2012 NFL Draft

2012 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft: New York Jets

By Eric J. Thompson@eric_j_thompson Apr 12, 2012, 11:57am CDT

And yea, verily, the sixteenth pick shall enjoy being constantly overshadowed by his team's backup quarterback regardless of his play.

We are now to the pick in the draft that signifies the midway point of the first round. Mock Roger Goodell takes the podium and says:

"With the 15th pick in the 2012 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select..."

"...um, it's a tie?!"

Yes, for the first time in the history of mock drafting here (or any poll for that matter), we had an exact tie when the poll closed last night. Both Fletcher Cox and Don'ta Hightower had exactly 57 votes.

So how to we break the tie? Arbitrarily, of course. I forgot to inform you in the post that the Eagles had picked up DeMeco Ryans in free agency, which means that linebacker may not be as big of a need as I let on. Add in the fact that most Eagles fans in the comments preferred Cox, and there you have it--Fletcher Cox it is. Don't like it? Go mock yourself.

Here's how the draft has broken down through the first 15:

Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT USC

Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson, RB Alabama

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

St. Louis Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

Jacksonville Jaguars - Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M

Carolina Panthers - Quinton Coples, DE North Carolina

Buffalo Bills - Riley Reiff, OT Iowa

Kansas City Chiefs - David DeCastro, OG Stanford

Seattle Seahawks - Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College

Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford

Dallas Cowboys - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

Philadelphia Eagles - Fletcher Cox, DT Mississippi State

Up next: the New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets. We all know that whoever the Jets pick here will be completely overshadowed by the team's backup quarterback, but we might as well pick for them anyway. Let's address their team needs after the jump.

The "other" New York team could use some help along the O-line, especially at right tackle. I'll let WalterFootball.com explain:

Is there any doubt that right tackle Wayne Hunter was the 11th-best player on the field at all times for the Jets' offense? I mean, he surrendered 11 sacks and was whistled for 11 penalties. That can't be a coincidence, right?

With solid tackles like Mike Adams and Bobby Massie still available (and possibly a better fit at right tackle in the NFL), don't be surprised if the Jets try to upgrade that position.

Rex Ryan defenses are supposed to terrorize quarterbacks with rush linebackers. Last year, the Jets had Aaron Maybin and...well that's about it. They need another body to disrupt opposing offenses in a bad way. Someone like Courtney Upshaw, Melvin Ingram, or Whitney Mercilus could be a perfect fit to fill that void. They could also use some depth at inside linebacker--Bart Scott isn't getting any younger. Perhaps Hightower gets over his tiebreaker loss from last round and gets chosen here?

Finally, much has been made about how Santonio Holmes and Mark Sanchez didn't play nice towards the end of last season. It doesn't look like Plaxico Burress is going to regain his old form any time soon. The Jets might consider infusing some new blood at the wide receiver position with someone like Kendall Wright or Stephen Hill.

But once again, the choice is up to you. Who should the Jets go with? Take a moment to check out each option's draft profile video below.

Mike Adams