2013 NFL Draft: Looking Back at the 39th Pick Since the Year 2000, Part III

Dec. 2, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller (81) celebrates on the field against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

2008 was an interesting year in what is the draft lore of the New York Jets. That year was, in the first round alone, a memorable roller coaster. It started near the bottom of the barrel, as Vernon Gholston was announced as the newest member of the New York Jets. It picked up height and speed, however, when the Jets trade back into the latter part of the first round to choose Dustin Keller.

It can be fun to take a step back and see where we have been, in order to get a clearer picture as to where we are going. In that spirit, we are continuing our “Looking Back”, series, and the two players mentioned earlier do not appear in this list. Why? Simple, we are looking back at who has been chosen with the 39th overall pick, to get an idea of the talent level that might be availale to them.

So far we have counted down from 2000-2003.

We have also listed the players from 2004-2007.

Now on to part III, and the rest of the players chosen in that spot.

CHILO RACHAL, OG

Chilo Rachal was chosen by the 49ers with the 39th pick of the draft overall in the year 2008. He started a solid 2.5 seasons for the 49ers before coming back East to start 9 games for the Bears in 2012.

Dec 2, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars guard Eben Britton (73) during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Jaguars 34-18. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Eben Britton was chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009 with the 39th pick overall in the draft. How did he do?

Well, he started 22 games over his first two seasons from 2008-2009. He started 11 out of 15 games over the next two seasons, representing himself as a servicable, not not an elite, offensive lineman.

October 4, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Arrelious Benn (17) straight arms Oakland Raiders running back Taiwan Jones (22) during a kick return in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

In 2010, Arrelious Benn was the 39th choice oveall, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has performed in his three years, but the numbers have been modest:

Sep 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Akeem Ayers (56) faces the Houston Texans offense during the game at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Titans 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Akeem Ayers was the 39th player selected in the 2011 draft. He came right on as a starter at outside linebacker, and has posted a solid 180 tackles through his first three seasons, to go along with 8 sacks.

caption id=”attachment_15469″ align=”aligncenter” width=”300″] Dec 9, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]

Finally, we have Janoris Jenkins, cornerback taken by the Rams with the 39th pick overall in 2012. Starting 14 games in 2012, Janoris racked up 73 tackles, 14 passes defended, and 4 INT’s , 3 for TD’s. I would say that this is quite an explosive year for the rookie.

What I find interesting when analyzing the spot, whomever was selected, was productive to SOME degree. There were no Vernon Gholstons in this bunch, you know?