J-E-T-S NO! NO! NO!

Every year when the NFL draft gets near, I like to watch one of my favorite youtube clips which chronicles some of the worst draft selections in Jets history:



Although it is a bit torturous to rehash some of the most embarrassing moments of the franchise I love so dearly, it's worth it every time just to hear Mel Kiper Jr. utter disgustingly, "It's clear the NY Jets just don't know what the draft process is all about".

The draft itself is certainly over hyped, just as the expected production from the players drafted is too high. Thousands of mock drafts, projected trades and college talent evaluations start the day after the superbowl. It's obviously more fun for the bad teams, because they presumably will be getting the "star" talent. But for every Peyton Manning drafted, there is a Ryan Leaf. For every Emmitt Smith, there is a Blair Thomas. Here is a brief history about some of the Jets draft picks over the past 25 years:

Lam Jones over Art Monk
Al Toon over Jerry Rice
Blair Thomas over Emmit Smith
Ken O’Brien over Dan Marino
Kyle Brady over Warren Sapp
Bryan Thomas over Ed Reed

You may be asking yourself who the players on the left side of that list are, while being very impressed with the Hall of Fame players on the right. That doesn’t even take into account that the Jets held the #1 overall pick Peyton Manning's junior year. Peyton decided to go back for one more year, leaving the Jets with MeShawn "Throw Me the Damn Ball" Johnson.

The NFL draft can be fun, exciting, surprising and sometimes excruciating. No matter what the outcome after the draft happens, it provides every team and fan base with the ultimate equalizer: hope.

Even though many of the Jets picks probably won't pan out, you can bet I'll be pumped with the people they chose, talking myself into their "upside" and how they fill a major hole or address important depth. The draft gives fans new players to root for, and occasionally some underdogs who make the team and can become a fan favorite (See: Superbowl Hero WR David Tyree, 6th round pick). For all its faults, the draft serves the common good of getting people fired up to root for their favorite NFL team again. You can count on me firing up that YouTube video, grabbing some chips, beer and plopping on the couch all Saturday to watch the 2008 NFL Draft with my equally pathetic cousin.

On second thought...

J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!