April has been cruel in the history of the Jets as they are notorious for their draft day blunders such as, Blair Thomas or passing on  Dan Marino for Ken O’brien . But ever since 2006, their drafts have looked very successful.

The 2005 draft was awful, the Jets drafted a kicker in the second round, the only way you draft a kicker in the second round is if he is supposed to be the best kicker in history. Mike Nugent never turned out to be that guy as he isn’t even on the Jets anymore. Their other second round pick was Justin Miller, who isn’t even in the league anymore.

But ever since 2006 the Jets have had amazing drafts, making the right decisions and getting plenty of steals. Here is a look at all the great picks the Jets have made in the past four drafts.

2006 Draft

D’brickashaw Ferguson: Many Jet fans were tired of Chad Pennington and wanted to get a quarterback, and many scouts had them getting Matt Leinart. When Leinart was still on the board at the  fourth pick, the Jets went in a different direction instead with D’brickashaw. Now D’brick is a pro bowl left tackle while Leinart is warming the bench, waiting for Kurt Warner to retire.

Nick Mangold: The Jets had a second first round pick from the Broncos and they decided to go with another offensive lineman, Nick Mangold with the 29th pick. Nick Mangold turned out to be a very succesful pick for the Jets as he is one of the best centers in the NFL and the anchor to the Jets offensive line. Has made the pro bowl for two straight years and even made the all pro team this year.

Eric Smith: Drafted in the third round, Eric Smith hasn’t made that much of an impact, yet. He has shown potential when kerry Rhodes was benched, making great tackles and help plugging up holes in the run game. If the Jets decide to get rid of Rhodes, expect Smith to start and make an impact.

Brad Smith: In the fourth round Jets got two steals, one being Brad Smith. Being a QB at Missouri, the Jets converted him to a wide reciever like many college QB’s have done . Brad Smith has been a major impact on the offense being a trick play specialist. He always keeps defenses on their toes with his speed and throwing ability, you never know what he will do when he is on the field.

Leon Washington: The other fourth round steal for the Jets in 2006 has also been a major impact for the Jets, and we got him for Herm Edwards.Leon Washington has been an impact as a kick returner making the pro bowl as one, and he has also made an impact on the offense being a change of pace back for Thomas Jones. He has been on injured reserve since week seven this year but expect him to make step back into his role once he comes back.

2007 Draft

Darrelle Revis: Leon Hall was the number one rated corner back and when the Jets moved up to the 14th pick, it seemed like it would be a toss-up between him and Revis. The Jets obviously made the right decision with Revis as he is being praised as the best corner in the league. Leon Hall has been good, but he is no Darrelle Revis.

David Harris: The Jets moved up in the second round and drafted Harris out of Michigan. Harris is another key player on the Jets current defense as he is the leading tackler on the team. Although, he didn’t make the pro bowl this year, many experts think he got robbed and is sure to make it in the future.

2008 Draft

Vernon Gholston: The Jets had the sixth pick and were in need of a pass rusher, they thought the person to help fill that void was Gholston. Vernon turned out not to be that guy as he is yet to get a sack in two seasons. This appears as if it is the Jets first bad pick in a while.

Dustin Keller: When the Jets moved up to the first round, many people though they would pick a receiver such as Devin Thomas, instead they choose Tight End Dustin Keller. Keller has great hands had more receiving yards in his first year then Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark, and Tony Gonzalez all had in their rookie year. He has been a key target for Sanchez in the playoffs and is developing into a great receiving tight end.

Dwight Lowery: Lowery was the Jets fourth round pick out of San Jose State. Lowery hasn’t made that much of an impact but has showed potential and has been great shutting down recievers. This year, Lowery had the third lowest burn percentage (the number of times a defender allows a reception to the man he’s covering) of all corner backs. Look for Lowery to be a big impact on the other side of Revis in the future.

2009 Draft

Mark Sanchez: The Jets needed a franchise quarterback and they got one by jumping all the way up to the 5th pick to get Sanchez. Although Mark Sanchez has been inconsistent this season, he has shown flashes of potential and has been performing well when it matters most, the playoffs. Hopefully, Mark Sanchez is the franchise quarterback the Jets have been looking for since Broadway Joe.

Shonn Greene: The winner of the Doak Walker award surprisingly dropped down to the third round, in the second day the Jets instantly traded up to draft Shonn Greene with the first pick of the second day. Greene was a steal as he had 100 yards in both playoff games for the Jets, and has shown tons of talent and potential. When Jones is gone, hopefully Greene will keep playing the way he has in the playoffs.

Hopefully the Jets will continue the streak in 2010.

So what do you think?  Which year do you think has been the best Jets draft year? Will the success continue in 2010? Who was the best overall pick and best steal for the Jets in recent years?

Let me know down below!

-Cole