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2015 DBN Mock Draft: New York Jets Select OLB Dante Fowler Jr. at No. 6

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

With the sixth pick in the DBN 2015 NFL Mock Draft, the New York Jets select...

Dante Fowler Jr, OLB, Florida

The selection and write-up were made by aszabo1:

The Jets have prioritized defense so far this offseason.  The greatest impact on that side of the ball figures to come from new Head Coach Todd Bowles.  Bowles has had nearly as much success coordinating an NFL defense lately as anyone and was a very deserving hire.  He inherits an incredibly talented D-line led by budding stars Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Damon Harrison.  The Jets picked up veterans Kevin Vickerson and Stephen Bowen to back up that group.

Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine, and Marcus Gilchrest were added in free agency to shore up the secondary, and the Jets should also be set at inside linebacker with cagey vet David Harris, who recently signed a contract to get a guaranteed fifteen million over the next three years, and the solid Demario Davis, who played on over ninety-nine percent of the defensive snaps last season.  Where they could use some competition though is outside linebacker.  They have three pretty good ones, but they don't really have a bookend.

Overall though, the talent on defense is fairly strong.  On offense it's a bit closer to average.  The Jets, like so many teams, need a quarterback.  It's basically Ryan Fitzpatrick's job to lose as he comes over from Houston to further the team makeover.  Brandon Marshall,after putting up big numbers as a Bear, signs as the new wideout and Eric Decker, Jace Amaro, and Jeremy Kerley all return as quality pass catching options.  The offensive line and running back situation should be addressed very soon in the draft, but at pick number six, with the wealth of defensive talent available, the Jets can get a major upgrade at a position where one is greatly needed.

Currently, the OLB depth chart looks like this:  Coples, Pace, Babin.  Coples gets 1.5 million this year and then will most likely face free agency if he continues to play himself to the bench like he did at one point last season.  Pace has a relatively low base and heads into year thirteen after an off year.  Babin is a journeyman filling a situational role.  Fowler, Jr. has the talent to be a day one starter, or he could rotate with the vets as he better learns the position. He would be in great shape to succeed playing for a strong, defensive-minded coach and having solid vets around him.  The consensus to me on Fowler, Jr. is that he will only get better with experience, and a few of those seem to think he is the surest linebacker in the draft.  He helps to complete a defense that has gotten remarkably better with good player acquisitions over the past month.

The Jets might have lost Rex Ryan this offseason, but Todd Bowles will give them a more refreshed look on defense. The completely revamped secondary will be a sight to see, and complimenting that with a promising outside linebacker strengthens the defense for long-term sustainability.

The Chicago Bears are up next, led by Barnestorm.

2015 DBN Community Mock Draft Results (so far)

Pick Team Player Position School Username
1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jameis Winston QB Florida State BuenosAires_Dawg
2 Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota
QB
Oregon
scott tizzle
3 Jacksonville Jaguars Vic Beasley
DE/OLB
Clemson
Legoman0721
4 Oakland Raiders Amari Cooper
WR
Alabama
makeaplay59
5 Washington Redskins Leonard Williams
DE
USC
michael.hamper
6 New York Jets Dante Fowler
OLB
Florida
aszabo1
7 Chicago Bears


Barnestorm
8 Atlanta Falcons


OhioCityBrownsBeliever
9 New York Giants


Bizono
10 St. Louis Rams


Ted Washington's Belly
11 Minnesota Vikings


MConley17
12 Cleveland Browns


Adam Rice
13 New Orleans Saints


TuckJob
14 Miami Dolphins


Brocolis154033
15 San Francisco 49ers


Manly and Loving It
16 Houston Texans


troy145
17 San Diego Chargers


Crawford_T
18 Kansas City Chiefs


JamesPowell
19 Cleveland Browns


Royce Groff
20 Philadelphia Eagles


Matt Wood
21 Cincinnati Bengals


styrofoamboots
22 Pittsburgh Steelers


Marquess of Rockingham
23 Detroit Lions


tmptplayer
24 Arizona Cardinals


a2342432a
25 Carolina Panthers


PaduaDSP
26 Baltimore Ravens


unoservix
27 Dallas Cowboys


Twilightcall06
28 Denver Broncos


Maverick Hunter X
29 Indianapolis Colts


Mudville
30 Green Bay Packers


syndrome
31 New Orleans Saints


pt_999
32 New England Patriots


stravaille