The Jets will have a "new" guy calling plays on defense -- HC Aaron Glenn -- and a bona fide new guy as defensive coordinator -- Brian Duker. The tandem worked together before in Detroit and Glenn is certainly familiar with some of the dudes along the defensive front currently on the roster.
The only certainty in the NFL, however, is that players come and players go, and the Jets' front -- whether they decide to play a 3-4 or a 4-3 -- is certain to look different via free agency (which begins the second week of March), the NFL Draft (in Pittsburgh at the end of April), even now with the reported trade of edge Jermaine Johnson to Tennessee, reunited with his former HC Robert Saleh, for DT T'Vondre Sweat. Sweat is set to join a group of defensive tackles that includes Harrison Phillips, Jowon Briggs and Jay Tufele.
At this week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis some of the top interior defensive line players -- Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), Peter Woods (Clemson) and Lee Hunter (Texas Tech) -- got their chance to show their skills to the assembled coaches and to chat with the media.
The Jets have 4 picks among the first 44 overall selections, Nos. 2 and 16 overall in the first round, and Nos. 33 and 44 in the second round.
Kayden McDonald: 'A War Daddy ... in the Middle'
Looking back on a football life that began when he was a mere 4 years old, Kayden McDonald, 20, brings an Ohio State mindset to his every word and every deed on the field. Measuring his words carefully, the bespectacled DT commanded the podium at the NFL Combine the way he has commanded the middle of the defensive line for the Buckeyes.
"My power is my hands, I'm going strong in the middle," McDonald (6-2, 326) said. "My high school coach said being a war daddy, being that guy in the middle, just copy everything and be disruptive on all downs. I've been playing this game since I was 4 years old, and this is what I want to do. I want to surround myself with good people and just do good things for my team and just win."
For OSU last season, McDonald had 65 tackles, 9 TFL and 2 sacks. NFL Next Gen Stats has him sharing the No. 1 spot among DTs at the Combine with Florida's Caleb Banks with a 6.39 score.
"I welcome double teams, I command double teams, and I'm going to free up the linebackers and whichever team decides to take me, that's what you're going to get," he said.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein got right to the point on McDonald: "A talented run defender, McDonald plays with natural leverage and rattles pads with his initial contact. He's quick to locate ballcarriers, play off of blocks and rally to the action."
Peter Woods: 'What's on Tape Is on Tape'
Peter Woods was part of four state championship teams in high school at Thompson in Alabaster, AL, and was ranked the No. 9 in the nation by ESPN before he committed to Clemson, where he spent all three of his seasons playing college ball.
"I think I bring a lot of positional versatility," Woods said at the Combine. "I'm very comfortable at D-tackle playing the 3-tech with pass rush versatility and run game versatility. I think it varies, but one of the best parts of my game is being able to do a lot of different stuff."
He added: "What's on tape is on tape. One of the best things I do is getting control of a man, assuming he has longer arms than me, and striking him and discarding him," Woods said.
At 6-2, 298, Woods, 20, finished his college career with 84 tackles (41 solo), 14.5 TFL and 5 sacks.
He said that he's ready for whatever challenges come his way at the next level.
"Yeah, just finding my vets and getting up under their wings and soaking up and learning as much information as possible," he said. "It would be naïve for me to think I could come into a league I've never been in before and know it all and have all the answers. So, I'm just eager to learn and eager to get better and take my game to the next level."
NFL Next Gen Stats ranks Woods as the second-best DT at the Combine with a 6.36 rating.
"Woods is a young interior defender with room to add play strength as he fills out his frame," Zierlein writes. "He's not a pure one- or two-gap fit, but he's capable in both schemes. He plays with good lower-body explosiveness into initial contact, keeping his hands and feet synced to work around blocks when needed. He's more of an active brawler than double-team eating tree stump."
Lee Hunter: 'I'm Gonna Beat You'
If the Mobile, AL, native Lee Hunter plays as well as he talks, the Jets or any other team, could end up with a monster in the middle of the D-line.
"I just be me all the time," Lee Hunter (6-3, 318) told reporters during his spirited time on the podium. "Be real. I talk trash. If I talk trash, I get your best, and when I get your best, you get me better. And now we win, and we prepare to win."
After a redshirt season at Auburn when he did not play, Hunter spent three seasons at Central Florida racking up 131 total tackles (66 solo), 21.5 TFL and 5 sacks. In his final collegiate season with Texas Tech, he had 30 total tackles (10 solo), 7.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks.
"I'm a football player you're gonna love in the locker room," Hunter, 23, said.
NFL Next Gen Stats ranks Hunter as the fourth-best DT at the Combine with a 6.29 rating.
"Hunter's girth and length are advantages when aligning over the center as a run defender," Zierlein writes. "He doesn't have enough quickness or skill as a rusher to see many passing downs, but he can dent the pocket with his power."
