BY SEAN DONOVAN
To the surprise of no one, the New York Jets used their third-round draft pick to continue supplementing their secondary. The name that was announced, however, left many scratching their heads.
With the No. 80 overall pick, the Jets selected former Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle. The move will most certainly be labeled a reach by those inclined to make such judgements.
McDougle was, for example, the 27th-ranked cornerback and the 214th-ranked overall prospect in the draft, according to CBSSports.com, and carried a sixth-round projection.
Perhaps the least taken aback person by the pick was the pick himself.
"I wasn't surprised or anything," McDougle said, according to the team's website. "But I'm just humbled and I'm glad the Jets saw that an injury could not stop me and I'm the same guy that I was in those first three games and will continue to be."
The injury he referred to was a broken collarbone that ended his 2013 season after just three games and robbed him of critical exposure time to NFL scouts. Still, McDougle recorded three interceptions in his abbreviated senior season.
How much the injury and the missed time affected the "draft stock" of the 5-foot-11, 195-pound corner is up to the respective evaluator, but the Jets were enamored enough to nab him way ahead of his projected round.
If any Jets fan is looking for comfort in the selection, just refer back to Rex Ryan's track record of recognizing defensive talent. It's easy to take that opinion over the consensus of the draft media.
