Jumbo Package: B.J. Emmons bulks up and Joe Namath is in the news again

NFL teams are more willing to use high draft picks on short corners than receivers

The picture is a lot rosier for short defensive backs. While receivers need to be tall to expect a look in the NFL before the end of the draft, that's not as true for cornerbacks and safeties, on whom teams have demonstrated a consistent willingness to spend high picks despite short stature.

In the last five drafts, 73 defensive backs under 6’0 have gone in the first five rounds, compared to only 32 receivers under 6’0.

Bud Elliot brings up an interesting topic here: short receivers are being phased out, yet short cornerbacks continue to be drafted and paid.

Does that necessarily mean that NFL teams don’t want tall corners? Probably not. After the 6’3” Richard Sherman burst onto the scene in 2011, tall cornerbacks have been in high demand.

The issue may just be that there are not enough tall corners out there, so short corners continue to be drafted. Many of your elite, short receivers end up moving to defensive back before college, so that saturates the market somewhat. There’s also the fact that, while a tall receiver can get away with just being taller than his man, a cornerback must still be agile enough to stay in position with any receiver. And there just aren’t many tall people able to do that.

Just look at Cyrus Jones.

ArDarius Stewart part of 'major competition' with New York Jets

The New York Jets' selections of wide receivers ArDarius Stewart of Alabama and Chad Hansen of California in the NFL Draft look more and more important as the offseason goes by.

Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall was released by the Jets and signed with the New York Giants in March.

Jets wide receiver Eric Decker, who caught 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2015, said he'll be ready for training camp at age 30 after playing only three games and having hip and shoulder surgeries last year.

Jets wide receiver Devin Smith, a former second-round draft choice, suffered a torn ACL last month and will miss the season.

Jets wide receiver Jalin Marshall, who caught 14 passes and returned kickoffs last season, is suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy.

And on Sunday, Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson, who caught 42 passes last season, was arrested at a music festival in Miami, charged with resisting arrest with violence and obstruction of justice.

New York has 14 wide receivers on its roster, but Quincy Enunwa is the only one who caught more than 19 passes last season for the Jets and doesn't have a question mark over his head. Eight of the wide receivers have no more than one season of NFL experience.

Looks like ArDarius Stewart is suddenly a very important piece for the Jets, even as early as day 1. He may not be the most pro-ready and fine-tuned receiver out there, but he’s an exceptionally athletic playmaker with a whole lot of energy and effort in him.

Injuries/suspensions to entrenched starters are often the gateway to a young player breaking onto the scene in a much more commanding fashion than expected. Lets hope that ArDarius is making plays on TV on Sundays all next fall.

Don't forget about B.J. Emmons in Alabama running back competition

"You're a truck," Dillon Sain told B.J. Emmons when he saw the Alabama running back earlier this week.

It was the first time they had seen each other since November. Noticeable immediately for Sain was how much broader and more muscular Emmons looked in the upper body.

After weighing about 210 pounds as a freshman last season, the 6-foot sophomore running back is up to a muscular 237 pounds, is only eight percent body fat and has told Sain that he feels faster than ever. That's notable considering a then-232-pound Emmons ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at the Under Armour All-America Combine when he was in high school.

After his injury, Emmons became a bit of an afterthought with the fans, and has dropped even further from mind this offseason with Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough, Josh Jacobs, and Najee Harris all in the mix.

But it wasn’t long ago that he looked like the fastest and most explosive back in the stable. And now he weighs 27 pounds more and is supposedly even faster. That’s a tantalizing physical specimen. I hope that we can find a way to use him and keep him happy enough with his role that he doesn’t get discouraged by the depth and transfer out.

Alabama's Jamey Mosley talks brother C.J., Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, best LB in college football

Who is the toughest running back to bring down?

"Josh Jacobs," he said. "He is fast and shifty. He's hard to tackle. He doesn't go down easy.

He added TJ Yeldon was the hardest running back to tackle throughout his carrer, both in high school and college.

When asked if he was ever allowed to hit Hurts, he just laughed.

"I wish we could," he said. "He wears that black jersey."

This is a great snippet of quotes from Jamey Mosley. He talks about Josh Jacobs being the toughest back to tackle on the team, and I believe it. Jacobs is one of the slipperiest players I’ve seen in Crimson.

He’s also got some quotes on him and C.J. Mosley growing up, how their football skills differ, how Brian Daboll is changing the offense, and who he thinks is the best linebacker in college football.

Joe Namath wants the Jets to just get on with it and start Christian Hackenberg

"I would like to see Hackenberg," Namath said at a United Way Gridiron Gala in New York City, via Conner Hughes of NJ Advanced Media. "I think we need someone for the future."

Well, yes! The Jets' quarterback situation has been a long-haul disaster since, well, Namath was the quarterback. Maybe you go back and say that Mark Sanchez in 2009 and 2010 was fine, but he never fully justified his status as a top-five pick in the NFL Draft (especially one who cost additional capital to move up and get).

And what Namath wants from the position is a "guy who can win a Super Bowl," which is just the easiest thing to do in the world. No offense to McCown.

"This is no reflection on Josh," Namath said. "He's a proven veteran and brings a lot to the team. But realistically, you want to make the playoffs, win a Super Bowl. We have to get the guy who can do that."

Looks like we know who Willie Joe wants to be throwing the ball to ArDarius Stewart!

It seems like the New York Jets’ QB situation has been nothing but a circus of chaos for the last decade. Joe Namath is hoping to end it by getting Hackenburg entrenched, but he could just as well be adding fuel to the fire if the coaches decide Josh McCown is still better suited.