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Special to amNewYork
This weekends NFL draft will allow the Jets and Giants to supplement their offseason activity. Both New York teams lack a top-10 pick, however, so it is unlikely that either team will find a franchise player without trading up.
The Jets, having plugged some defensive holes via free agency this offseason, are hunting for offensive help.
Quarterback and wide receiver are Gang Greens two biggest needs given the departures of QB Brett Favre and WR Laveranues Coles; this years draft talent pool favors offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers and wide receivers.
Two quarterbacks should also find their way into the top several picks.
Jets: QBs
While coach Rex Ryan has stated that one of the Jets best two current QBs, Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff, will be the teams starter this fall. This could be a smokescreen designed to mask the teams draft intentions.
The drafts top two passing prospects Georgias Matthew Stafford and USCs Mark Sanchez are expected to be off the board well before the Jets select at No. 17. However, general manager Mike Tannenbaum has a history of making draft-day deals, most notably trading up 10 picks to draft cornerback Darrelle Revis at No. 14 in 2007.
Staffords price tag will likely be too high for the Jets, as he is being targeted by Detroit with the first overall pick. But dont rule out the possibility of a trade-up to acquire Sanchez, who recently worked out for the Jets and possesses leadership traits the team covets. The only other signal-caller who might hear his name called by the Jets in the first round is Kansas States Josh Freeman, whose superior arm strength may make him worth the gamble on his mental readiness.
Jets: WRs
The Jets scouts may find the first-round talent pool deeper at wide receiver.
Two will likely be gone by No. 17: the tall Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech, and the speedy Jeremy Maclin of Missouri. Given the Jets lack of size and speed at the position, either prospect may prompt management to consider trading up.Alternatively, the team could stay put at No. 17 and possibly have its pick among four other worthy wideouts.
Marylands Darrius Heyward-Bey ranks as the drafts fastest receiver, clocking in with a 4.3-second 40-yard dash. Floridas Percy Harvin uses nifty moves to rack up yards-after-catches, but at under 6-foot, size may prevent Harvins skills from transferring to the NFL game. Rutgers Kenny Britt possesses the best size/speed combination, but lacks experience against top college defenses. Finally, although he is neither particularly tall nor fast, North Carolinas Hakeem Nicks is believed by scouts to be the most NFL-ready of the four.
Giants: The view from No. 29
Drafting fourth-to-last in the first round, the Giants will likely focus more on choosing the best player available than on trying to fill a need.
The G-Men may give a serious look to one of the four second-tier wideouts mentioned above. There are also few offensive tackles may also get consideration, including Arizonas Eben Britton and Connecticuts William Beatty.
Alternatively, the team may bolster its front seven by tapping into this drafts surplus of defensive lineman and linebackers. Several defensive lineman are likely to be taken among the first 20 picks, but the Giants may have a shot at Florida State defensive end Everette Brown, Mississippi defensive tackle Peria Jerry or Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English.
At linebacker, top prospect Aaron Curry of Wake Forest will be long gone, but the Giants may have a chance at one of three USC standouts: Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, and Clay Matthews. Ohio States James Laurinaitis may also be in the mix.















