This week for my weekly scouting report, I am going back to defense and the Jets have focused on this for 8 years. The last time the Jets have drafted an offensive player was Mark Sanchez in 2009, and with the sixth pick they can draft a talented defensive player, just like they did in previous years with the exception of a few. If they were to draft any defensive talent, minus a corner I’d say they draft an inside linebacker and the guy I’m looking at is Roquan Smith from the university of Georgia. Smith was the tone setter for that Georgia defense last season, and the well built prospect can take on blocks and always looks to deliver the big hit and set the tone from the start of the game. The Jets could use another young stud linebacker to an already a young group, and let’s face it Demario Davis won’t be around forever, so they can bring in Smith to take his spot if Davis doesn’t re sign with the team or retires as a Jet.
Roquan Smith possesses a good quickness to the ball and has an impressive burst to where the ball carrier is. If you watch the game against Oklahoma, he made a crucial tackle on the tight end in overtime on second down and the same against Auburn when he blitzed the A gap on the jump of the snap and shed the block off from the running back to come away with the sack. This guy plays fundamental football, and has the power to make sound tackles and not allow any extra yardage. The Oklahoma game was a perfect example of how good his recognition skills are, he was flying everywhere the ball was. Georgia’s defensive line didn’t do a great job occupying the blocks, so Smith had to deal with traffic but again was able to fight off blocks and get in the backfield in a heartbeat. The only thing he needs to work on his ability to work around blocking and needs to work on cleanly flowing to the ball and use his sideline to sideline speed. However I believe that he will be more impactful in the NFL, where the Defensive lineman will do a better job and the Jets already have a good defensive line.
Overall, I think the Jets will be a perfect fit for Smith. A young talented linebacker who looks to set the tone on defense is something that can be the finishing touch to an already young and eager group.