When it came time for the Jets to make their selection in the first round of May’s draft, they had the choice between the two safeties widely considered to be the top players in this year’s draft class.
The Jets went with Calvin Pryor, leaving Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to go to the Packers three picks later. The Jets and Packers square off on Sunday and Jets coach Rex Ryan was asked this week why the team opted for Pryor over Clinton-Dix.
“I took the guy who will knock your face in,” Ryan said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Ryan’s answer fits with the consensus opinions of the two safeties heading into the draft. Pryor was the bigger hitter while Clinton-Dix was the better player in coverage, although Clinton-Dix took issue with Ryan’s implication that he’s incapable or unwilling to level big hits.
“I’m not afraid to do that at all,” Clinton-Dix said. “And you’re going to continue to see that out of me. If that’s what they thought, hey, that’s on him. I’m going to show him.”
Clinton-Dix had his highs and lows against the Seahawks in last Thursday’s loss, but the highs flashed the kind of instinctive playmaking that the Packers didn’t have at safety last season. They’ll likely be perfectly happy with that whether or not it comes with bone-rattling hits.
