Quarterback Geno Smith’s wait in the second round didn’t last very long. With the 39th overall pick, the West Virginia signal caller was the pick of the New York Jets.
Drafted by New York Jets, Geno Smith predicts playoffs
After waiting through the first round of the NFL Draft, the West Virginia quarterback is finally off the board.
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“I’m ready to compete. I’m ready to go in for that starting job,” Smith told Melissa Stark of NFL Network immediately after he was selected. Smith also boldly predicted the Jets would make the playoffs.
Whether that comes to pass will depend on the other picks the Jets make. The team’s leading receiver last season was Jeremy Kerley, who had 56 receptions for 827 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jeff Cumberland was second on the team with 29 receptions for 359 yards. Needless to say, the Jets need receivers.
Schematically, the Jets are moving to more of a West Coast precision passing offense. Although Smith is known as a spread dynamo from Dana Holgorsen’s West Virginia offense, he played in a pro-style system his first two seasons at WVU. One of Smith’s top assets was the timing on his throws. He’ll have to take advantage of that with the Jets.
After Smith struggled some in the Pinstripe Bowl in blizzard conditions last season, questions arose about his pure arm strength. In a West Coast system, though, he won’t need to rely quite as much on pure arm strength.
Coming into the draft, the Jets also had a great need for a guard. The team had Chance Warmack rated highly on their draft board, but chose cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson in the first round.
The Jets currently have picks 72, 106, 141, 178 and 215 remaining.
Before the start of the second round, a rumor throughout the day was that the Jets were trying to move up to acquire Smith. Instead, they kept their remaining picks to get the player expected to be the team’s quarterback of the future. Mark Sanchez, whose big-money contract goes through 2016, may now face being cut.
Predictably, Jets fans at Radio City Music Hall in New York panned the pick.
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