Jets must keep Charone Peake and Jalin Marshall

The New York Jets may have found two young gems at wide receiver in Charone Peake and Jalin Marshall. They must find a way to keep both young talents on the roster.

Fans of the New York Jets are used to the team’s past of having issues at finding talent at skill positions such as wide receiver. This tune has changed as they have a surplus of talent with players battling it out for the last few spots on the depth chart.

The first four wide receivers on the depth chart are locks in Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa and Kenbrell Thompkins. Devin Smith is likely to begin the season on the physically unable to perfrom list in his return from a torn ACL, which will cost him at least the first six games of the season.

The Jets will likely carry five or six wide receivers as this leaves multiple players battling it out for only two spots. Of the wide receivers competing for these jobs, the Jets must find a way to keep Charone Peake and Jalin Marshall. The two young talents continue to stand out in training camp and both can be assets to the team in many different ways.

It was a surprise to see Peake still sitting on the draft board when the Jets were on the clock with the 241st overall selection in the second round. Draft experts had Peake being drafted as high as the third round, which made this selection a great value for the Jets. Peake offers a great combination of size at 6-foot-2. Combine that with good speed and jumping ability, Peake would bring a nice dimension on offense.

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Peake finished with 50 receptions for 716 yards and five touchdowns in his final college season.

He also had six receptions for 99 yards in Clemson’s College Football Playoff National Championship loss to Alabama.

Peake battled injury issues however as he missed 18 games combined in 2013 and 2014, which contributed to his fall in the draft.

The Jets have a unique talent in Peake who if given the opportunity, has a chance to produce behind veterans Marshall and Decker.

Peake has the potential to develop into a quality starter for the Jets in a few seasons.

When Marshall declared for the draft many questioned this decision as he only completed his red-shirt sophomore season at Ohio State. Marshall signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent and could clearly see the team had a surplus of talent at wide receiver. But a glaring hole at kick and punt returner on special teams was an opportunity to seize.

Marshall stands 5-foot-10 and ran a 4.68 second 40-yard dash. His play-making ability is what stood out at Ohio State. Marshall was second on the Buckeyes in receiving in 2015 and always put on a show. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a receiver with 36 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. As a punt returner, Marshall had 28 returns for 379 yards.

Marshall has seized the opportunity with the Jets and become one of the most exciting players in training camp. Marshall has caught the eye of head coach Todd Bowles and the veteran leaders of this position group.

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The Jets have two special young talents in Peake and Marshall. It’s a good problem to have in figuring out how to keep these young skill players. Special teams will be the first way for these players to solidify their spots. It won’t be easy but they continue to work hard on offense to carve out a role.

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