Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
The Jets will take the best available defensive player when the 16th pick arrives. I think that will be Coples, who recorded 17 ½ sacks over the last two seasons in Chapel Hill. He comes with some risk, but that is why he will be available at No. 16. (AP)
The Jets enter tonight’s NFL Draft in an unfamiliar position. They are a needy team coming off a disappointing season.
Gang Green has to score two to three players in this draft who can have an immediate impact. A failure over the next three days could lead to another collapse in the fall.
“I think in terms of the Jets, they have probably as many holes as any team that’s considered a playoff team in the NFL right now,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said.
The Jets have 10 picks this year, and they need them. Their list of needs is long: pass rusher, safety, wide receiver, offensive tackle, running back, inside linebacker and tight end.
The team’s first pick comes in tonight’s first round with the 16th overall selection. General manager Mike Tannenbaum is as unpredictable as a craps table. There are several directions he could go.
The Jets are high on Alabama running back Trent Richardson, and speculation of them trading up to grab him circulated yesterday. However, it is highly unlikely the Jets would jump to the top of the first round to take Richardson because the price would be so steep. If he slips into the 8-10 range, there’s a chance they would move up.
The more likely scenario is the Jets taking the best available defensive player at 16 — either a pass rusher or Alabama safety Mark Barron if he falls to them. The top pass rushers the Jets are eyeing include South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram, North Carolina’s Quinton Coples, Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw and Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus.
They also have shown serious interest in Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd. It would be strange for the Jets, who have emphasized the running game this offseason, to pick a receiver in the first round. This draft is deep at wide receiver, and the Jets could find a No. 2 receiver in the second round.
Stanford guard David DeCastro is also an intriguing possibility. He is considered a ready-made NFL starter, but the Jets need a tackle more than a guard and DeCastro is not expected to change positions.
Floyd, who had three alcohol-related incidents in college, said the Jets quizzed him about his character during his visit to their Florham Park headquarters. Floyd said he met with Tannenbaum, coach Rex Ryan and team owner Woody Johnson.
“They all asked me questions about how I’m doing,” Floyd said yesterday at a “Play 60” event in Manhattan. “I told them that I’m pretty good. They asked if the issues are done and I said yeah. It was just a bad decision on my part and I got through it. I’m moving along.”
Upshaw, who had a stellar career for the Crimson Tide, has seen his draft stock slip in recent days. He said he would love to play for Ryan.
“The way he comes out basically every time and [says], ‘I’m going to guarantee a championship,’ I kind of like that because he’s confident in his team,” Upshaw said. “I’d like to play for a coach like that.”
The Jets have not entered a draft with this many needs since 2006 when they had 10 picks. That year, Tannenbaum and then-coach Eric Mangini scored big with D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Leon Washington, Brad Smith, Drew Coleman and Eric Smith.
Tannenbaum needs to land a similar haul this week.
brian.costello@nypost.com