New York #Jets Mailbag: Fashanu, Fixing Wide Receiver, Favorite Quarterbacks in #NFLDraft (BADLANDS)

New York #Jets Mailbag: Fashanu, Fixing Wide Receiver, Favorite Quarterbacks in #NFLDraft (BADLANDS)

What’s up, War Room? Welcome back. Fresh off recording a nice and long podcast. I think we almost got to 40 minutes. It was a little bit of a Lord uh shorter postgame therapy because I did record it at like 1:00 a.m. London time. I will say that we dropped it on YouTube and it’s our highest viewed YouTube video ever. CR, I’m a little excited looking at the data. Thank you everyone for continuing to respond with anger, not apathy, to this Jet season. We can work with anger. We’re going to answer these questions here. We have a gazillion unsurprisingly a lot about the trade deadline and about the NFL draft. CR, how we feeling? Pretty good. I I like the the I don’t look at the questions in the Discord because I so many there is number one, the reason I initially stopped is because I couldn’t keep up anymore. But then number two, when I started to fall behind, I actually like the element of surprise. Yes. because I mean I I feel like I’m in a little bit of a bubble for a while and then I get the title wave of the fan feelings and I’m I I like that part of the week right here. All right, we’re going to dive right in with Cappy 77. Connor, I know you were high on Fashionu during camp, but are we at the point of being concerned about his long-term viability at left tackle? Curious what you are seeing and where improvements need to be made. Thank you. No, I’m I’m not concerned at all. I I know I’ve been a fashion new defender during this time because his quarterback doesn’t make life very easy on him. I think that what I did notice like against Denver and against a couple guys, he does get beat by that quick first step of outside speed. And I think he just has to mentally be aware of the rushers that can do that to you on any kind of and not be he’s not slow off the ball, but in those instances, he has to be even more ready off the ball. And you know, dare I say even be ready to overset a little bit and and kind of get into his set a little wider. And if that opens the inside door, so be it. But you don’t want to get beat on the outside like that. And I’ll do a deeper dive on him. I’m trying to think of maybe during the by-week the offensive line as a whole because they’ve probably been the most interesting part of the team. But I actually think Olu has been better than we anticipated in terms of being a run blocker at year two of his career because he was far from that being a strength in as a prospect. But his past pro is still a work in progress by NFL standards. But let’s not forget how good Olu was as a rookie. And he’s been up and down in year two. I think he started 11 career games, right? like 12 like yeah this is playing tackle in the NFL man like you’re going to have bad moments left tackle yeah a left tackle in the NFL and you’re on an island a lot and you’re going to have even tougher moments when the quarterback you pass protect for is very unorthodox with his movements in the pocket. So no I I’m not I’m really not concerned about Olu at all right now. I don’t think there’s any reason to think Olu won’t be the Jets starting left tackle for at least the next few years at a minimum. And that let’s let’s see him at 15 starts, 20 starts, and let’s see a couple starts with um a guy who can release the ball in a reasonable time frame uh before we get uh too dramatic there. I also think Meu being so good so fast might be unfairly punishing the evaluation of Olu where that’s that’s a good problem to have that Membu’s been that good so quick. I think even better than maybe we might have expected, but I do think it’s too early to be in like full panic mode about him. All right, Tyler F. Realistic trades. Quinnon for a first, JJ for a two and a four, Quincy for a four or five, Bree for a four, Lazard for a bag of Skittles. Would you take these trades? Ideally, all of them, and reset to draft capital and cap, draft a first round uh QB, or trade the high pick for a bounty. We’re gonna bundle a bunch in here because we got a lot of questions about JJ in particular and stuff around the trade deadline. I will say that your compensation back it seems about right. I’d be h really happy if they got a four for Bree. I feel like it’s going to end up being a fifth if they could get rid of Lazar Lazard in any capacity you do it. I like I don’t care that Garrett’s hurt. Play Smith, play Skinner, play somebody else. We already know what Lazard is, so play somebody else, right? Um they’re not going to do all the trades, right? I know everyone thinks they’re going to do all the trades. I do think there is it’s just hard to find that many people like all at once and do so many moves concurrently. I think there’s certainly going to be sellers. It makes sense for Glenn and Muji in a vacuum of the two of them trying to keep their jobs from a longer term standpoint to be like we’re burning it down as much as we can. This was always the plan. We want as much draft capital to get as many as our as many of our guys in as we can. I think it makes sense for guys like Bree and Quincy. I think if you get someone to take Michael Carter, you absolutely do that. you get rid of Lazar or whatever. JJ and Quinn and I think are more complicated conversations. And I gotta say, you know, we had this conversation a couple weeks ago where he said, “Who who are you paying JJ or McDonald?” And we think we both ultimately said McDonald, which begs the question, well, you’re going to have Germaine this year, you’re going to have Germaine next year on the like, “Are you going to not pay him? So, why not trade him now?” And you know, watching him back and watching the impact he had, I was just I just left the game being like, I don’t want to trade that guy. It feels like the exact kind of guy you don’t want to trade. And it’s the kind of guy you want in your locker room and in your building, who could play on all three downs, who plays with great energy, who’s a leader, who I feel like will be a future captain. And I’m like, just figure it out with the cap. Do different types of team building. Find a way to pay both of them. Find a way to keep them for at least a few more years. Like I just the thought of shipping him off for like I don’t even know if they get a two and a four because the guy’s been hurt a decent amount. Like maybe you’re getting like a three and a five. Yeah. And then we’re like who the hell’s playing edge opposite of McDonald and like who’s a leader on that defense? I So that that kind of again it’s one game sample size. But you know I felt the same way watching him against Pittsburgh and then he’s gone for a little bit and you’re like yeah of course Trader. But then you see him back you’re like man. I love the way him, Moore, Brownley, Phillips, Briggs, like their energy flowing together out there was like pretty cool to see. I will say this, and I’ll say this once only, and it’s funny after seeing the funniest Michael Clemens shirt I ever saw. Clemens might have had the best game of his career in that game, probably. And he was playing with a lot of crazy ass energy in that game. And when he got the safety, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a human being more excited in my life. And also, him jumping on an incomplete pass like a fumble was also one of the funnier things I’ve ever seen in my life. So, I will give him that. I’ll close with Quinnon in that I feel like if you could get a first for Quinnon, I would probably do it. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. And I’m not going to be mad when it doesn’t happen. The only way I could see it that changing is if they have a hard conversation with him or he has a hard conversation with them, which is like, look, I know you’re trading my brother. Like, I don’t I want to go play for a winner and like, let’s find a way to get this done. But I do feel like when it’s all said and done, JJ and Quinnon will be on the team next year. And all the other guys I mentioned will certainly not. Not Bree Hall, not Quincy Williams, not Michael Carter, not Lazard. I don’t think there’s any other names that credibly are going to be moved at the deadline. How do you how do you see this playing out? And is there a way to credibly team build where you find a way to keep both Germaine and Will McDonald? To answer that one real quickly, that’s actually where I wanted to start. I mean, realistically, this team is going to be drafting a quarterback in the first round next year on a rookie deal. So, the answer the answer is yes. You you can do things a little differently when you’re on a rookie wage scale quarterback contract. So, I think if you really wanted to keep McDonald and JJ now, you’d be able to do that where I don’t I’m with you. It feels like we’re looking for more Germaine Johnson. We’re not looking to get rid of our Germaine Johnson kind of players. So, that would be a tough message to send as a trade candidate. Quinnon is different because and I have no idea if he’ll do this, but you you could see a scenario or you would understand a scenario where he wants he wants out and you don’t just listen to the player and just do it to do it. Like you said, if a team offered a first round pick because he’s such a good player and assuming the team that trades for him is a high-end contender, they’re going to be giving up a late first round pick and you’re not getting Quinn and Williams level player in the first round at that position. But for the Jets, is that an asset that you can allocate into the offense. Maybe you draft your number two wide receiver with a a late first round pick next year after you take a quarterback. That might be really enticing. So there’s a nonzero chance on Quinnon, but ultimately I think like you said, it’s going to come down to how the two parties kind of come together on that. Bree and Quincy just seem like such obvious trade candidates because not only are they on expiring deals, but they just seem unlikely to be extended here. It feels like we said it the day they signed Sherwood back that they made their decision, right? And yeah, if you’re listening and saying, “Well, can’t you make the same argument that you just made for McDonald and Germaine?” Yes, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Quincy is going to be a 30-year-old linebacker, and we like him, but his game is predicated all on explosiveness and speed where McDonald and Germaine are not 30 right now, and they’re pass rushers right now, and they’re going to be a lot harder to replace. I actually think this regime might be able to find a mid-round linebacker that can eventually play. And like once again, I think Kiko is a limited player, but he looks good against the run right now, and you got to tip your cap to that. So ultimately, you know, and the breeze combo is, as much as we don’t want to trade away one of the few skilled players they have, it just feels like there’s something we’re at the free 20 hashtag phase of the relationship, there’s some kind of disconnect there when you’re taking Bree off the field as much as you did when Brilland Allen was healthy. And you know, once again, what do you like, are you going to pay him? Probably not. But if you don’t want to pay him long term, are you going to tag him? I mean, I don’t I I haven’t seen that the staff loves him like that. So, ultimately, yeah, that’s where that’s where it feels like it’s at. I’d say Germaine should be close to 0% chance that they trade him. That just logically team building perspective, what they need doesn’t make a lot of sense. Quinn 12%. Okay, that’s fair. We’re going to find out three weeks now. It’s coming up fast. Yeah, it is. I’d put Bree and Quincy over at 75. Yeah. Like why why would you it’s it would be a really unless you know you do your research and you think there’s a team out there that’s going to give and maybe this does happen m you go we’re not going to spend a lot in free agency next year and Quincy is going to get $16 million per year from someone you know maybe Robert Salah then he’s a big factor into our comp pick formula where just taking what we can get from him doesn’t make sense right now but you have to do your homework and know that for you to hold on from the ghost of Manish. I got a lot of questions about where Manish was in London. I keep reading that Mendoza doesn’t have A1 arm strength. Is that a trait that you can improve on at the NFL level? Also curious to hear your concerns on the quarterbacks after the games this weekend. Lastly, if given the choice between an A passer and a C athlete and a B passer and a B athlete at the current NFL, what are you drafting? probably a good time to give your sort of state of the state on the quarterback class. There was a lot of panic and angst amongst Jet fans after what seemed to be a relatively mediocre day for the cast of college quarterbacks early in the season. Still feels like there’s going to be more than enough options that go in the first round. is just going to be can you pick your can you pick the right one and what is your you know flavor uh that you’re looking to build around um what do you think is a response to those questions or where’s your head at currently on the co the college quarterback class? I think this quarterback class has gotten more interesting honestly because one, I never thought Arch was coming out. So, the fact that he hasn’t been good didn’t really change my opinion of the class entirely because I it was hard to assume he was going to be in it. But, we’ve had a lot of names kind of start to evolve here and enter the conversation, whether that is Dante Moore from Oregon, and I don’t care that he lost against Indiana. Every prospect that’s a firstrounder has a not so great college game. Um, Mendoza from Indiana, who I’ll get to in just a second. Tai Simpson from Alabama is now in this conversation. I know a lot of Jets fans are talking about him. I’ll be talking about him a lot on our stockwatch on stock exchange in the middle of the week. You know, Matir, who came back too early from injury, but Mava from USC has played really well. A lot of guys have entered this quarterback class and made it really interesting with Mendoza. He He’s an So, here was my summer notes. I like his release. I think it’s snappy. I think he can tighten it and speed it up when under pressure. That stood out to me. He’s got adequate velocity on throws outside the numbers. I don’t worry about the arm. And I think the deep ball when given time is strong and accurate. I think he’s somebody that he doesn’t really have much foot speed. He’s not a guy that’ll create. He took 40 sacks in 2024. Indiana’s offense and structure has been much better for him and he’s operating it at a high level. I don’t think he has this great arm off platform like he lose little life on his throws off platform. That’s probably what that question was alluding to and his decision-making has gotten better this year. So, there’s a lot of time on Mendoza. He’s in that combo though. But yeah, I think that I think the people that are saying this is a terrible year to have the number one overall pick are jumping the gun. But I also think it’s fair to say we need to really see how the rest of this college football season develops. I think there is a there is a lot of talent in this quarterback class, but how does that talent come together? We we need to see them play more big games. It’s October 14th. It’s early, right? And we’re going to see Tai Simpson and Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza in the College Football Playoff. So with like there’s a lot of scouting left to be done and I’m I’m actually bullish on it to be honest with you right now there are quarterbacks to be drafted Jet fans and I could say with confidence or I I could be wrong I suppose but the Jets are going to draft a quarterback next year so start wrapping your head around that and it’s going to be an interesting offseason to dive into those guys. Uh I’ll bundle these next two together. Um from Jesus, how would you guys reshape the receiver room next offseason? The only free agent receiver that intrigued me was Jacobe Meyers, but I don’t see any reason he would sign with us. Maybe we draft a QB and then a receiver with every other pick in the draft. And then from Eric R, why is it why has this regime been able to make trades for multiple defensive players that have turned out to be strong fits but can’t do anything on offense? I think to the last question, defensive coaching staff, better vision and feel of where the type of players that they have and maybe there’s been better overlap with the positional coaches on players that have been available, you know, where I I was with this guy. That’s what happened with Brownley and I think he’s going to be a fit for our style and maybe they haven’t got that perfect match on offense yet where they did really need to make a trade for receiver. Still may need to make a trade for a receiver just to field a functional offense. I mean, I think for next year, I feel like I say this every offseason, the Jets don’t just need one receiver. They need two receivers, I would say, at a minimum, right? You’re going to have Garrett, you’re going to have Arian Smith and nothing else, right? There’s no guarant right now at best. Yeah, there’s no guarantee that you Lazard won’t be here. Who knows if Reynolds and Tyler Johnson will be here? The rest of the guys are currently on the practice squad, basically. So, you need two receivers. You’re certainly in a situation where you should be, if you take a quarterback in round one, you should be drafting a receiver with one of your next two picks and then one of your day three picks and then you need to bring in some type of veteran. If the free agent market is skimpy, which it is always likely to be, you got to go find a way to make a trade come. You got to move heaven and earth for your uh rookie quarterback to give him a range of options and a complimentary piece for Garrett Wilson on day one. So, I know that requires assets and capital. It’s why you got to start compiling more capital around the trade deadline. This isn’t like a one player solve. Like, you got to build an entire wide receiver room. Hopefully, Mason Taylor shows that much more down the stretch. All right, we got a passcatching tight end. We got a good old line. Uh, we got Garrett Wilson. We’re going to figure out, you know, someone to pair with Isaiah Davis at running back, assuming Bree isn’t here. Uh, I hope it’s a deep wide receiver class, though. And I I hope that they could do what some other teams have done this year and draft guys on day three who I watch every week and are catching touchdowns and are contributing and are making plays. And I look at the Bucks and they got a different guy catching a 60-yard touchdown every week. It doesn’t matter who’s hurt or who’s cycling in. Uh that’s going to be a massive topic of conversation beyond quarterback for us. Man, how do you find two receivers in the draft that you could put in this room and could compete right away? Uh, and then you got to get creative and go and go trade for an asset because you can’t just be like, “Well, we’re gonna sign Jacobe Myers. He’s going to go get signed somewhere else and there’s not not much else out there.” What are What are your thoughts, CR? Well, the good news is if you want the rare Badlands glass half full, they got the hard part done. You have the superstar number one. Yep. This is I hate to sit here, you know, from my home and be like, “Oh, this is the easy part.” But it really is like finding complimentary and roleplaying wide receivers in this era of football where all these kids when they’re in high school are playing seven on seven. This is the best volume of wide receiver talent we’ve had in the history of football right now. I’ve noticed it since I started doing the draft until now. So, one guy I really like in free agency specifically for the Jets, and I know he was a popular name when people were thinking of trade candidates, and the Colts are probably really glad they didn’t trade him, is Alec Pierce, because he can win above the rim. He’s got really good size, and he he’s a vertical threat. So, he can get down the field for you. That would be somebody I would sign because I think with vertical threats in the draft, there’s a little bit more variance of them hitting as we’re kind of seeing with, you know, like even Aren Smith right now. So, that would be somebody I would go pay and then can you go find a possession player um or like somebody that can give you a little yak, you know, obviously in the draft. That would be kind of my plan of attack. And that doesn’t stop me from drafting one high, right? If I go into like let’s lay it out. Say the Jets end up with there is a world and I guess this is the easy route but there is a world where they trade Quinnon and get that late one. So you draft your quarterback with your top pick. Say you take uh Carnell Tate from Ohio State or let’s assume Jordan Tyson from Arizona State and Mal and Mai Lemon from USC are gone and Carell Tate would probably be gone too but even like a Denzel Boston from Washington. There’s a lot of wide receiver talent in this draft. Or say you acquire more day two capital and you move up. Whatever it is, you take one of those guys, you sign Pierce, then you’re trotting out Garrett Wilson, Alec Pierce, a receiver you just used a top 60 asset on. Aren Smith is in the role he should be in the stretch four. Like it looks real different real quickly. It it really really does. So it’s it can change very quickly. I mean, you look at how people teams have rebuilt their wide receiver rooms as quick as they have. Um, there is, you know, there there is hope there, but you got to you do have to allocate like some real assets into it. You know, like you look at, you know, you look at the money they gave Stevens. Once again, this is something that Muji will have to learn from. You dumped all these assets into quarterback and I get that matters so much to Glenn, but there needs to be a little balance on the roster, I think. Especially when you’re not paying a quarterback and you don’t have the excuse of like, well, we can’t balance out the roster because the quarterback makes all the money, you know? Yep. I

Joe and Connor answer all of your Discord questions on Olu Fashanu, the trade deadline, the college quarterback class, fixing wide receiver, game management woes and close with an optimistic riff…

FULL episode at www.patreon.com/BadlandsTOJ