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New York Jets: Round No. 1 Is Mike Maccagnan’s First True Test

By Robby Sabo

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With the New York Jets still feeling the hurt of a few top positional needs, their first-round selection in this upcoming 2015 NFL Draft looms large.

From a dark despair to complete ecstasy. This describes the range of emotions New York Jets fans have endured from the end of the 2014 season until now.

How could they not feel completely enthusiastic right now?

Mike Maccagnan has come in and quickly transformed a very sad personnel grouping into a tout one. He’s brought in big names and has even gone to the “Jets-well” with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

It’s funny to think about how adored the man already is, considering his team hasn’t played one game yet.

That’s just the way John Idzik left things. The bar was left so low that trending upwards was the only place to travel.

So, let’s put things into perspective, shall we.

Maccagnan took the helm with in excess of $50 million in cap room. Unless the man was completely incompetent, he had more than enough wiggle room to bring in some talent.

With that being understood, his true test still lies ahead.

How Maccagnan leads the Jets through his first NFL Draft, and especially in the first-round, will leave a lasting imprint on this organization.

There are few key factors to consider as it pertains to their first-round selection:

  1. Obviously, selecting a true superstar for years to come is of the utmost importance
  2. Selecting a prospect who fits perfectly into the franchise’s positional needs
  3. Draft Day movement

How Maccagnan leads the Jets through his first NFL Draft, and especially in the first-round, will leave a lasting imprint on this organization.

Holding the No. 6 overall selection, the top factor on that list is apparent. Should the Jets hold serve and not move out of the spot, a Pro-Bowl caliber player must be selected.

This is just how the NFL works.

Every bust selected in the first-round – and especially in the top 10 – sets back a franchise a certain amount of games. When a top 10 quarterback is missed, the franchise actually gets set back two or three years.

Not only does the rookie quarterback receive a good chunk of the salary cap with top 10 money, but he delays the process of finding that next, true franchise guy. He’d be masquerading as the face of the franchise while the team struggles mightily.

This is where the Marcus Mariota factor comes in. Only if Maccagnan is truly enamored with the Oregon product should he take him at that spot. Picking at No. 6 leaves to room for error.

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While quarterback remains the Jets most glaring need, should Maccagnan wait a season on the position, he has other positions which need immediate attention. These are edge rusher, safety, deep threat, and most importantly, offensive line.

The prospects projected to possibly be there for the Jets, who fit their needs, are Vic Beasley (Edge), Shane Ray (Edge), Amari Cooper (deep threat), Kevin White (deep threat), Brandon Scherff (offensive line) and La’el Collins (offensive line).

Maccagan will need to navigate and decide which positional need is most deserving. If he fields an old-school approach, then he’ll realize his current offensive line is extremely shaky. Potentially trading down in the first round could be his most beneficial move.

Trading down will now only allow him to possibly snag a Scherff or Collins (who could fall a bit), but it could allow him to grab an Erick Flowers or Andrus Peat in the middle to late first round.

Maccagnan is fortunate in this sense: he has taken the helm of a team that had a ridiculous surplus in cap space, and also has the intense possibility to trade down in the draft, loading up on multiple positional needs – especially the case if Chip Kelly really is hot for Mariota.

It’s not enough to just have that potential. If Maccagnan really wants to be adored by Jets fans, he’ll need his first-round strategy (whatever it might be) to turn out smelling like roses in 2015.

Based on that potential for so much flexibility, however, the Jets newly-minted general manager needs to capitalize and send this franchise further in the upwards trending direction.

Next: Jets Top 5 Personnel Needs

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