Tackle Talk: NFL Draft Expert Predicts Jets Prefer Position, But Not Yet Player
It isn't a surprise that the New York Jets are looking to improve their offensive line in the NFL Draft.
The current draft class is one of the deepest in recent memory and that will allow offensive line-needy teams to rebuild their group rather quickly. At the top of the class are top talents like Notre Dame star Joe Alt, and Penn State's Olu Fashanu. Outside of the top two, though, it's clear that the class is still strong, and that leaves a team like the Jets willing to acquire a top player.
At least that's the opinion of NFL Network Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
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On a conference call with media members, Jeremiah spoke in-depth on the Jets draft situation Thursday. While the long-time scout acknowledged the top players like Alt and Fashanu may not be available at 10, the Jets could have to decide on the next two of the draft class in Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga and Alabama's JC Latham.
“Fuaga is a really, really clean player for me,” Jeremiah said via Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News. “He has played on the right side and I don’t see why you would want to move him. I think he is plug-and-play at right tackle."
Jeremiah later confirmed that while Latham has a very high ceiling, he is a "fan" of the kind of prospect that Fuaga is. Latham, Fuaga, Alt, and Fashanu, to him, are a cut above the four best offensive linemen in the Draft.
As of now, the Jets having to decide between two eventual starting right tackles isn't the worst problem to have. Previous reports have stated the team has been enamored with Fuaga as a prospect. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was the head coach of Fuaga's team in the Senior Bowl, as well.
Latham is still a high-priority prospect, though, on his own. He's one of the bigger rookie tackles and has plenty of solid tape in the SEC - an arguably much tougher competition than Fuaga saw in the PAC-12.
While New York could trade up in the first round to acquire Fashanu or Alt, the likelihood right now is that the team will be deciding which right tackle the team wants to bring in.
It's one debate that could go well into April.
