Jason Taylor to Jets and NFL Draft Predictions

I was going to wait to look at this year's draft possibilities for the Jets, but the signing of Jason Taylor today to a two year deal, seemed to be the best opportunity to do some draft analysis, as Taylor fills up one of the Jets' biggest needs as a great pass rusher.

Taylor's deal will be worth up to $3.75 million the first year, and up to $13 million over the two years if he meets all the incentives of his contract. Only $2.5 million is guaranteed though, as the Jets can only pay $1.75 million of his base salary this year, in accordance with the NFL's Final Eight rule - which places free agency and contract restrictions on the final eight teams in the playoffs - and only $750,000 is guaranteed in the second year.

Taylor, who has played with the Jets' arch nemesis, the Dolphins, for 12 of his 13 NFL seasons, is the active sacks leader, with 127.5 quarterback take downs in his career, 35.5 more than the runner-up for the distinction, Joey Porter.

He's been one of the most hated players in the eyes of many Jets fans for more than a decade, and for good reason. He once said that Jets fans were "ignorant" and that they "take the cl out of class." He also said last year that "it'd be very, very, very difficult. Very difficult" to sign with the Jets. he's said a lot of bad things about Jets fans, but his signing means that it is time to forgive and forget.

The Jets are ready to win now, and Jason Taylor is ready to play well now. A draft pick could have contributed this year, but not as much as the 35 year old veteran, who had 7 sacks last year, which would have been good enough for second on the Jets squad.

The biggest and best reason for this move is the fact that the NFL is currently in an uncapped year. So why not pick up Taylor? He is still one of the best and smartest defensive ends around, and who knows, maybe he can teach total bust Vernon Gholston a thing or two about getting a sack, something Gholston has literally been incapable of accomplishing in his two year career.

If Taylor comes through and performs at the high level that he has performed at throughout his career, the Jets successfully fill their biggest need, on what was already a championship contending squad without him. If he plays poorly, then it isn't like he ate any cap space, it's just a waste of a couple million dollars, which was worth spending just to see if he could help the team. Plus, how poorly can a future Hall of Famer and active sacks leader play any worse than Marques Douglas, Mike DeVito and/or whoever else would be filling the spot if he wasn't there?

So what does this mean for Thursday night's draft?

After the Jets signed Santonio Holmes last week, their biggest need moved from wide receiver to pass rusher. Now that Jason Taylor signed his deal, what is the best move for the Jets to make?

In my mind, this deal shouldn't affect the way that they draft this Thursday. Despite the fact that Taylor fills the need for a pass rusher, that's just for the next two years. Then there's the other defensive end pass rusher, Shaun Ellis, who at age 32, will be retiring soon, and according to reports today by NFL Network's Michael Lombardi, may not be a Jet for too long, as the Jets may release him after the draft.

With both of those players not around for much longer, as well as their 33 year old backup Marques Douglas, and hybrid OLB-DE Bryan Thomas. Thomas also may be released in addition to Ellis, so the Jets could certainly use a pass-rushing defensive end. The best place to fill that need would be with their first round, 29th pick.

My favorite player for the Jets is Texas OLB/DE Sergio Kindle. It is tough to tell whether Kindle will be available at 29, but his pure athleticism, motor and ability to rush the passer makes for a perfect draft pick for the Jets. A player very similar to Kindle, that may or may not be around is TCU DE/OLB Jerry Hughes. The only thing that scares me is that their descriptions as athletic pass rushers are identical to that of Vernon Gholston's when he was drafted. But, I'll put the nightmare behind me, in order to fill a big need.

My best bet here though is Jared Odrick out of Penn State. A lot of teams, such as the Titans, Patriots and Cardinals will be on the lookout for athletic hybrids like Kindle and Hughes, as well as Michigan's Brandon Graham, and the Jets will take Odrick. Odrick is not as flashy as the other guys, and cannot stop the pass as well, but he is certainly a force to be reckoned with at 6'5", 304 pounds, making him more of a DT/DE than a OLB/DE.

I'll take anyone but Everson Griffen, the USC OLB/DE, who is Gholston's twin separated at birth. He performed pretty well during his career at USC, and is now being pushed up draft boards because of his combine performance and workouts, despite his reported lack of work ethic. Sound familiar?

The second round, 61st overall pick will most likely be a free safety to replace Kerry Rhodes, who was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason. Although the Jets have Eric Smith and just signed Brodney Pool, neither of these two are very attractive as starters. Safeties Reshad Jones out of Georgia, and Morgan Burnett out of Georgia Tech would both be perfect fits.

But one other thing to consider is the rumor that 33 year old G Alan Faneca will be released after the draft. Faneca is going into the third year of his 5 year, $40 million contract and if the Jets can't trade him during the draft he may be released. Considering this, the Jets could take G John Jerry from Ole Miss, or Haiti native G Vladimir Ducasse out of UMass.

If the Jets go with a safety in the second round, expect them to take G Zane Beadles out of Utah with their 4th round, 124th pick or G Shaun Lauvao out of ASU. If they do take a guard in the second round, then they will probably end up taking S Darrell Stuckey of Kansas if he falls that far, or either S Kurt Coleman out of Ohio State, or S Kyle McCarthy out of Notre Dame if he doesn't.

That's basically as far as I can come close to predicting the draft, and like Mel Kiper, Jr. always is, I'll probably be absolutely, and totally wrong. But that's what makes the NFL Draft fun; how unpredictable it is. Guys like Kiper and Todd McShay do this for a living, but at the end of the day, they usually end up with most of their picks being wrong. Even though the Jets have the 29th pick, it will still be exciting as there is no telling what will happen, especially with the improved Jets front office and their wild moves this offseason.

No matter what, the Jets' addition of Jason Taylor and what should be a mostly defensive-minded draft is making an already great defensive team even better, as things are finally looking up for the Jets.