The Jets Select CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State

The first defensive player in the Rex Ryan era was drafted in the first round on Thursday. Kyle Wilson, cornerback from Boise State, was selected by the Jets with the 29th pick. Kyle Wilson and Joe Haden were widely considered the top two cornerbacks in the 2010 draft.  Cleveland said they were torn between Joe Hayden and Kyle Wilson at the 7th overall pick, calling it a “coin-flip.”

When the Jets were on the clock, they were listening to trade offers from teams looking to move up. However, Mike Tannenbaum said that Rex was “breathing down his neck” to select the cornerback from Boise State.

“In this case the board and the need aligned,” Tannenbaum said. “From our perspective, that’s the dream scenario where what you feel like is the most pressing need for your team and the best player pick align.”

Kyle Wilson will fit nicely with the strong Jets secondary, which includes Pro Bowl cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. The Jets will likely look to use Wilson as a nickle back and a punt returner in his rookie season. It’s possible that the Jets will move Dwight Lowery into the safety position, as he won’t see much time at corner.

Here’s a scouting report from FFToolbox:

An impressive Fiesta Bowl jump started Wilson’s rise through draft boards across the nation. The way he ended his senior season should not had come as a big surprise to many NFL scouts as the 5-foot-10 defensive back had a solid college career that began in the same Arizona field (against Oklahoma in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl) that ended it all a few weeks ago. As a redshirt freshman, Wilson had a breakthrough game against the vaunted Sooners’ passing attack, registering 10 tackles in Boise’s landmark 43-42 win.Wilson ended 2006 (started 5 out of 13 games) with 41 tackles, 1 INT and 5 Passes Broken Up (PBU). A good second year (41 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PBU and 1 sack) catapulted him to the national spotlight. Another great campaign followed in 2008 when as a junior, Wilson went on to set career-high in INTs (5) and PBU (10). Following yet another impressive season in 2009, the Piscataway, NJ product was invited to play in the Senior Bowl where he constantly outperformed the competition.

Has shown top notch athleticism throughout his career with the Broncos. Is aggressive trying to break up passes. Shows natural instincts to diagnose plays. Is not fooled easy by play-action. Reads receivers’ route well. Can play zone or man equally well. Fast (4.32est) with an explosive closing burst. Can run with all WRs downfield. Shows good hands and body control. Good kick returner with the ability to score every time he touches the football.

Although, could do a better job getting into his position. Must improve technique as an open field tackler. Tends to stop his feet too often, diving at the ballcarrier instead of wrapping him up. Will gamble on WRs’ double moves and gets turned around at times.

One of the up and coming CBs in this class, Wilson has been overshadowed by cornerback prospects from bigger programs, but he is as good (if not better) that many of them. He will become a solid pro.

4/1 Update: When everybody was equal in the eyes of the NFL at the combine, Wilson really proved that he is one of the best corners in this class. He has a ton of strength and did 25 reps at the combine, putting every other corner to shame. He ran at his pro day and was a little disappointing with a 4.43 40 time. An injured hamstring may have played a role, but Wilson is capable of running a sub 4.4 and NFL teams know it. That makes him one of the best corners in this class and he should not last past the first round.

I forgot to mention: Wilson grew up a Jets fan.

Tags: 2010 draft, Kyle Wilson