The Jets’ decision to draft quarterback Geno Smith grabbed a lot of headlines, but they pretty much kept things simple in John Idzik’s first draft since becoming the team’s general manager.
Four of the seven picks were on players who played on either the defensive or offensive lines. One of them was on a guy who played on the defensive line in college, but will be moved to the offensive line in the NFL.
Sixth-round pick William Campbell played defensive tackle at Michigan (after graduating from the same high school that produced mega-bust Vernon Gholston), but the team announced they are going to be moving him to the other side of the ball. Campbell worked out for teams as a guard as well as on defense while making the pre-draft rounds and the team’s expected to try him at guard. The Jets lost Matt Slauson and Brandon Moore, last year’s starters, as free agents and signed Willie Colon before drafting Brian Winters in the third round.
Moore made a similar move when he came to the Jets and developed into a very good player for several years with the teams. While the move will limit any impact Campbell makes this season, they’d take that if it meant something close to what they got from Moore.