Draft blunders
 

I can't believe nobody has brought this up yet, how about the Jets using their 2nd round pick on a kicker??

Talk about a knee jerk reaction to their playoff loss last year.

Re: Draft blunders
 

HAHAH... I never thought about that. Drafting kickers seems to be the biggest gamble in the draft. Didn't Janikowski (sp?) do poorly when he was drafted?

Re: Draft blunders
 

I actually liked the pick. He is the best kicking prospect to come out of college since Janikowski. He is extremely accurate up to 55 yards out. I watch a lot of Big Ten football and this kicker is very very good. Everybody makes fun of kickers but they often mean the difference between winning and losing. The Redskins spent a 2nd round pick on Chip Lowmiller and that was well worth it in my opinion. When they are this good a prospect they are certainly worth high picks IMO.

Re: Draft blunders
 

Hold on there. Chip Lohmiller was drafted in the second round out of the University of Minnesota. I'd say that was a pick that worked out, wouldn't you?

I don't think the Jets picking Nugent was a blunder at all. You figure there are 3 or 4 games a season where it all comes down to a kicker, and this guy Mike Nugent is considered by many to the best in a long time. He kicked in practically every type of weather condition you can think of in the Big Ten. Outdoors and in the Metrodome, windy, rainy weather in cold climates and many times with hostile crowds looking on.

Can any of us remember when we had kicker after kicker, sometimes 2 or 3 in one season, when nobody was established that our team could count on when a game came down to the wire? Look, either you spend a 2nd rounder on a kicker, or you bring in a fairly high priced veteran like John Hall.

Let there be no doubt, too many teams take for granted the value of a great kicker. Think the Patriots casually dismiss the importance of Adam Vinatieri on their roster?

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I agree, anyone who watches big 10 football knows this guy is a baller. Did you guys see him drill that last second 55 yarder into the wind to beat Marshall this year? Freaking ridiculous.

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Not only did NYJ's get a kicker in the 2nd round, but they sent their 1st to oakland for Doug Jolley!!! I think they were the worst by far.

Re: Draft blunders
 

Not a lot of value with that pick but, NYJ must have thought he was the next Janikowski. And they somehow ended up with a sleeper CB in Justin Miller from Clemson. [url]http://www.nfl.com/partners/aol?http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/miller_justin[/url] I thought he would be the fourth CB taken in the draft and would've been available at 25 had we taken Mike Williams at 9. Rodgers would've been off the board by our second first-round pick if that was the scenario. Miller is slightly shorter than Rodgers (5' 10"), just as big (198lbs), and comparably fast (4.42 40). I'm not cyring over spilled milk (not drafting Williams), just taking in to account what played out in the first round. I think most fans feel mislead more than anything on what the team plans were heading into the draft. Let's face it. That's confidential information for the most part. I like our WR corps. We have speedy Moss and veterans Patten and Thrash. Jacobs is as promising as any of the WRs drafted in the first round this year. We have to see how the careers pan out for any of these guys. :oink:

Re: Draft blunders
 

To me, drafting a kicker with that high of a pick is never a good move.

Not when kickers are such a crapshoot. Does anyone really think Janikowski was worth a first round pick??

Kickers typically take a few years to develop, and you can always snag a decent one in free agency.

I just don't see the need to spend a high pick on a kicker. Yeah Lohmiller worked out ok, but I still don't agree with using a high pick on a kicker.

Re: Draft blunders
 

I don't think the move was all that bad. Nugent has been hailed as one of the most accurate kickers to enter the draft in years. Considering that most games are decided by 3 points or less, getting a guy who can nail kicks from 45+ yards out on a consistent basis can bring a team a ton of wins.

Re: Draft blunders
 

I don't think that's a bad pick. Most points in the NFL come from kickers and if you have a kicker that's automatic within 50 yards you take that sucker if you have a big need for a kicker.

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At least the Jets addressed a problem they have. The redskins dont seem to see thats what the draft is for.

Re: Draft blunders
 

one thing that has always amazed me is the fact that you can't find 32 guys in the entire world at one time who are consistent at kicking a ball through uprights. I mean, I know its harder than it looks, but its a big world. You would think finding 32 dudes would be possible.

Anyway, given that probably 2/3 of nfl kickers at any one time suck, when you have an opportunity to take a guy who can consistently win games for you over the next 10-15 years I don't think its such a bad idea. The seventeenth pick for janikowski was definately a stretch, but I just don't think Nugent is such a bad pick.

Re: Draft blunders
 

he'll be around forever and good kickers ARE hard to find (the superbowl pats (who toss 10-20 players a year for monetary reasons) franchised theirs, thats how important they think he is)... and since their last kicker lost the game for them TWICE in one (important) game last year, i think its a good move.

Re: Draft blunders
 

The argument isn't whether or not a good kicker is important, of course you want a good kicker on your team.

Is a kicker worth a 2nd round draft pick?

In my opinion no. Not unless your team is already stacked and the kicker is your only need.

The Raiders used the same thought process with Janikowski that the Jets did. Where has Janikowski gotten the Raiders? Somehow I think that 1st round pick could have been better used elsewhere.

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It's a need draft. Why leave the best kicker you can get on the board? Someone else will snatch him up if you don't so why not use a 2nd round pick? I do agree that a 1st round pick would be an overkill though.

Re: Draft blunders
 

I'm surprised they don't go after Rugby players more often, Have you seen the angles they make kicks from?

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There probably are more rugby players than you'd think. At least former rugby/soccer players.

Re: Draft blunders
 

all kickers seem to be soccer kids... a 2nd rounder for 15 years of good kicking is DEFINATELY worth it.

Re: Draft blunders
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]The argument isn't whether or not a good kicker is important, of course you want a good kicker on your team.

Is a kicker worth a 2nd round draft pick?

In my opinion no. Not unless your team is already stacked and the kicker is your only need.

The Raiders used the same thought process with Janikowski that the Jets did. Where has Janikowski gotten the Raiders? Somehow I think that 1st round pick could have been better used elsewhere.[/QUOTE]

Irish said it best: it was a concern for the Jets, and they addressed it. Keep in mind, Nugent isn't just any ol' kicker that comes around. He is the real deal, and is solid from 50 yards outdoors. Spending a second round draft pick on a player that usually always winds up being the team leader in overall scoring doesn't seem to be that much of a blunder.

Yes, if you're team is in complete disarray, and you need help everywhere, then maybe it isn't such a good idea. That said, the Jets aren't in complete disarray. They were one game removed from the AFC Championship Game last season.

Oh and by the way, the Raiders made it to the Super Bowl after drafting Janikowski. Sure, the salary cap and age took it's toll on that team, but still, at the time of selecting Janiskowski, they weren't that far off from being a championship team either.

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To put it even more bluntly, they were one FIELD GOAL away from the AFC Championship last season. ;)

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one field goal that they went 0/2 on because the kicker choked HARD.

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[QUOTE=dirtbag2112]Not only did NYJ's get a kicker in the 2nd round, but they sent their 1st to oakland for Doug Jolley!!! I think they were the worst by far.[/QUOTE]

jolley and a 2nd rounder for their first