 USC quarterback Mark Sanchez was taken by the New York Jets with the fifth pick in 2009 NFL Draft after New York moved up via trade. NEW YORK - Aside from the New York Jets trading for Brett Favre last year, they haven’t brought much excitement to the franchise in recent years. That all changed when they swapped picks with the Cleveland Browns and acquired quarterback Mark Sanchez from the University of Southern California. Despite chants of “overrated” by the Jets faithful at Radio City Music Hall, Gang Green made a statement that they were not confident going into training camp with their current quarterback situation.
In getting Sanchez, the Jets gave up their first round 17th pick, their 2nd round 52nd pick and three players. One of whom was QB Brett Ratliff, who would have been vying for the starting job along with Kellen Clemens. Defensive end Keynon Coleman and safety Abe Elam were the other two players shipped out. New head coach Rex Ryan thinks a QB of Sanchez’s stature can work within his system. Ryan was the defensive architect that guided the Baltimore Ravens and first-year quarterback Joe Flacco to their first AFC championship game since 2000. Ryan and the Jets staff were impressed after working out Sanchez. Said Ryan, “We saw the poise and how confident he was.” Sanchez decided to stay home with his family in California when the trade was announced. Interviewed by ESPN, he was thrilled to be coming to the Big Apple. “This is where I wanted to be,” he said. Meanwhile, the New York Giants failed to make a move that would have brought receivers Cleveland’s Braylon Edwards or the Cardinals Anquan Boldin. With their first pick (#29) they selected wide receiver Hakeem Nicks from the University of North Carolina. They picked little known linebacker Clint Sintim in the second round (#45) and offensive tackle William Beatty (#60) to finish their day. Both the Browns and Arizona were said to be asking too much in order to get Edwards and Boldin. GM Jerry Reese was pleased with the pick. “It absolutely was a value pick,” he said. Nicks will be taking the place of both Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, veterans let go by the team just two years after winning the Super Bowl. As expected, the Detroit Lions selected QB Matt Stafford as the first overall pick. Highly sought after wide receivers Darrius Heywood-Bey and Michael Crabtree were selected by Oakland and San Francisco, respectively. Despite the New York Jets fans voicing displeasure over their pick, they go into training camp with a player they really wanted. It would help if they could get a possession receiver and a tight end that could block. For the Giants, Nicks may not be the answer right away. They only hope their current receivers can take their game to the next level. |
