Every year before the NFL Draft, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum says the same thing.
“We’d like to go into this year’s draft with as much flexibility as possible,” Tannenbaum said recently for what seemed like the umpteenth consecutive year. “We think we’ve done that.”
Indeed, the Jets have, spending this offseason adding key players to areas of need — Antonio Cromartie at cornerback, Santonio Holmes at receiver, LaDainian Tomlinson at running back, Brodney Pool at safety.
The Jets, in fact, after addressing their most pressing needs with such aggressiveness, enter this draft more flexible than a 14-year-old gymnast.
CHAT REWIND WITH MARK CANNIZZARO
When the Jets finally are on the clock with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft tonight, their choice will be harder to predict than in many previous years because — gulp — they’re not really in desperate need at any particular position.
So you will be virtually guaranteed that one thing the Jets won’t do with their first-round pick is reach for a player to fill a need.
“We have a great team right now without the draft,” Rex Ryan said. “There’s no, ‘You absolutely need this or you need that.’ We’re set up. We’re in an ideal situation. We’re going into the draft where we can take the best player. That’s where you usually make the best decisions.
“Usually, when you make mistakes in the draft, it’s all about reaching for a guy or a need and you let a better football player go by. We’re in a position where we can take the best player regardless of position and just strengthen our football team.”
That leaves the Jets most likely to do one of four things with that first-round pick:
l Continue to improve their pass rush despite the addition of veteran Jason Taylor. The most likely candidates — and players the Jets like — include TCU linebacker Jerry Hughes (261⁄2 sacks in his last two seasons), Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle (151⁄2 sacks the last two years) or Michigan linebacker Brandon Graham (29 sacks the last three years).
lBeef up their aging defensive line with Penn State 6-foot-5, 301-pound defensive tackle Jared Odrick, a penetrator who has 141⁄2 career sacks.
l Add to Ryan’s collection of defensive backs with either Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty, who’ll also be an immediate impact player on special teams, or USC safety Taylor Mays, an explosive hitter.
l Or retool their offensive line by picking 6-foot-5, 325-pound Idaho guard Mike Iupati should he slide to the bottom of the first round, which is unlikely.
Though Tannenbaum insisted two weeks ago he was going to stray from his recent habit of trading up, Iupati might be the one player Tannenbaum could be tempted to go up and get in the first round.
But the consensus about this draft is that its strength lies from the middle of the first round down into the fourth round.
The Jets, who have only five picks in the seven rounds (they traded their third-rounder to the Browns for Braylon Edwards and their fifth rounder to the Steelers for Holmes), are less likely to trade up and surrender another pick.
They could, in fact, trade down into the second round and perhaps acquire a third-round pick they don’t have.
Whatever the Jets do, expect the unexpected.
Remember last year when, despite having two Pro Bowl running backs on the roster (Thomas Jones and Leon Washington) they traded up to pluck Shonn Greene at the top of the third round.
Only a year later, Greene is slated to be their feature back with Jones having been released, Washington coming off a broken leg injury and Tomlinson having been added as a supposed role player.
“Last year when we met at this time, we were very happy with Thomas Jones, very happy with Leon Washington, and the Shonn Greene opportunity presented itself and it was the right decision for us,” Tannenbaum said. “It really goes back to when Rex walked in the door. I was like, ‘Rex, what was the secret to those Baltimore Ravens’ successful drafts? Year in and year out, Ozzie [Newsome] and those guys do as good a job as anybody.’ He said ‘It’s easy, Mike. Just take the best player.’ “
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com