Was Leonard Williams a Good Pick for the New York Jets?

May 1, 2015

“With the sixth pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select Leonard Williams – Defensive End – USC.”

I’m fairly certain those weren’t the words that Jets fans were waiting for. But not because Leonard Williams isn’t a player coveted by NFL scouts around the league, but rather, that everyone believed that Williams would be off the board before pick six.

The New York Jets went for the best available player over the best player available to fill the specific needs of the team by taking Leonard Williams in the sixth pick. It wasn’t entirely surprising, nor was it a bad move on their part. Physical condition, speed, agility and a lack of off-the-field issues made Williams the best overall pick in his class after his performance at the combine. The general manager, Maccagnan, expressed he wasn’t targeting any single player in the draft. And, when the opportunity came. He expressed it was too good of a deal to pass up.

Maccagnan: "He was the best player available on our board and we were surprised he fell to us. He was too good of a value to pass on."

— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 1, 2015

Bowles agreed:

Maccagnan: Williams was “in the top 3 players on our board.” Added Bowles: “Adding him to the mix makes us better.”

— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 1, 2015

The Jets have selected a defensive player in the last seven years of the draft with their first round pick. And Williams was happy that the trend continued in 2015:

Headed to the city that never sleeps! What an amazing feeling. Coming for you @NYJets #HatHugHeadphones @Bose pic.twitter.com/fM6At09aBr

— Leonard Williams (@leonardwilliams) May 1, 2015

And there really isn’t much doubt that Williams will be an impact player for the Jets:

.@leonardwilliams: "Being versatile allows me to fit in a lot of different spots…I can move around and find spots to get to the QB."

— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 1, 2015

Its true that with Defensive End Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams doesn’t fill a necessity, but than again, Wilkerson wasn’t happy with his fifth year option contract. It’s said that Wilkerson’s talent warrants him an excess of $10 million in salary. The 5th year option promises him $6.969 million.

The Jets stated they want Wilkerson on their team.

Maccagnan: Jets Are Not Looking To Trade Muhammad Wilkerson http://t.co/RvaPgZh88p

— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) May 1, 2015

In fact, several teams apparently asked about him and were “shut down”:

Per @JayGlazer, teams called the Jets about Muhammad Wilkerson today and were "shut down."

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 1, 2015

However, with the addition of Leonard Williams, an unsigned contract, and having skipped the Jets voluntary off-season workout, Wilkerson’s future with the Jets still appears uncertain. If an agreement cannot be reached and with teams already interested, the Jets might find a deal that will hopefully make both Wilkerson and the Jets happy in the end. Problem solved.

By the way, did I mention that I love Williams’ hair!