TEAM EFFORT: New Jets GM John Idzik has many roster holes to fill in next week’s draft to give coach Rex Ryan (right) a chance for success next season. (
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John Idzik, you’re on the clock.
Since being hired as the Jets general manager in January, Idzik has been working toward this week. First, he must decide what to do with star cornerback Darrelle Revis — trade him to add more picks or hold onto the best player on his roster and risk losing him through free agency next year.
Whether he ships Revis to Tampa Bay or somewhere else, Idzik faces the monumental task of trying to repair the Jets’ roster in this week’s NFL Draft. The Jets have more needs than a newborn. They lost 10 starters from last year’s team, through cuts and free agency, and have few proven starters left on the team.
Idzik, who replaced Mike Tannenbaum, has spoken of building the team through the draft since he was hired. Now, the pressure is on for him to deliver.
“I don’t think it’s more pressure with any one decision,” Idzik said last week. “It’s just an axiom in football, we’re all grinders at heart, and part of the grind is being prepared. When you’re going through the final stages of draft preparation, this is a culmination of over a year of evaluating these guys. It’s a culmination of evaluating your roster [and] the status of certain players on the roster.”
The Jets not only need to hit on their first-round pick (No. 9 overall) but land 4-5 players who can start immediately and be building blocks for the team over the next few years.
According to senior personnel executive Terry Bradway, the Jets evaluated 1,426 players this year, visited 271 schools, wrote more than 5,000 scouting reports and conducted more than 300 interviews at all-star games.
It is no secret the Jets and Buccaneers have been discussing a trade for Revis for more than a month now. That potential deal could net the Jets more than the seven picks they currently have and could add the No. 13 overall pick to their own first-rounder at No. 9.
Idzik might try to trade down to accumulate more picks, as he needs volume to fix his roster. The Jets have a ton of positional needs, including: outside linebacker, guard, tight end, safety, wide receiver, running back and, of course, quarterback.
The quarterback decision will be one of the most fascinating to watch. The Jets have Mark Sanchez and David Garrard competing for the starting job this year, but it is unlikely either will be around in 2014.
Do the Jets try to find their next franchise quarterback this year in what is projected as a weak quarterback class? Or do they wait until 2014 when Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel will be available? If head coach Rex Ryan is a lame duck, as many suspect, does it make any sense to draft a quarterback this year if the next head coach is going to bring in a different offensive system?
Idzik was in the Seahawks’ front office a year ago when they found a gem with Russell Wilson in the third round. Maybe Idzik will go down that path again.
Whatever decisions he makes this week will begin shaping his legacy as Jets GM.
“I don’t look at it like that,” Idzik said. “I never look at it as how I am being viewed. … We are going to do what is best for the New York Jets.”
brian.costello@nypost.com