Trades Highlight Second Half of Day 1
After solidifying their offensive line with the two first round selections of Virginia T D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Ohio State C Nick Mangold, the Jets made a pair of trades before drafting Oregon QB Kellen Clemens in round two.
First, the Jets traded their first 2nd round selection and their third pick of the day (#35 overall) to the Washington Redskins in exchange for the 'Skins second round selection (#53 overall), a 6th round pick in '06 (#189 overall), and a 2nd round pick in '07. Minutes later, the club made a deal with Dallas to obtain the Cowboys second round selection (#49 overall) in exchange for the Jets newly acquired second round pick (#53 overall) and 6th round selections (#189 overall) in addition to the team's seventh round selection (#211).
They made the move up in order to select talented Oregon QB Kellen Clemens. Following their plan, the Jets added more depth to the quarterback position which already includes Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey and Brooks Bollinger. Clemens, 6'1 5/8", 224 pounds, possesses good mobility and tossed 19 touchdowns last season. He completed 64 percent of his 289 passes in '05 and was only victimized by four interceptions.
The Jets went the trade route for a third time when they swapped 3rd round selections with the Philadelphia Eagles (#71 for #76) and the Jets also received Philly's 220th overall selection in round seven. With the 71st selection, the Green & White drafted Ohio State linebacker Anthony Schlegel.
"Anthony is a hard-nosed linebacker that has very good instincts and is a selfless player. He is the son of a high school football coach and has been around the game his entire life," said GM Mike Tannenbaum. "He played alongside some excellent players at Ohio State and he played on some very good teams, contributing in a variety of roles. After serving as captain at the Air Force Academy as a sophomore he transferred to Ohio State and contributed immediately. He is a player that we envision adding to the depth at linebacker and being able to contribute on special teams."
Eric Smith, a Michigan State safety, was the Jets final selection Saturday evening. Smith, 6'1 5/8", 210 pounds, is a smart, physical player who will fit in well in the Jets new system.
The Jets will resume the draft Sunday morning and own the following selections: Round 4 (103 overall), Round 4 (117 overall), Round 5 (138 overall) and Round 7 (220 overall).
