Various takes on Shonn Greene going to the Jets

(AP photo)

First of all, at least one person out there who said Iowa running back Shonn Greene wouldn't get picked until the third round of the NFL draft.

Me.

At 11:37 a.m., last Thusday, I said this in a Gazetteonline.com live chat:

Mike Hlas:  What do you people say regarding when an NFL team will go Greene Saturday? I say Seattle, early 3rd round

OK, I was off by three picks, since the Jets traded up and snapped up Greene with the first pick of third round. Secondly, I didn't know what I was talking about and just guessed. Like virtually everyone else.

Now the question is, how does Greene fit with the Jets?

The first answer is, they wouldn't have traded up with the Detroit Lions Sunday morning, giving up their 3rd, 4th, and 7th-round picks on the Doak Walker Award-winner if they didn't think he'd fit nicely.

Wrote Dan Pompei on chicagotribune.com:

Many NFL front office veterans will tell you that the most coveted pick in the draft is the first selection of the second day. What happens is general managers go home after day one, sleep on what they have done and what they have not done, and come back in the morning on a mission to get a particular player.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that the Jets traded for the first pick of the third round. They used it on Iowa running back Shonn Greene, who represented a good value at this point in the draft. Greene is an outstanding runner, and he will push former Bear Thomas Jones, who is sitting out of offseason activities because he is unhappy with his contract. Again. Greene is not as complete a running back as Jones because he can't catch like Jones can, but if Jones isn't careful he could find himself pushed out by this young, talented runner.

Brendan Prunty of the Newark Star-Ledger:

The pick also sends a message to disgruntled starter Thomas Jones, who has skipped voluntary workouts in an apparent contract dispute. At the very least, Greene appears to be the Jets' back of the future. Jones turns 31 in August.

Also from the Star-Ledger:

The Jets' leading rusher the past two seasons and expected centerpiece for the team's offense this year under rookie head coach Rex Ryan, Jones had previously skipped some of the Jets offseason workout days -- apparently in protest of his current contract situation.

This fall will be the third season of a four-year, $20 million deal that Jones signed when he joined the Jets two years ago. One hangup could be that Jones' base salary this season is just $900,000.

From Erik Boland of Newsday:

I disagree with the immediate analysis that this was a warning shot to Thomas Jones. I look at the long-term ramifications, meaning that even if Jones was here and not in a contract dispute, the fact would still be that he'll be 31 in August and the Jets need to get younger at the position.

The downside: I like Greene -- a lot -- but I do have to question if the Jets gave up too much here, sending the Lions their third-round (No. 76), fourth-round pick (No. 115) and seventh-round (No. 228 overall) picks. There are still glaring needs, mentioned above, on this roster that must be filled. But let's see the day play out first.

Pro Football Weekly on Iowa cornerback Bradley Fletcher going to the St. Louis Rams with the very next pick:

Fletcher, another Iowa kid, could be this year's Charles Godfrey. Many had the versatile Godfrey pegged as a corner, and though he didn't stack up at that position with many of last year's draft prospects, he transitioned very well to safety and became a Day One starter in Carolina. Fletcher had a nice series of workouts and could be an instant competitor for the Rams, who are needy on defense.