NFL Draft: The Last Five Picks at Number 70

Nov 30, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins players De

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With the First Pick

Let’s take another walk down memory lane, NFL draft style.

As we move ahead towards the NFL draft this week, we can also take a moment to look back. We look at previous drafts, to see how they turned out. Since we don’t have any history with Mike Maccagnan and this group with the New York Jets, instead, we look back at the history of the Jets current draft positions.

So far, we have looked back at the recent history of the number six pick, and the number 37 pick. Now, we move ahead and look at the Jets third round draft position.

Dexter McDougle was the Jets third round pick in last year’s draft, with the 80th pick. This year, the Jets hold the 70th pick in the draft. Let’s take a look over the last five years, and see how productive the pick has been. We start by going back to 2010.

Next: 2010

Jan 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end

(84) catches a pass in front of Arizona Cardinals middle linebacker

(50) during the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The first player we discuss started his career with the Ravens. Ed Dickson spent his first four years, and most productive years, with the Baltimore Ravens after the 2010 draft, before coming to the Panthers last season. Here are his stats to date:

Receiving & Rushing

It hasn’t been an All-Pro career, but certainly a solid one for the 70th pick in the 2010 draft.

Next: 2011

Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker

(50) celebrates after a sack against the San Diego Chargers in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

This guy was a pretty good choice, wouldn’t you say? Justin Houston was chosen with the 70th pick in the 2011 draft. After a rookie season that yielded 5.5 sacks, Houston took the league by storm, posting seasons of 10 sacks, 11 sacks, and a whopping 22 sacks last season. He has been durable, and dependable, starting 53 out of 59 games with the Chiefs to date.

He is a dominating pass rusher, earning Pro Bowl selections over the last three years. Houston will be a star in the league for many years to come, making him a top selection to come from the 2011 draft, and from the 70th pick.

Next: 2012

Dec 18, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars punter

(19) punts the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

A punter was the choice in 2012. Bryan Anger was selected by the Jaguars in the 2012 draft, and has been their punter ever since. It is difficult to value a punter based on numbers, but he did lead the league with an average of 47.5 yards per punt. He also dropped 31 punts inside the 20, proving to be an effective weapon for the Jaguars.

Again, it’s hard to get the true value of a punter from the numbers, but having a consistent punter doesn’t hurt. He has posted a career net of over 40 yards per punt. He has been a solid player for the Jaguars over the last three years, and a solid selection from the 2012 draft.

Next: 2013

Nov 9, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver

(82) defended Tennessee Titans cornerback

(25) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

A local boy was chosen the next year. Blidi Wreh-Wilson was selected by the Titans with the 70th pick in the 2013 draft, out of the University of Connecticut. He had a slow rookie season, posting only 13 tackles and one pass defended. One wouldn’t have taken much notice in him.

But last year, Wreh-Wilson blossomed. He posted his first career interception, to go along with 10 passes defended. He also posted 57 tackles (48 solo).

Another solid choice, so far, with the 70th pick in the draft.

Next: 2014

December 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers center

(66) blocks defensive end

(94) during the fourth quarter at Levi

The final choice plays out West. Marcus Martin was chosen with the 70th pick of last year’s NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He took over the starting job after the week 8 bye, and held onto the job for the rest of the season, starting eight games for the team.

In 526 snaps, his PFF (Pro Football Focus) grades were not good. He posted an overall grade of -17.1, -8.2 in pass blocking, and -7.7 in the run blocking. It’s not fair to really evaluate Martin after one year, but that one year wasn’t a great one. We will have to see quite a bit more to declare him a successful 70th draft pick.

It’s interesting to note that one of the better players in the league at this time came from the 70th pick in the draft (Justin Houston). For all of the choices we have looked at with more than one year of experience, none of them are worthy of the “bust” moniker as of yet.

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