The New York Jets added help at center in the second round of the NFL draft with Joe Tippmann of Wisconsin. On the surface, it seems like a good pick for the Jets. But it comes up as average for our Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, who gave the Jets a “C” for the pick.
“The Jets needed all kinds of offensive line help coming into this draft, and perhaps it’s Aaron Rodgers’ familiarity with agile centers that led to this pick. Tippman was my third-ranked center in this class, behind Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz and Ohio State’s Luke Wypler (both of whom were still on the board), so I’m a bit mystified by this selection. Tape shows that Tippman has a real problem picking up stunts and dealing with defenders who cross his face, and that will be an interesting NFL transition.”
Tippmann will compete against Connor McGovern for the starting job at center but worst-case scenario is he’ll sit behind McGovern but be able to learn and develop over time.
Time will tell how this works out for the Jets, but the thought is they have their center of the future.
