Jets Gamble on Joe

It's not often that a team trades its most explosive player for an unproven, inconsistent rookie running back.

But that's essentially what happened today when the Jets traded Leon Washington to Seattle and drafted USC RB Joe McKnight. It's not a straight up trade, but it's close to the same thing.

And it's a head-scratcher.

Washington was electrifying in green. He seemed to be capable of scoring every time he touched the football, and he had become a fan favorite. Sure, he suffered a terrible injury last season, relegating him to the injured list as Shonn Greene became a star overnight in the playoffs. Yes, the Jets went out and signed LaDanian Tomlinson in the offseason.

But how sure can the Jets be that Greene wasn't a flash in the pan? Does LT have anything left in the tank? If the answer is "no" to either question, Washington will be sorely missed. He's had plenty of time to recover from that leg injury, and he'll be close to 100% when camp begins, if not at it.

Now, all eyes turn to McKnight.

Few players have more raw talent than him. If you've seen the YouTube videos of him in high school, you know what he's capable of. Some people - myself included - anointed him the next Reggie Bush upon his arrival at USC. He was that good.

But McKnight never put it all together in cardinal and gold.

There was the fourth quarter against Arizona in 2007, when he dazzled the Coliseum crowd with a 45-yard punt return and a 59-yard run to set up USC's final 10 points and give the Trojans a come-from-behind, 20-13 win. There was the final drive at Ohio State in 2009, when McKnight gained 54 of USC's 96 yards, setting up the game-winning score over the Buckeyes.

These are just two of the flashes of brilliance in McKnight's otherwise disappointing career. He scored just 15 touchdowns on offense in three seasons, and rushed for over 1,000 yards just once - amassing 1,014 in his junior season, his final year at USC. McKnight struggled to hold on to the football at times, especially in the return game. It became such an issue that he lost his spot as a punt returner.

It's a bit much to expect him to step up and fill Leon's shoes. He never came close to filling Reggie's.

Can he eventually be that type of player? He has the skill to do it. But it's going to take a lot of work to make it happen.

News and Notes on 4/21

We're just about 24 hours away from the Draft and the news, notes and rumors are flowing. The NFL announced today that it has suspended Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger for six games, which makes a possible Draft day trade even more complicated. Here's a look at the rest of the day's information.

NFL Network's Rich Eisen Tweeted earlier today that the Steelers offered Ben Roethlisberger to the Rams and St. Louis said no thanks.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll informed the Twitter-sphere that he will be Tweeting clues about Seattle's draft plans throughout the day. So far, the clues lead me to believe Clemson's C.J. Spiller could be the pick. But he can't go off the board at No. 6, right? And there's no chance he's still available at No. 14, right? But then again, nobody has ever accused me of being Sherlock Holmes.

ESPN is reporting that Florida QB Tim Tebow will not be attending the Draft.

The Redskins already have Donovan McNabb, but they still may consider Sam Bradford, writes Rick Maese in yesterday's The Washington Post.

The Sanchez Scenarios

With Matthew Stafford already locked up as the No. 1 overall pick, all eyes turn to USC QB Mark Sanchez. Where will he fall? Some late-night ESPN viewing can clarify some things:

- Chris Mortensen said there is about a 20% chance the St. Louis Rams will take Sanchez at No. 2

- Both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay believe Sanchez will go off the board when the Seattle Seahawks picks at No. 4.

- Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels told Ed Werder that he does not believe his team will trade up to take Sanchez, nor would he be a lock if he fell to No. 12, the Broncos' first of two first-rounders. He also said the team has not contacted anyone about trading up, but admitted that the Jacksonville Jaguars have contacted him about moving up to No. 8.

- Sal Paolantonio caught up with New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum after a draft meeting, and the GM told the ESPN reporter that his team is in fact interested in moving up from No. 17, most likely to draft Sanchez. Many people believe it would take the Jets' first-rounder, second-rounder and fourth-rounder to move up to No. 8 to draft the QB. Another scenario that has been floated around involves the Cleveland Browns, Brady Quinn and the No. 5 overall pick.

Other late-night notes:
- With 11 draft picks this year, the New England Patriots could possibly move up into the top 10 to draft some defensive help.

And don't forget, the draft day LIVE BLOG kicks off at 3:45 pm ET/12:45 pm PT.

If the Draft Happened Today...

If the draft happened today, how would the top five picks play out? Like this:

1. Detroit Lions: QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia
There's no denying Detroit needs a quarterback, and right now that is probably the Lions' most pressing need. Which signal-caller will it be? Stafford seems to get the slight edge on a majority of boards, and as of now, he gets the edge here.

2. St. Louis Rams: OT Andre Smith, Alabama
It's no secret that the Rams have needed a solid offensive tackle since Orlando Pace was in his prime, and Smith fits that need. He has the physical attributes and skill to be that type of tackle, and the intangibles to go with it.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Eugene Monroe, Virginia
The Chiefs don't need a QB - they need an anchor on the offensive line. Monroe provides that stability in the first round.

4. Seattle Seahawks: WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
The Seahawks haven't had a big-play wide receiver in quite some time, and Crabtree is an all-world talent. He is, at this point, the best player on the board (and might have been from the start) as well as the best player at a need position.

5. Cleveland Browns: OLB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
The Browns need help on defense, and Curry is the best player left on the board. He is an athletic linebacker who brings immediate ability to the table. He could start on day one, and Cleveland certainly needs that type of help.