Re: Jets eyeing D'Brickashaw, but could go Defense instead. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>On paper it appears to be the easiest pick of the draft, and the one all the mocks have had set for months.With the No. 4 pick in the draft the Jets will select offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson of the University of Virginia. The Jets have an obvious need for a left tackle, and most scouts will tell you the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Ferguson isn't just the best in this draft, but in the last few drafts, as well."He's the real deal, no question about it," said an AFC scouting director, whose team would love to have Ferguson, but picks much too low to get him. "He's a rare athlete. He's a guy who will come in start from Day 1 and play at least 10 years for you."Is he better than (Robert) Gallery (the No. 2 overall pick of the 2004 draft)? I think he's much better."He's probably better than the three tackles on the current Jets roster as well -- recently-signed Anthony Clement, who was cut by Arizona, and Adrian Jones and Marko Cavka, two second-day picks in 2004.Now New Orleans, if it does not trade the No. 2 pick, could select Ferguson and take him out of the Jets' plans. But even if the Saints let him slip, it's not a lock Ferguson lands in Long Island.New Jets head coach Eric Mangini, who will be very involved with general manager Mike Tannenbaum in making the picks, is a disciple of New England head coach Bill Belichick.Check New England's strategy for offensive linemen and the draft. Yes, the Pats took guard Logan Mankins in the first round in 2005, but it was with the 32nd pick, not the fourth.Of the 12 offensive linemen on the Patriots' roster, Mankins is the only first-round pick. There is one second-round pick, starting left tackle Matt Light; a third-round pick; three fifth-round picks; a seventh-round pick, starting right tackle Brandon Gorin; and five undrafted players, including starting guard Steve Neal. New England has spent high picks on defensive players, and it has paid off handsomely for the most part. Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, taken with the 20th pick of the '04 draft; and defensive lineman Richard Seymour, picked with the sixth pick in 2001, to name a couple.That would lead you to think the Jets could go for North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, if he is available, or Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk. Williams, in some minds, is the best player in the draft. At 6-7 and 295 pounds, he has great size and his 40 time of 4.68 seconds brought back memories of Reggie White."He could be another Richard Seymour, easily," a scout said. "I could see him (with the Jets) in that defense."Some could see Hawk there, too.As Mangini transforms the defense into a 3-4 look, he needs athletic linebackers, and there is none better in this draft than the 6-1, 247-pound former Buckeyes.If Mangini needs confirmation, he just has to call his former Patriots colleague, Charlie Weis, who watched Hawk destroy his Fighting Irish in the Fiesta Bowl in January.As far as taking one of the top three quarterbacks with the fourth overall pick, those close to the Jets don't see it happening. The team feels Chad Pennington will be back, and it likes the trade for former Redskin Patrick Ramsey.If the Jets do select a quarterback, look for it to be Alabama's Brodie Coyle, perhaps in the third round."We have nine picks, not one," Tannenbaum said last week. "This entire draft is an opportunity for us to improve the entire makeup of the team. I don't feel it's a one-pick draft by any stretch. We'll make the best decisions for the franchise."The Jets also have the 29th overall pick, because of the trade of defensive end John Abraham. They could look to find running back Curtis Martin's eventual replacement, LSU's Joseph Addai or Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, with that pick."It all comes down to getting the right players for the New York Jets," director of scouting Jesse Kaye said. "Players who are smart, tough and competitive, that's what we want. We want leaders."</div>
