In its most recent 2011 NFL Mock Draft SB Nation has selected Illinois defensive tackle Corey Liuget for the New York Jets. I will admit this is a pick I really do not understand.
Liuget, by all accounts, is a good player. He is, however, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive. That makes him a guy ill-suited to play the nose in the Jets 3-4 defense, which is where he would have to play. At 300 pounds he just isn't big enough to handle that spot on an every down basis.
If the Jets want a nose tackle with this pick, how about Baylor's Phil Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 337-pound tackle who would seem a more natural fit for that spot in the middle of the Jets defense.
Rex Ryan's defense also needs playmakers at defensive end and linebacker, and a few of those were left on the board with the Liuget pick for New York. How about Georgia outside linebacker Justin Houston to rush the passer? If you want to think offense, how about Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph as a play-making target for quarterback Mark Sanchez.
I just think picking Liuget, a player who does not seem to be a natural fit for what the Jets do, is probably not the best way to spend a first-round pick.