By Dom C.
In the words of the great Simon & Garfunkel, “Hello Darkness, my old friend – I’ve come to talk to you again…” What’s this all about you may ask? Well Jets fans, we stand here three-quarters of the way into our 2021 season burdened yet again with some very underwhelming results. For those of us who have bled green for years, it has become common knowledge at this point of the season we start to investigate next year as opposed to gearing up for a playoff run.
Look, it’s crystal clear – the Jets are in the middle of a rebuild. Anyone who fancies themselves a realist knows that there were going to be growing pains. A rookie QB, a rookie HC, rookie OC, and DC, a roster void of depth with glaring holes, the injury bug. The list of red flags can go on ad infinitum.
Armed with a plethora of picks (nine) in the 2022 draft, J.D. should be able to help speed this rebuild up a step or so faster. Of the nine picks, five of them fall within the top 70 – four of them in the top 40 (as of today). If all the picks are kept and used, the Jets will have the means to add top-notch talent to the roster. This is vital – the Jets must add talent. You can justifiably argue that the Jets have needs at every position (outside of quarterback). BPA should be the only phrase muttered out of the war room at One Jets Drive.
This will be year 4 of the Joe Douglas regime – some may say it is “make or break”. Our foundation has now been built on solid footing – in 2022 we need to add more layers of depth and start to play competitive football.
What we are going to do over the next few weeks/months is take a look position by position of some of the prospects in the upcoming draft that make sense for our 2022 New York Jets. Some of the names you may know, some you may have to research a little bit. We will not consider or take free agent signings into account right now. Yes, the Jets will be flush with cash (again) and what happens in free agency will surely form the plan of action for the Jets war room come April…but here, we are discussing draft prospects only. I’m going to take a hard look into a couple of higher-end talents, a potential mid-round target, and a guy with a later draft grade that I like and who may just surprise.
Literally picking a position out of a hat, we will be starting on the back end of the defense with safety – a position that oddly enough looked like a strength coming into the 2021 season. The Jets seemed rather comfortable with a solid three-man rotation heading into 2021. There was high draft capital invested in the position in 2020 when we brought in Ashton Davis with a 3rd round pick (acquired via Leonard Williams trade to NYG). Although the jury is still out on Davis – injuries have hindered his progress, his future is still bright. He’s athletic and he plays with that dog mentality that you like to see. He needs to clean up some fundamentals and some of his atrocious angles of attack (see the Alvin Kamara TD run from the Saints game), but that will improve with more reps. I can see him being a fixture at FS for us in years to come. Outside of that, there is no other safety under contract after this season. Marcus Maye, our starting SS and arguably our best defensive player last season is…or was in his contract year. Unfortunately, a blown Achilles this season may have sealed the fate of Maye’s Jets’ future. Also lost to injury this season was LaMarcus Joyner, the 3rd member of the safety trifecta – who was playing on a one-year deal. At 31 years old and basically, 3 seasons removed from high-end production, it is doubtful the Jets bring him back. Sharrod Neasman was also brought in but will be a UFA after this year and is on the wrong side of 30 years old himself. Elijah Riley has played surprisingly well after being scooped off of Philly’s trash heap. At only 23, there may be something more there, but the Jets have no financial ties or ramifications if they move on. When discussing our safeties room, an overhaul just maybe what the doctor ordered. Let’s look at some of the prospects.
Kyle Hamilton
The first prospect that needs to be discussed and the most recognizable name of the bunch is Kyle Hamilton. I think this phrase is used too much these days, but if you were going to label a safety as a generational talent, Kyle Hamilton is it. 6’4’’ and weighing in as a 220-pound junior who will just be turning 21 by April’s NFL draft, Hamilton is a man amongst boys at the position. He is a freak athlete and is super versatile – he can play in the box, blitz with quickness and elusiveness and he can tackle at an elite level (something the Jets defense really needs). Hamilton can also roam center field as a single high safety where his innate football intelligence and top-notch range just allows him to just go out and make plays. If there is a downside to Hamilton, it is hard to find in his play. The biggest thing standing in his way is the true positional value of a safety. Herein lies the million-dollar question – how much does JD truly value the position? He traded away Jamal Adams when he started prematurely barking about wanting to be the highest-paid safety. There was also the public dispute between JD and Marcus Maye’s agent and the supposed low-ball offer given to them this past off-season. Is JD content on a “band-aid on the bullet hole” fix for now at safety or would he invest more high-end draft capital in the position? The Jets would need to use the first of their two 1st round selections on Hamilton. Although the juice is probably worth the squeeze, I just don’t know if that name gets called in the top 5 – where the Jets currently slot in the 2022 draft order. If it did happen, there is no doubt that playing the mix & match game with Hamilton and Ashton Davis at the safety position could be special for Gang Green for years to come.
Lewis Cine
Next, let’s talk about another guy who will hear his name called before the end of round 2 and that is Lewis Cine. Another junior with an NFL-ready body standing 6’1 ½’’ and weighing 205 pounds. Cine has been the glue behind maybe the country’s best defense this season at the University of Georgia for the past two seasons. He can fly around the field…borderline ridiculous play speed – whether it is sideline to sideline or coming downhill. He plays fearless and does not ever hesitate or get caught on his heels, which makes his run game support top-notch. In watching his tape, the one thing that stands out head and shoulders above anything else is just his sheer physicality. That will be his NFL calling card. He is a vicious hitter, very reminiscent of Ronnie Lott. Cine’s size and ability to take on blocks – either by shedding them or using his speed to go around them – should allow him to play some WLB in nickel and dime packages. There does come some downside with such a ferocious hitter – because of his play speed and hard-hitting style, he doesn’t always wrap his tackles and tends to deliver his hits high – which we all know can draw the ire of an official. There have been two games in which Cine was ejected for targeting after big hits to the helmet/head area. Cine also needs to improve his ball skills – although he may be in a position to make a play, he doesn’t always get his head around which will lead to penalties at the next level. NFL quarterbacks surely will try to take advantage of Cine’s aggressive play by looking him off the play – something the film shows happens with some of your more elite college-level, well-coached QB’s. Joe D has shown an attraction to bigger, hard-hitting safeties that can mix it up in the box or even at some WLB (Sherwood, Nasirildeen) and Cine fits in that mold perfectly. Similar to Hamilton, I think he could pair nicely with Ashton Davis and offer that in-the-box weapon we’ve been lacking since #33 was sent out West. Cine should be available with either of the Jets 2nd round selections, possibly even with their 3rd round choice, which falls early in that round. It will all depend on what the general managers throughout the league see: is it a hard-hitting safety in the mold of Ronnie Lott or is it a safety with limited ball skills similar to Jamal Adams or Calvin Pryor.
Leon O’Neil, Jr.
Mid-round selections seem to be where the J.D. and the Jets scouts thrive. Both Michael Carters were mid-round selections & both look like they are legit NFL players. The same can be said about Bryce Hall, who has been a pleasant surprise/legit defensive standout to everyone who watches the Jets. This safety class (assuming all the underclassmen declare) is said to be considered a deep class. Day 3 diamonds in the rough should be there for the picking. It wouldn’t surprise me if an early pick was spent on safety and then piggy-backed with a day 3 selection. One of the guys who could fit that mid-round darling mold is Leon O’Neal, Jr. O’Neil is the first senior we’ll be talking about and stands at 6’1’’ and weighs in at 210 pounds. Another imposing downhill threat, O’Neil demonstrated throughout this past season at Texas A&M that his closing speed puts him in a position to disrupt plays in the backfield, navigate through traffic and get pressure on QB’s and most impressively lay a lick on a ball carrier. The dude can lower his shoulder and flat out hit. He has the size to withstand the day in and day out grind of the NFL. O’Neil is very long, which helps out his ability as a tackler. Wrapping up his opponents has never been an issue. His length also helps him in coverage and some of that downhill speed can be also spotted in his backpedal when he is locked in M2M coverage. He has been a vocal leader of the A&M defense over the past 2 years and his former DC Mike Elko said that he is as smart of a football player he ever coached. There are some limitations in his game though which is cause for concern and probably why he’ll be a day 3 selection. O’Neil is strictly an in-the-box/strong safety. Although his closing speed is great, he lacks the long speed that is necessary to play single high at the next level. Although he can run with TE’s and RB’s out of the backfield in college, his man skills will be tested early and often in the NFL. There have been some very successful safeties in the NFL with similar skill sets to O’Neil. I could see him fitting in the 2022 Jets as part of a 3-man rotation – say with Ashton Davis and a veteran FA signing (could we lure Tyrann Mathieu to New Jersey)? He does fit the mold of the J.D. safety and could flip-flop to WLB or STAR backer in certain sets as well. Wherever he lands, two things are certain: 1) the team that drafts him will fall in love, 2) we will be seeing his highlight reel hits on SportsCenter.
Isaiah Pola-Mao
Lastly discussed will be a safety that has some intrigue behind his name – USC Trojan redshirt senior Isaiah Pola-Mao. Pola-Mao – also known as IPM – has all the physical features one would look for, at 6-foot-4 with long arms and good genetics (his uncle is former USC safety and Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu). His tape shows plenty of talent, he owns a great feel and understanding for the game and has an aggressive style of play, as evidenced by his 57 tackles and 8 passes defended this year through 11 games. NFL teams will like his range and tackling ability enough to make him viable as a day 3 selection. On paper, you may see a regression of his overall numbers (78 tackles/2.5 sacks/3 FF in 2019) when he was an all PAC-10 Honorable Mention. Injuries at USC forced Pola-Mao to transition from playing more of a roving S/LB hybrid who has the ability to roam free and make plays to a traditional slot corner this year. His overall production has suffered – as his M2M skills are far from his bread and butter. He has good long speed and can easily make up ground but runs into trouble trying to keep up with the quicker and shiftier WR’s lined up against him in the slot. IPM is big but doesn’t always play to his size. At times, he can get caught up in bunches instead of shedding blocks to free himself to make plays. He has also battled the injury bug through his time at USC with two separate shoulder injuries cutting seasons short. Pola-Mao and his family lineage will make him a well-known, oft-discussed commodity come draft day. I think that he has the ability right now to come in and be part of a rotation in sub formations as well as excel on special teams. With the right coaching and the right system, IPM could develop into an everyday player. The talent is evident for Pola-Mao, he may need a little time to percolate and reach his potential.
It’s clear that I think the Jets (and J.D.) have a “type”. This article focused on bigger safeties that have enough flexibility to possibly play WILL or ROVER in sub-packages. Just so it is clear, these are not my top 4 safeties on the board – just players that I think could make good fits in the Salah/Ulbrich system. There are many other players that were researched and that personally, I like as well but I can only write on so many of them. Hopefully, this article lights the fire to do a little research of your own – as Jets fans, we need something to do during the postseason outside of drowning our sorrows in Budweiser and rooting against Brady & Belichick. Every year it gets a little harder to swallow, but I still hold on to the faith that JD and company are going to get it turned around and right the ship.
Oh, how dark it was before the dawn!
Let’s go Jets.
This page is an opportunity for amateur commentators to share their views. These are not necessarily the views of GreenBean, himself.
I want Hamilton, I really do but in reality I think we get a Defensive End at 4… Can he slip to 10? Wouldn’t that be sweet!
I was really high on Pola-Mao, not so sure now I know about his injury history, damn.