Jets make defense top priority in 2016 NFL Draft

The New York Jets wisely made their defense a top priority heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. Could it be what turns them into contenders this upcoming season?

It’s no secret that defense wins championships. One doesn’t have to look far to see how the current Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos won it all last season. It wasn’t from their quarterback play but a commitment to running the football and an incredible defense that won the Vince Lombardi trophy.

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The NFL is a copycat league and well, everyone either raided the Broncos’ roster or will do their very best to replicate what worked. They were able to shut down one of the best offenses in the big game against the Carolina Panthers and never looked back.

The Jets are following a similar game plan by also focusing on their rushing attack and turning their defense into a consistent strength again. The Jets knew that if they want to become a contender again this upcoming season, it’s all about their defense. Their linebacker corps needed a major overhaul and they did just that bringing in better talent that’s younger, faster and led by one of the fastest linebackers of this year’s draft in Darron Lee.

Lee will be the new face of this linebacker corps and thanks to the veteran leadership he’ll undoubtedly get from David Harris, has the skill-set to to turn this group into something very special.

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Combine Lee with everything fellow linebacker Jordan Jenkins will bring to the table as the third-round draft pick of the Jets, the youth movement era will begin at a key positional group on defense.

The best teams know to build championship rosters, it all starts from the draft.

Lee, Jenkins and also cornerback Juston Burris were all great selections that address the immediate needs the Jets had heading into this year’s draft.

Lee and Jenkins will help bolster their overall pass rush as Burris brings some nice quality depth at cornerback. With cornerback Darrelle Revis getting older, it was imperative that the Jets start drafting his eventual replacements now to develop for the future.

The Jets had a very good draft when it came to their new draft class but make no mistake about it, general manager Mike Maccagnan spent a lot of time researching which players fit exactly what he’s looking for.

Not only did Maccagnan draft immediate contributors but also several players that could be developed towards greatness in the future. It all starts with defense as he’s slowly but surely building it to be one of the best the NFL has to offer over the next few years.

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Overall, the Jets continue to impress with how well their new leadership team is and their strategic ways of turning this franchise around for the good. It’ll take time but so far, making their defense a top priority in this year’s draft was one of the best ways to head in a championship direction for the future.