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APC Mock Draft 2014: New York Jets Select Odell Beckham Jr.

The Jets look to the SEC to find more explosiveness on offense.

Stacy Revere

Continuing on with the Acme Packing Company Mock Draft, we break down the 18th overall pick held by the New York Jets.

Background:

As we all know, the 2013 New York Jets were a huge success, racking up wins and putting up impressive stats, all culminating in this locker room celebration at the end of the season:

Wait, what? That was actually the Jets, nigh uncorking-champagne-bottles to celebrate the non-firing of their coach after an 8-8 season? This is the bizzaro world Jets fans live in these days. But really, who can blame them? In a vacuum, celebrating a .500 record seems like the Jets-iest thing ever, but when you consider what the expectations were coming into the season, maybe it wasn’t so nuts after all.

Remember, this was a team expected to be historically bad. But somewhere along the line, these Jets - stripped of all their buttfumbly pride - became a nice little story. The Super Bowl guarantees stopped and suddenly, Rex Ryan transformed this team into a scrappy bunch that gave hell to every team they came across.

Of course, that was largely due to Rex Ryan’s specialty - defense. Armed with young, talented draft picks like Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Coples and Sheldon Richardson, the Jets finished the year ranked 11th in total defense and were 3rd against the run. Just imagine if they still had Darrelle Revis instead of Kyle Wilson or Dee Milliner. But even though the defense played well, it wasn’t enough to compensate for an offense that was weighed down by a lack of playmakers. So for this draft, that’s where they’ll focus:

With the 18th pick in the NFL draft, the New York Jets select…

Player: Odell Beckham, Jr.
Position: Wide Receiver
School: LSU
Year: Junior

Geno Smithhad a rough rookie year, but regardless if it’s him or the recently-added Michael Vickstarting at quarterback, the team needs more weapons. And maybe no other adjective is more appropriate for Odell Beckham Jr. Named the 2013 Paul Hornung Award winner for the FBS’ most versatile player, Beckham racked up 2,315 all-purpose yards last year, breaking the school’s single-season record. And while the Jets landed a nice possession receiver in Eric Decker this off-season, Beckham gives them a much needed jolt with his speed and agility.

Round One Summary

Pick Team Player Position School
1 Houston Texans Blake Bortles QB Central Florida
2 St. Louis Rams Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina
3 Jacksonville Jaguars Khalil Mack OLB Buffalo
4 Cleveland Browns Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
5 Oakland Raiders Sammy Watkins WR Clemson
6 Atlanta Falcons Greg Robinson OT Auburn
7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Evans WR Texas A&M
8 Minnesota Vikings Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville
9 Buffalo Bills Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M
10 Detroit Lions Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State
11 Tennessee Titans Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh
12 New York Giants Eric Ebron TE North Carolina
13 St. Louis Rams Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S Alabama
14 Chicago Bears Darqueze Dennard CB Michigan State
15 Pittsburgh Steelers Anthony Barr OLB UCLA
16 Dallas Cowboys Timmy Jernigan DT Florida State
17 Baltimore Ravens Taylor Lewan OT Michigan
18 New York Jets Odell Beckham, Jr. WR LSU

Tomorrow, we inch ever-closer to the Packers' pick, as the Dolphins will be on the clock at number 19.