Tell the draft class of the 1974 Steelers to move over.
Jets coach Rex Ryan said he thinks the Jets’ current group of rookies is up there with the best draft classes of all time. Maybe it was just Ryan’s way of sending his boss, John Idzik, a love letter … or maybe he’s delusional.
“This class is about as strong a class as I’ve ever seen,” Ryan said Wednesday.
This comes three days after he benched the team’s first pick (cornerback Dee Milliner) and third pick (quarterback Geno Smith) during the team’s 23-3 loss to the Dolphins. Ryan said the Jets rookies are an “A-plus” class. Ryan’s main argument was that the Jets have five rookie starters.
But is that a function of their talent or how many holes this team had coming off a 6-10 season in 2012 and Idzik letting most of the team’s free agents leave?
The class features one pick that no one can argue with in defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, who may be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Other than that? Milliner has been benched three times. Smith is the lowest-rated quarterback in the NFL. Third-round pick Brian Winters has given up nine sacks since becoming the starter at left guard in Week 5. Fullback Tommy Bohanon, the team’s seventh-round pick, has started, but has been terrible. Linemen Oday Aboushi (fifth round) and Will Campbell (sixth round) have been inactive for every game.
Not quite the Steelers Class of ’74 that featured four Hall of Famers: Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster.
“If this is not an A-plus class I don’t know what you’re looking for,” Ryan said. “You probably have the rookie of the year in Sheldon Richardson. If not, then I don’t get it. Maybe it’s another sport outside of football.
“You’ve got a young quarterback that has started every game. You’ve got a fullback that was our last pick — even though he’s from Wake Forest, he’s starting and done a nice job. He’s a good player.
“You’ve got Winters, yeah he’s had some struggles but guys, he’s also done an outstanding job in some games and I think he’s a guy that can be a starter for 10 years. He’s got that kind of look about him. That’s an outstanding pick. I don’t know where we took him — third round, I guess.
“Dee, I understand has had some struggles. I’m not making excuses for him but he’s a rookie corner. I don’t know any other rookie corner that’s come in the league, outside of probably Revis, that jumped right in. I think we’ve been a little spoiled here with the corner play. So, I think to me overall it’s a great class. We have some young offensive linemen that we haven’t played yet — Campbell, Aboushi.”
When it was pointed out that he benched Smith and Milliner this week, Ryan brushed that off.
“That’s OK,” he said. “That doesn’t mean anything. We’ll do things for different reasons or whatever. You try to win games, but that doesn’t mean these guys aren’t good picks. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have seen the field ever.”
But the Jets barely gave any of these rookies any competition. Milliner and Richardson were handed the starting jobs as soon as they took the field. Smith won the job when Mark Sanchez suffered a season-ending injury. Winters lost out to Vlad Ducasse in training camp, but then took over in Week 5 after Ducasse played terribly. Bohanon was given the starting job when Lex Hilliard was injured in camp.
But Ryan wanted to hear none of it Wednesday.
“I understand it’s the New York media, but this might be a little tough,” he said. “This is a bit of a stretch I think to criticize this draft class. I think it’s as strong as I’ve ever seen.”
Richardson backed up Ryan.
“I don’t know how many other rookies are getting drafted and actually starting on their team right now, but it’s not that many,” Richardson said. “For mostly our whole draft class, except two players, to be producing and contributing to wins and losses, I would most definitely grade us as an A-plus.”