The Jets have made their big move trading DE Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam, QB Brett Ratliff, the #17 pick in the first round of the draft and the #52 overall pick (2nd round) for the right to pick 5th in the first round selecting QB Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez will compete with Kellen Clemens for the starting job from Day #1 and he could be the opening day starter for the Jets.  Sanchez can do it all as he has a good arm and solid mobility.  Sanchez is 6′2″, 225 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40.  He played in 27 games (16 starts) in three seasons at USC and he completed 313 of 487 passes (64.3%) for 3,965 yards with 41 TD passes and 16 interceptions.  The Jets think they have a franchise QB on their hands and if that’s true it was definately worth the cost.

30-year old Kenyon Coleman was penciled in to start for the Jets this season.  He played in all 16 games for the Jets last season making 53 tackles, defensing 1 pass and he had 1/2 a sack.  In two seasons with the Jets, Coleman played in 32 games in which he made 136 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he had 2 sacks.  The Jets will likely look to draft a DE to replace Coleman.  27-year old safety Abram Elam played in all 16 games for the Jets last season and he made 69 tackles, defensed 3 passes, forced 3 fumbles and he intercepted a pass that he returned 92 yards for a TD.  In two seasons with the Jets, Elam played in 29 games in which he made 122 tackles, defensed 5 passes, had 2 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and he had 1 interception.  Elam was projected to start at strong safety for the Jets in 2009 so they will also have to address that in this draft.  23-year old QB Brett Ratliff has not played a game in the regular season but he was impressive in the 2008 pre-season for the Jets.  Ratliff completed 32 of 47 passes (68.1%) for 499 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 interception (122.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc).  The Jets gave up a lot to get Sanchez but it was a gamble well worth taking.

The Jets continued to beef up the defense by acquiring 27-year old cornerback Lito Sheppard from the Eagles for a 5th round pick in 2009 and a conditional pick in 2010 (2nd, 3rd or 4th rounder based on Sheppard’s play in 2009).  Sheppard played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he made 21 tackles, defensed 4 passes, forced 1 fumble and he had 1 interception.  Sheppard has now played in 93 games in his NFL career in which he has made 253 tackles, defensed 69 passes, has 2 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and he has 18 interceptions (3 returned for TDs).  Teaming Sheppard with Revis on the other side of the field should make the Jets hard to pass on in 2009.

The Jets have traded DT Dewayne Robertson to the Broncos for a late round conditional draft pick in 2009.  The pick can escalate to as high as a 2nd rounder based on his performance with the Broncos in 2008.  Robertson played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Jets last season and he made 57 tackles and had 4 sacks.  Robertson played in 77 games (75 starts) for the Jets in his career and he made 256 tackles, had 14.5 sacks and he defended 1 pass.  Only time will tell if this will be a good trade or not for the Jets.

The New York Jets have acquired DT Kris Jenkins from the Panthers for a 3rd and 5th round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.  Jenkins is a load in the running game at 6′4″, 335 pounds but he didn’t have his best season last year.  He played in 16 games for the Panthers last season and he made 38 tackles and had 2.5 sacks.  Jenkins has now played in 85 games in his NFL career and he has made 216 tackles, defensed 8 passes, has 20.5 sacks and he’s forced a fumble.  If Jenkins rebounds from his off 2007 season the Jets have a steal here.