Kelvin Benjamin intrigues New York Jets
Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of the 2014 BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets are looking for some more talented pass-catchers to place around second-year passer Geno Smith and, if it comes down to it, veteran backup Michael Vick, as signing Eric Decker to a lucrative deal didn’t fully address the position. Decker was an excellent, much-needed signing at the position and is locked in as the team’s No. 1 target right now, but the Jets need another playmaker to help out Decker, Jeremy Kerley, and re-signed tight end Jeff Cumberland. Whether the Jets decide to go with a TE like Eric Ebron, a top-notch WR like Marqise Lee, or wait until the second round to take a wideout in this year’s incredibly deep class at the position, the Jets clearly need to find a way to get their hands on a talented pass-catcher in May.
Per a “team source” close to the New York Daily News’s Manish Mehta, the Jets are “very intrigued” by Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who is usually given a second-round grade but could easily find himself picked in the first round (he has top-2o upside) due to his size, explosiveness, and physical tools.
Mehta adds that someone told him, “You can’t teach 6-5,” and the absurdity of that quote really gets to me. You obviously can’t teach size, but is that even that important? Benjamin has great size, but you can’t teach his physical tools either. You also might not be able to help him develop his game enough, because Benjamin is an incredibly raw receiver who needs to work more on his route-running and has arguably the worst hands of any top receiver in this class. He’s not worth a first-round pick for the Jets, but I do think he’s a very viable option for them in the second round if they choose to take a cornerback in the first (Jason Verrett or Justin Gilbert if he slips a bit). Benjamin has high upside, but he’s too boom-or-bust for my liking at No. 18.