By Ryan “The Goose” Gosiker
The NFL does not play a single game until the Hall of Fame game in August that starts the preseason, but that doesn’t mean they take time off from being the center of attention. They always have some event or benchmark in their offseason that just gravitates fans from their current obligations and rooting interests. This time of year, it is the NFL Draft. Round 1 is Thursday night. Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday night. Rounds 4-7 are Saturday afternoon. The massive draw is round 1, many come back for Friday night, and the vast majority lose interest in the final rounds. The intrigue will always be with the first round especially since, once again, both locals are picking in the top 10. The Giants are at 6 and the Jets at 10. The Jets have some leeway with their selection. Their defense is already set, so there is no need to waste a top 10 pick on someone who will not play. They are not going to select a kicker or punter because that doesn’t happen, so they will select an offensive player. I, personally, would argue they need to draft an offense tackle (OT), regardless of the fact that they signed Tyron Smith this offseason. GM Joe Douglas did a solid job rebuilding a putrid unit, but signed players who are either old or injury-prone or both. The minute one of them gets hurt during the season, there will be cries that Rodgers doesn’t have any protection. So, why not bulk up the protection? The other side of the coin is the name Brock Bowers. He is the standout tight end from Georgia who has been a 1st-round pick since he was a freshman. This would be a solid weapon for Rodgers for an all-in-type season. I would stick with OT help but would totally understand a Bowers selection. The complicated nature of this draft stems from the NY Giants. They have the 6th pick and no one, including them, may know what they will do with it. They could take QB or WR or OT. Another team that I would argue heavily to select OT Joe Alt from Notre Dame to continue to build their awful offensive line. However, the likely scenario is QB or WR. They have been linked to JJ McCarthy from Michigan and Drake Maye from North Carolina on the QB side. On the WR side, it is the trio of Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze. Joe Schoen and his staff need to not settle. If their top QB is unavailable, they cannot draft their “rebound guy” and make a mistake. If not QB, all 3 WRs are strong targets. Take Joe Alt for safety. Check out my sports show: “Game Time with The Goose” every Saturday from 8:00 to 9:00 AM on WTBQ AM 1110 FM 93.5 and on WGHT Radio with co-host Zach Kruk, Sports Director of WTBQ and WGHT!
