New York Jets: Top Ten Draft Picks of the 1990’s: #10

Aug 26, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Jets 17-12. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

It’s April 2nd, Jets fans, just a bit more than 3 weeks away from the big night, April 25th, and the start of the 2013 NFL draft. John Idzik, Rex Ryan, and the rest of the crew are busily preparing for what will be the “lifeline” of the organization moving forward.

Over the last several days, we have gone over the top 10 draft picks since the year 2000. For anyone who missed it, the guy pictured to the right was ranked number one. Despite the fact that in recent years, he has been very forward with his “me-first” attitude, his performance makes the spot at number one obvious.

What about the previous decade? Well, this morning, we are going to begin a look back at that previous decade, the 1990’s. Specifically, the top 10 draft picks of that decade. It’s a very interesting decade to review, because picks that occurred in this decade included Browning Nagle, Alex Van Dyke, Kyle Brady, and don’t forget the wonderful choice, Blair Thomas. OK< now that I have made you all sick, let me tell you, there were enough good picks to put the list together. So let’s get started.

The player coming in at #10 was a steal in the 1997 draft, chosen in the 7th round by the Jets, with the 229th pick overall. He was a NT from the University of Georgia, and he became one of Bill Parcells’ guys. So much so, that he was brought into Bill Parcells’ last 2 stops in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. Who is this?

JASON FERGUSON

As Bill Parcells went about building his team, Jason Ferguson became a force in the middle of the Jets’ defensive line, and even brought the pressure on the QB, with 20.5 sacks in a Jets uniform. Take a look at his career stats:

Nose tackles can be hard to evaluate, because being in the middle of the line, they are often double teamed.  Their influence is not always seen in the box score.  So, the fact that he posted 20.5 sacks as a Jet is pretty extraordinary.  However, his greatest influence is not in his statistics, but the statistics of others.  For example, take the AFC title appearance season of 1998.  Mo Lewis, Bryan Cox, and Anthony Pleasant do not amass 7 sacks (Lewis), and 6 sacks (Pleasant and Cox), without Ferguson clogging the middle.