With the offseason among us the draft will be right round the corner. There will be multiple rumors about prospects leading up to Draft Day. Whether it’s about who they’ll be drafted to, or the positives and negatives about the player. It was reported yesterday and today that the Jets are interested in JaCoby Stevens (LSU, LB/S), Darius Mills (WV, DL) and Alim McNeill (NC State, DL). It was reported that Stevens said he had a “great connection” with the Jets, Colts, Bills and Falcons at the Senior Bowl. Afterwards, it was reported that Stills met with the Jets, Seahawks and Chargers virtually over the past few days via Zoom/phone. Lastly, it was reported today that McNeill met with the Jets, Packers, Seahawks, Jaguars, Colts and will meet with the Saints soon virtually over Zoom/phone. After hearing all this exciting news I decided to check their stats and tape, and boy oh boy I think we have a star on our hands. Let’s start here:

LSU JaCoby Stevens, LB/S

The story on Stevens is a long one. He grew up in Tennessee and went to High School at The Ensworth School, but he transferred to Oakland High School in his Sophomore Year. He played Basketball and was a WR/DB for his HS. He was an absolute monster in High School, on both sides on the ball, defense and offense. He was so good that they called him Mr. Football of Tennessee, he had received college offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Auburn. He was a five star recruit so it was all up to him. He committed to LSU over all those schools, however LSU had fired then-Coach Les Miles and Stevens decommitted. It must’ve been a complicated process for him, but at the end he recommitted and became a LSU Tiger. During his Freshman year he played WR and Safety. That didn’t really seem to work out so he became a full time defensive player and that may have been the best thing for him. He didn’t do too bad in his sophomore year, but he really blossomed in his Junior Year. He was apart of that dynamic and all-time LSU National Championship team. He recorded these stats in his Junior Year:
92 Total Tackles
9 Tackles for loss
5 sacks
3 INTs
6 Pass deflections

Incredible stats. Then in his Senior year, he was limited due to the games missed because of COVID-19 protocols. He still recorded
63 Total Tackles
6 Tackles for loss
3 sacks
4 Pass deflections
1 forced fumble in only 10 games.

Measurements and Information:
Age: 22
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220-225lbs
Forty-yard dash: 4.53
Vertical jump: 38″
Broad jump: 11-foot

It is absolutely incredible the potential this guy has. If I had to put it into words I’d say he can be like a bigger Jamal Adams that can actually play pass coverage like Devin White. It might be a little reach but I’m excited for this young man, his tape is everything you can ask for. Whether he’s playing Linebacker or Safety, he’s got a very impressive skill set and can be the real deal if given the opportunity. Jets, go get him!

West Virginia Darius Stills, DL

Stills attended Fairmont Senior High School in West Virginia. In his time in HS, he was a disruptor and committed to West Virginia, alongside his brother who also committed to WV. He has an extremely quick first step and it really impresses me. Sometimes he gets stopped when he gets double teamed by big defenders which leads to my main worry. I feel like Stills is a very undersized tackle. He can be a good 3-4 Defensive end but we won’t be running a 3-4 defense with Robert Saleh coming in. Saleh is a defensive genius and he has Jeff Ulbrich running the defense so I’m sure they’ll be able to fit him in, if he’s drafted by the Jets. In Stills’ first two years he didn’t get too many snaps and really took off in his Junior year. He turned heads with the amount of tackles for loss he had. He is projected to go in the third round.

He recorded these stats in his Junior Year:
43 Total Tackles
12.0 Tackles for loss
6.0 sacks
2 forced fumble
12 Games Played

Senior year:
25 Total Tackles
7.5 Tackles for loss
3.5 sacks
1 INT
9 games

Measurements and Information:
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 285lbs
Forty-yard dash: Around 4.9

NC State Alim McNeill, DL

McNeill attended Jesse O. Sanderson High School in North Carolina. He surprisingly played LB and RB in his time at HS. Then he committed to North Carolina State and that’s where his journey begins. When I see McNeill play I see someone who is not always going to beat his defender but if a running back or a QB comes anywhere in his direction, that player is going down. Many projections say that he’ll be a steal and a shocker. They think he is a young Fletcher Cox, and I can see why they think that but I don’t think we should do that to the kid. Cox is a multiple time Pro-Bowler and one of the best DTs in the league. McNeill is a big guy and he can move very quickly, he can also track down the ball. He’s gotten a lot of hype and I can see him fitting in next to Foley Fatukasi, Quinnen Williams, and John Franklin-Myers since we will be running a 4-3 defense. He’s the type of lineman that moves offensive lineman to close gaps and that leads to him tackling the running back or quarterback. The guy distracted multiple offensive lineman so the linebacker can come in and rush the quarterback for the sack, in a great fashion. He is projected to go in the second or third round.

He recorded these stats in his Sophomore Year:
28 Total Tackles
7.5 Tackles for loss
5.5 sacks
10 Games Played

Junior year:
25 Total Tackles
4.5 Tackles for loss
1.0 sacks
1 INT
1 forced fumble in only 11 games

Measurements and Information:
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 320lbs
Forty-yard dash: Around 4.9
Bench press: 445

Thanks for reading everybody. This has been Jose Calderon III with FiveBoroughDispatch, have a great day; everybody!