Former New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington thinks his old team should focus on the defensive side of the ball.
The New York Jets finally have a franchise quarterback after Sam Darnold fell to third overall in 2018. As a result, former Jet Chad Pennington thinks the Jets should go with a defensive star with the third overall pick in 2019.
“Obviously if the quarterback goes within the first two picks you have a better chance of getting that edge rusher, whether it be Josh Allen, whom I’m familiar with, living in Lexington and with Josh playing at the University of Kentucky, or Nick Bosa,” Pennington said to Eric Allen of newyorkjets.com. “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens. I think the Jets have made some really really good moves in the offseason, and I think the fan base is starting to get rejuvenated and excited and to see what these guys can do.”
Nick Bosa would be the best-case scenario for the Jets should they decide to stand pat and keep their pick. He’s a dominant pass rusher and could be the best player in the 2019 draft class.
Although Bosa remains a slight possibility at three, Josh Allen wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. As Pennington notes, Allen comes from the University of Kentucky where his stock as a top-tier talent skyrocketed in 2018. Pennington also talks about Allen’s ability to create a pass rush without needing to devise fancy schemes.
“What he brings to the table is that element of being able to get around the edge, create that pass rush without having to do anything crazy with your defensive scheme, where now you can focus more on coverage, double teams, bracket coverages and all these things you can do because you have one guy that they definitely have to pay attention to,” Pennington said.
This is a strong endorsement for Josh Allen. It’s unclear what the Jets will do with their pick, but it’s quite clear that they have some solid options.
