That might be the Jets final answer to Chris Baker's demand for a renegotiated contract. Mangini and Tannenbaum will be in soon enough to talk about it. For what it's worth, Keller is a tremendous tight end, an overall great athlete (he ran a 4.53 at the combine and had a 38" vertical). I'm just not sure this was a more immediate need than corner, wide receiver, etc. Not a horrendous pick, though right now a perplexing one. The Jets gave up two picks in this year's draft to move up - their second round pick (36th overall) and one of their fourth-round picks (113th overall).
UPDATE: Tannenbaum just spoke to the media and assured everyone this pick had nothing to do with Baker's contract demands. They don't seem out of line given the guy brought in to back Baker up - Bubba Franks - is slated to make significantly more.
"Chris is on the team, we expect him to be here," Tannenbaum said. "We expect him to be here for the 2008 season."
That remains to be seen.
But regardless of how the move is interpreted, Tannenbaum said Keller was among a handful of players the Jets deemed worthy of a trade back into the first round should they still be on the board. Keller has been compared to Dallas Clark and Tannenbaum did not run from that comparison.
"We feel like Dustin's another weapon for us," he said.
So that puts a wrap on Day 1.
"We still have a 4, 6 and 7 left," Tannenbaum said of the Jets remaining draft picks. "We don't expect to trade back into the second round."
Without any trades, the Jets next pick comes in the fourth round Sunday, the 102nd overall selection. Cornerback anyone?
Comments (17)
Come on.. did we really need to trade up for him? Why try to over think this stuff? He would have been there in the 2nd round.
Not trying to be a doomsayer, I hope the best for him, but we got duped.
I'm with Rog, not sure there was a need trade up to get him. A WR-type TE who needs to learn to block better, but the guy can sure catch and run with the ball. Not a bad pick.
They should have picked Devan Thomas at 30. They needed a WR, DB and LB before they needed a TE. This was a bad pick considering he isn't an every down player because he is too small and is not a very good blocker.
This guy sounds like more of a pass catcher anyways. Hopefully he's more Antonio Gates then Doug Jolly.
I wonder if the Jets thought the Giants might be on the verge of trading Shockey and therefor would pick a TE at 31? Hmm. Could be.
Giants would be better off playing Dustin in a slot-type position. And they should call him a slot. They have bad luck with tight ends in the first round, as you may know.
Good evaluation by knick, and certainly feasible.... and the Jets, with Chad, were a much more dangerous offense when they had Wayne Chrebet as a healthy wide receiver roaming the middle and a solid offensive line. Neither Coles nor Cotchery have the size to fill that role, although both are gutsy enough to come inside. With this kids size, speed and catching ability, you could have a mid-range threat that can take the punishment, ala Wayne, keeping Coles and Cotchery on the outside in more traditional wide receiver roles, and therefore keeping them healthier and more productive. Coles problems were not his lack of ability as a wide receiver, but his injuries from coming inside so much. Plus, the Jets like to play a number of 2 TE sets, and Baker and the new kid could be a heck of a combo when they do, and big targets for Chad or Clemens And one thing the Jets like to see in players is versatility, and this kid could fit the pattern.
It was stupid to move up and grab Keller...there are more glaring needs and a lot of better players that were available for us there....we could have landed Brandon Flowers and solidified our corners, we could have taken Phillips or Johnson, either of the two best safeties in the league to play beside Rhodes....We could have taken a WR? Devin Thomas?....Just doesnt make sense why we would move up for Keller, i get that hes the best TE available and the Giants might have been interested but just a bad move by the Jets....
I hope Keller proves me wrong this season...we will see since ill be at every game with my season tickets
If we were willing to give our #2 and #4 for a TE why not try and trade that for shockey? No matter how you cut it, guys, we overpaid for the pick. The Giants have Boss and Shockey regardless of whether they wanna ship him away...plus they need a Safety, a CB, a bunch of LBs and, possibly, a DE before they need another TE. It was a bad move and we had no reason to make it.
That being said, I like Gholston and I still like our odds of getting a CB and a Safety later in this draft as well as maybe a DT/LB. Picking Keller gives us a great option to run a Double TE I Formation which, if you all haven't noticed, we love the I Formation.
As disappointing as it was to hear that we wasted a 4th rounder to get Keller, I must say, we're still sitting pretty the rest of the way. Sure, the top CB's are gone...but I'm sure the front office weighed it and thought they could still fill our other needs. Let's just hope Revis has a compliment come the end of tomorrow and let's hope we've got another OLB or ILB to match with Pace or Harris.
LETS PUT A REST TO ALL THIS KELLER CRYING:
In case no one has noticed, Dustin Keller is NOT going to be playing TE for the Jets. Instead, he'll be playing a combo of (1)slot receiver; (2) wide receiver; (3) tailback; AND (4) tight end. Ladies and gentlemen, this kid is an absolute stud - there is nothing that he doesnt catch. Moreover, the guy is an absolute physical freak - 6'4; 245lbs; and a 4.5 40!!!! Can you say "Matchup Problems?"
This is EXACTLY what the Jets needed. He'll be the perfect compliment to Coles and Cotchery. They already have 2 accomplished wideouts - what they needed was a BIG physical presence up the midde, with speed, and hands. They found that in Keller.
So please don't be discouraged by the TE next to his name - he is much more that that (and probably won't even by playing TE, Mangini will move him into the slot right away). This is NOT another Anthony Becht. Instead, it's more like Antonio Gates. Can you imagine the old LB's from New England trying to keep up with Keller??? Because I can't.
Keller is not 6'4''
Keller's 6'3"
Anyway, moving on to round four. I don't see corner as a pressing need if you have a pass rush. Put my grandmother at corner, it won't matter if the QB is on his back. My pick for the 4th is Kendall Langford if he's still there. Move him behind Ellis (Contract year for Ellis). He should be good for occupying 2 blockers, give the LBs room to make plays.
LLoyd is paying attention and is absolutely right Keller is a playmaker at any position he lines up at. A red zone threat that we do not have
if the jets wanted a te to turn into a receiver they should have looked in their backyard hofsta u. 2 yrs ago and drafted cohlston in the 6/7 round and they'd of had one of top slot and all around receivers in the league now..new orleans thought outside the box and immediately converted colston to wr..the jets are paying for that now
Look, we needed some offensive pop. We all were thinking Running Back, Quater Back and Wide Receiver. So we went with the best Tight end in the draft instead and we're still able to get the top pass rusher as well. Two solid picks in the first round is better than most teams ever get! Unfortunately, we can't draft them all...Besides, until our line can do a better job of run and pass blocking, a quick strike threat over the middle might just be the cure for setting up our running game and keeping our quaterback of his ass.
Cornerback is this team's most glaring weakness. Do they think Justin Miller finally breaks through? Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. If the Jets address that weakness it will be with a fourth rounder. Can we expect such a player to be any better than Barrett or Miller? I doubt it. I'd be a lot more pleased with this draft if they acquired a corner during free agency. Here's what I expect from the Jets defense in 2008:
stop ya, stop ya, burn me.
stop ya, stop ya, burn me.
(end of the field ends the pain)
Justin King will be a Jet!
looks like our braintrust has blown it again! With QB Chad Henne still available, they take a TE. Are they so sure about Clemens?
So the Fish get Henne and it will torment me for years! The Pats get a QB but we stay pat @ the most important position in the NFL. It's a win right now attitude that may not payoff in the long run.