The NFL Draft came a conclusion on April 30, and both the Jets and Giants came out of Chicago very happy. The Jets selected OLB Darron Lee with the 20th overall Pick, and the Giants selected CB Eli Apple with the 10th overall pick. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the two players.
Starting with the Jets, they made a bold move in taking Lee, the Ohio State University product. Many fans were hoping for quarterback Paxton Lynch, who was surprisingly still on the board. However, GM Mike Maccagnan decided to improve the defense, which was already an area of strength. In fact, for the 7th straight season, the Jets have taken a defensive player in the 1st round.
Shortly after the draft, Maccagnan spoke with reporters about Darron Lee. He said "What intrigued us the most about him is, he's a younger player but he's very athletic. He brings the ability to improve our overall team speed."
Although Lee was an outside linebacker at Ohio State, coach Todd Bowles noted that he will be an inside linebacker for New York. The team said that he will begin the season behind starter Erin Henderson, but has the ability to become a three down contributor.
Lee is currently listed as 6'1" and 232 lbs, which may seem undersized for the position. Despite this, Bowles isn't considered about getting the 1st rounder to bulk up. He said "(Lee) doesn't have to be a 240, 250 lb linebacker. That's not what we're looking for."
He is 21 years old, and still only a sophomore, but had 27 1/2 tackles for loss with 12 quarterback sacks last season, finishing 2nd on the squad behind teammate Joey Bosa (third overall pick). Lee had 147 career tackles and 3 interceptions.
"Honestly, I'm still in shock because I could not believe it and all my dreams are finally coming true. It was just a great moment for me," said Lee, who was a former teammate of current Jets WR Devin Smith at Ohio State. "I didn't know anything, honestly. I just knew that I had a great visit, I thought that I connected with the coaches."
As for my thoughts, I like the pick a lot since Lee seems to fit perfectly into Todd Bowles' defensive system. He is very versatile, and will bring much needed speed to the defense now that the team is without David Harris and Demario Davis. Although he won't start right away, this pick fills a long term need for the Jets, and that's all you can ask for with a late first round pick.
Moving on to the Giants, they too selected a defensive player from Ohio State. Eli Apple was a surprise pick by some as they did not expect his name to be called until later in the night. In fact, Mel Kiper Jr. did not have him going until the 29th overall pick, so at first glance it was questionable.
"I didn't know where I was going to go, honestly," Apple said. "You hear a lot of things... I was expecting everything."
Apple, now at 20 years old, started in both seasons at Ohio State, and currently sits at 6'1" and 199 lbs. GM Jerry Reese spoke about the selection, saying that he is "A really good, young player. Height, weight, speed. Big School. He holds all the tools to be a starter. He was the highest graded player on the board, beyond the guys with issues."
These issues are in reference to both Laremy Tunsil and Myles Jack, both of whom slipped dramatically in the draft. Minutes before the draft, a video surfaced on social media of Tunsil smoking marijuana. He was once considered the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but fell to No. 13 with the Miami Dolphins. Myles Jack was not selected in the first round, which came as a surprise to many.
"We like Eli because he's the No. 1 corner on the board," vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross said. "The guy is big. He's fast. He's athletic. He's clean off the field. He's got tremendous upside."
The Giants initially looked to trade up in the draft, but the price was too expensive. They received at least one offer for their 10th round pick, but decided to reject it.
"You trust your board and we got exactly what we wanted, where we wanted," said coach Ben McAdoo.
I really like this pick because the Giants desperately needed help at the cornerback position. Although they have Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and new signee Janoris Jenkins, Apple can now be viewed as a third string option in his rookie season.
Apple does have potential. He is young and has the necessary physical tools to handle an NFL workload, but it could take some time. McAdoo said that they will try Apple at different spots on the field and see what sticks.
Stay tuned for a future article detailing the remainder of the picks selected by the Jets and Giants.
As for my thoughts, I like the pick a lot since Lee seems to fit perfectly into Todd Bowles' defensive system. He is very versatile, and will bring much needed speed to the defense now that the team is without David Harris and Demario Davis. Although he won't start right away, this pick fills a long term need for the Jets, and that's all you can ask for with a late first round pick.
Moving on to the Giants, they too selected a defensive player from Ohio State. Eli Apple was a surprise pick by some as they did not expect his name to be called until later in the night. In fact, Mel Kiper Jr. did not have him going until the 29th overall pick, so at first glance it was questionable.
"I didn't know where I was going to go, honestly," Apple said. "You hear a lot of things... I was expecting everything."Apple, now at 20 years old, started in both seasons at Ohio State, and currently sits at 6'1" and 199 lbs. GM Jerry Reese spoke about the selection, saying that he is "A really good, young player. Height, weight, speed. Big School. He holds all the tools to be a starter. He was the highest graded player on the board, beyond the guys with issues."
These issues are in reference to both Laremy Tunsil and Myles Jack, both of whom slipped dramatically in the draft. Minutes before the draft, a video surfaced on social media of Tunsil smoking marijuana. He was once considered the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but fell to No. 13 with the Miami Dolphins. Myles Jack was not selected in the first round, which came as a surprise to many.
"We like Eli because he's the No. 1 corner on the board," vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross said. "The guy is big. He's fast. He's athletic. He's clean off the field. He's got tremendous upside."
The Giants initially looked to trade up in the draft, but the price was too expensive. They received at least one offer for their 10th round pick, but decided to reject it.
"You trust your board and we got exactly what we wanted, where we wanted," said coach Ben McAdoo.
I really like this pick because the Giants desperately needed help at the cornerback position. Although they have Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and new signee Janoris Jenkins, Apple can now be viewed as a third string option in his rookie season.
Apple does have potential. He is young and has the necessary physical tools to handle an NFL workload, but it could take some time. McAdoo said that they will try Apple at different spots on the field and see what sticks.
Stay tuned for a future article detailing the remainder of the picks selected by the Jets and Giants.
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