Abracadabra -- poof!
The New York Jets made an entire draft disappear.
In a span of a few hours on Wednesday, the Jets lost linebacker Demario Davis and safety Antonio Allen to free-agent deals elsewhere, leaving no players on the roster from their eight-man draft class in 2012. In this case, eight wasn't nearly enough. The '12 draft will go down in history as an epic failure even for a franchise known for its draft clunkers. Vernon Gholston, anyone?
Some drafts -- the great ones, anyway -- can feed a team for a decade. The '12 draft had a shelf life as long as that of a one-term president. Several teams messed up that year -- it was hardly a vintage crop of college players -- but only four have nothing to show for it: the Jets, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
The key to building a championship-caliber team is drafting well and signing your best picks to second contracts. Since 2010, the Jets have signed only two players to second deals -- running back Bilal Powell and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (since released). Their best draft pick in recent years, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, played out his rookie contract and is stuck with the franchise tag.
Poor drafts from previous administrations is the reason the Jets' roster is top-heavy with older, more expensive players. It's the reason they lack depth. It's the reason they have major salary-cap issues.
Ideally they should've culled three or four starters from the 2012 draft, core players who should be in the prime of their careers. Instead it's a dry well. The general manager was Mike Tannenbaum, who was fired after the season. His scouting director was Joey Clinkscales, who left a month after the draft for the Oakland Raiders. He was smart; he got out of Dodge before it was too late.
The Tannenbaum-Clinkscales tandem drafted well in 2006 and 2007, but it became fixated on the measurables -- height, weight, speed, etc. They undervalued intangibles such as competitiveness and work ethic, and they miscalculated on potential scheme fit.
Take first-round pick Quinton Coples, for instance. They fell in love with his size (6-foot-6, 285 pounds) and athleticism, ignoring his reputation for having a notoriously bad motor. He also was considered a tweener in Rex Ryan's 3-4 scheme. No matter; they picked him 16th overall.
He was released last season.
In the second round, they picked wide receiver Stephen Hill even though he made only 49 catches in college, played in a triple-option offense and suffered from concentration lapses. Heck, they actually traded up for him. Why? He's 6-4, ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at the scouting combine and showed up for his pre-draft visit in a suit. Clinkscales did him no favors by comparing his measureables to those of Calvin Johnson.
He was released in 2014.
In the third round, the Jets picked Davis, a serviceable starter under Ryan who didn't impress the current coaching staff. Allen was a nice value in the seventh round, contributing as an occasional starter, but he tore an Achilles last season. Another seventh-rounder, wide receiver Jordan White, couldn't stay healthy and caught only one pass. A couple of sixth-round picks, running back Terrance Ganaway and guard Robert Griffin, never made it out of training camp.
On a positive note, the draft produced one Super Bowl ring. Safety Josh Bush, a sixth-rounder, caught on with the Denver Broncos last season in a backup role.
From a leaguewide perspective, the 2012 draft was mediocre at best, but there was talent to be had. While the Jets mostly whiffed with Coples, Hill and Davis -- the 16th, 43rd and 77th picks, respectively -- the Seattle Seahawks came away with Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson with the 15th, 47th and 75th picks.
Now that's real magic.
