Jets area scout Jay Mandolesi watched all of Alabama’s games from last year, studying cornerback Dee Milliner. When he finished, Mandolesi did not need to know much more.
“I didn’t have any questions,” Mandolesi said. “He made a lot of plays on the ball. You could see all the athletic ability. As far as the player goes, I didn’t have any doubts.”
The Jets met with Milliner at the scouting combine in February, attended his pro day and had him in for a pre-draft visit a few weeks ago. On Thursday night, they took him with the ninth overall pick to bolster their secondary.
It completed a long study of Milliner by the Jets, who were convinced he could make an immediate impact. Mandolesi had no questions about Milliner as a player, but began to dig into the player’s character after Milliner declared for the draft in January.
Mandolesi asked about Milliner’s toughness. “Off the charts,” he was told.
Later, he would find out Milliner had four surgeries and needed another one but had missed just one game. The strength coach told him Milliner would be waiting for him in the morning to open up the weight room. The video staff told him Milliner would ask for cutups every week to study.
As the draft approached, questions about Milliner’s health surfaced. He had shoulder surgery in March that will keep him off the practice field for a while.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Milliner said about playing through the pain. “My arm isn’t hanging off or anything like that or broke. Just go out there and do something.”
Milliner and Sheldon Richardson, the Missouri defensive tackle the Jets took with the 13th pick Thursday, appeared at ease with their new surroundings at the Jets’ training center yesterday.
Richardson, a 292-pound athletic freak, appears to have a personality suited for New York.
“I want to start,” the player from Missouri said. “They didn’t draft us to come sit behind anybody.”
It was that attitude that was part of what impressed the Jets. Area scout Kevin Kelly said he believes Richardson will become a leader on their defense.
“You can feel his energy and his passion for the game and he doesn’t turn it off,” Kelly said. “It’s rare to find defensive leadership from the middle linebacker or safety. … This guy has infectious passion for the game.”
It is a bit of a mystery how he will fit the Jets defense, but Kelly said Richardson played all over at Missouri. He even played middle linebacker against Texas A&M last year, mirroring Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.
“He was an easy evaluation because he was so impressive,” Kelly said.
Mandolesi basically echoed that sentiment about Milliner. The Jets believe they hit on two picks Thursday night. Check back in a few years to see if they were right.