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After both the Jets and the Giants finished on the outside of the playoffs looking in, the two New York teams could look to fix the defensive side of the ball with their first-round picks, according to Dan Kadar and Matthew Fairburn of SB Nation. In a collaborative mock draft published on Monday, Kadar and Fairburn selected front-seven defensive players for both teams.
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With the ninth overall selection, the Jets have the opportunity to bolster their lackluster pass rush that finished with 30 sacks in 2012, the sixth fewest in the NFL. In a draft that has several top pass rushers and is considered deep at that position, the Jets were able to take one of the first outside linebackers off the board in the SB Nation mock:
9. New York Jets - Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE, LSU
Until there is some indication otherwise, it seems the Jets' biggest need in the first round is at pass rusher. Barkevious Mingo is a pass rusher with length, athleticism and a good first step. Say what you want about Mingo's college stats, but Rex Ryan hasn't had a pass rusher this good in some time.
The Giants also finished in the latter half of the league in sacks, and were No. 31 in total defense. Without many glaring needs, the Giants can go about fixing their defense by inserting a playmaker directly in the middle of it, says Kadar and Fairburn:
19. New York Giants - Alec Ogletree, MLB, Georgia
Chase Blackburn may be one of the leaders of the Giants, but he's not exactly fit for starting duty on a weekly basis. So if this choice came down to a middle linebacker, Alec Ogltree is a better fit than someone like Arthur Brown or Kevin Minter. The Giants put more of a premium on size on the defensive front seven and Ogletree is the biggest of the three. He's a pure athlete who can drop in coverage and move around well.