 (2008). At 11 years, they’re tied with the #Steelers for the second-longest streak. #Packers at 17 years (WR Javon Walker, 2002).
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) April 16, 2020
In the years since 2008, the Jets have used first-round picks on four defensive backs, three defensive tackles, two defensive ends and one linebacker. They have also drafted two quarterbacks — Mark Sanchez and Sam Darnold — since 2008.
Since Keller, wide receiver Devin Smith is the highest Gang Green has drafted a non-QB skill player. He was taken with the 37th overall pick (second round) in 2015. That didn’t work out very well for New York, as Smith battled injuries from the onset of his career.
Keller, meanwhile, was an effective tight end for the Jets, catching 17 touchdowns and totaling just under 3,000 yards over five seasons in New York.
The question now is whether or not the Jets will snap their streak, or whether the choice will even be left up to them.
Joe Douglas is expected to take an offensive lineman or a wide receiver with the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft. However, given Douglas’ belief that the NFL is lacking when it comes to talent in the trenches, the safe bet is that he’ll go with a lineman if one of the top four tackles — Jedrick Wills Jr, Tristan Wirfs, Mehki Becton and Andrew Thomas — are available. If they’re not — which is certainly possible — the chance of Douglas taking a receiver like CeeDee Lamb, Henry Riggs III or Jerry Jeudy increases. If that happens, New York’s streak will be snapped.
If not, this is a talented receiver class and Douglas shouldn’t have a problem finding a capable one in the second round. With the 48th pick, however, Smith would still be the highest New York drafted a skill position player since Keller.
The Jets Wire names the Jets 2010’s all-decade team with New York’s franchise-worst 10-year stretch ending with a 7-9 finish.
The Jets’ decade started with an AFC Championship appearance, but since then they’ve endured one of the worst stretches in franchise history.
New York has only had one season since in which it was over .500 and failed to return to the playoffs. The Jets have now gone nine consecutive seasons without a playoff berth and a record four straight losing seasons after faring 10-6 in 2015.
To finish off the decade, the Jets went 6-2 after a 1-7 finish, but they still have yet to play meaningful football beyond the first week of January. It seems Gang Green has its quarterback of the future, but does it have enough to start off the next decade with a playoff trip?
Decisions for the future are coming. For now, let’s take a look at the Jets’ 2010s all-decade team:
QB Mark Sanchez: Sanchez was consistently average during his time in New York, but that’s enough to be the team’s best quarterback of the decade. He was the only one to lead Gang Green to the playoffs in this decade. During his time as New York’s signal-caller, Sanchez went 33-29, a much more impressive record than what Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown. The hope is that Sam Darnold will do more to earn the nod 10 years from now.
RB Chris Ivory: Acquired via trade in one of John Idzik’s first moves as New York’s general manager, Ivory had a rather productive three-year tenure in green and white. He ran for over 800 yards in all three seasons, including going over 1,000 yards in 2015.
WR Brandon Marshall: Marshall spent just two seasons with New York, but his 2015 was enough to garner a mention on this list. Marshall set the team record for catches and yards and tied Don Maynard for touchdowns. In 2015, Marshall had 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns.
WR Eric Decker: Paired with Marshall, the Jets had one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the league. He could never establish himself as a No. 1 target, but Decker put up those numbers opposite of Marshall. In 2015, Decker had 80 receptions for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns.
WR Santonio Holmes: While Holmes’ Jets career ended on a sour note, he is still largely responsible for helping New York reach its second AFC Championship Game in as many seasons. While his statistics don’t tell the whole story because of his four-game suspension to the begin the season, Holmes was as clutch as can be when it counted.
TE Dustin Keller: One of the more productive tight ends in the history of the franchise, the Jets have been unable to replicate Keller’s success since he departed New York. He finished his six-year tenure with the Jets catching 241 passes for 2,876 yards and 17 scores.
OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Ferguson was a staple on the Jets offensive line. He was the glue that kept the left side together and New York never had to worry about it quarterback’s blindside when he was on the field.
OG James Carpenter: Carpenter was the best the Jets had to offer at left guard during the decade. He was a reliable fixture brought in by Idzik and started every single game for New York from 2015-17.
C Nick Mangold: An All-Pro in 2010, Mangold would appear in five of his seven Pro Bowl appearances during the 2010s. The Jets are still itching to find a competent center as his replacement.
OG Brandon Moore: Moore is more famous for Mark Sanchez running into his behind, but he is the best the Jets had at right guard from 2010 on.
RT Damien Woody: While Woody has now spent more time as an ESPN personality than with Gang Green this decade, he provided the most stability at a position that has been a thorn in the Jets’ side.
Honorable Mentions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Bilal Powell, RB Shonn Greene, WR Robby Anderson, OG Brian Winters, OT Kelvin Beachum.
The Jets won their third consecutive game of the season, beating the Raiders 34-3 in dominating fashion.
The Jets played their most dominating football of the season in a 34-3 rout of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
After turning in two consecutive performances with 34 points scored, New York did so a third time against a playoff-hungry Oakland team. Adam Gase has the Jets playing their best football of the season and the offense is starting to look like what he imagined in the preseason.
On the other side of the football, Gregg Williams is doing some amazing things on defense, especially with the team so thin at linebacker and cornerback.
Let’s take a look at some interesting stats from Gang Green’s fourth win of the season.
Thirty-four appears to be the Jets’ lucky number lately. They’ve scored that many points three games in a row, and it was Brain Poole — the owner of No. 34 — who put the cherry on top of New York’s third consecutive win with his third-quarter pick-six.
This is the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team has scored 34 points in three straight games, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The last time the Jets scored 34 or more points in three straight games was in 2008 when Brett Favre was quarterbacking Gang Green.
The Jets won their second consecutive game of the season, beating the Redskins 34-17 in a rather convincing fashion.
The Jets played their most complete game of the season on Sunday, beating the Redskins, 34-17.
After turning in a 34-27 win over their roommates to halt a three-game losing streak last week, the Jets delivered their first road win of the season in Washington, improving to 3-1 against the NFC East this season. Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams both had career days, while Adam Gase and Gregg Williams executed flawless gameplans despite deficiencies.
Let’s take a look at some interesting stats from Gang Green’s third win of the season.
Ryan Griffin had a career day, as he’s done an excellent job filling in for Chris Herndon, who is out for the season with broken ribs.
Griffin entered the day with a single-game career-high of 85 receiving yards. He recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his career, catching five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win.
Per Michael Nania, Griffin’s 109 receiving yards were the most by a Jets tight end since Dustin Keller posted 115 in Week 2 of 2010 against New England. Griffin’s 100-yard game is the first since Keller had 101 in Week 2 of 2011 against Jacksonville.
