After E.J. Manuel was the only quarterback selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, everybody was interested to see whether or not West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith would land in the second round considering he was seen as a top-five pick not too long ago. Now, it appears Smith has officially found a home for the 2013 season–the New York Jets.
The Jets considered using one of their first-round picks on Smith, but it looks like things worked out just fine as they didn’t even need to trade up in the second round to acquire the quarterback at No. 39. New York seemed like a strong possibility for Smith with all of the uncertainty surrounding Mark Sanchez and now–training camp just became even more interesting for the Jets.
Even though Smith still has numerous areas in need of improvement, there’s no question he’s capable of giving Sanchez a run for the money at the starting job. Sanchez has received every opportunity in the world over the last couple of years to prove himself as a starter and if he can’t make it by now–it’s difficult not to wonder if he’s even worthy of being a starter.
If anything, the Jets may just let Smith learn as a backup in 2013, but this move certainly puts the pressure on Sanchez heading into next year. If Sanchez didn’t think his job was in jeopardy before, this selection of Smith will certainly be a wake up call for the former first-round pick.
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