Speaker 1: Welcome to another edition of the Official Jets podcast, the
Speaker 1: traff Pick Profile series. Continuing on here Ethan Greenberg Eric
Speaker 1: Allen breaking down the jets first fourth round pick. The
Speaker 1: Jets at three of them and with one twenty overall,
Speaker 1: they take La Michael p Ryan. But he let's bring
Speaker 1: this up to speed here, because the Jets. Originally we're
Speaker 1: supposed to have a single fourth round pick, which turned
Speaker 1: into La Michael p Ryan. But at the end of
Speaker 1: day two, Joe Douglas makes a trade. They got the
Speaker 1: one hundred one overall selection from the Seattle Seahawks when
Speaker 1: the Jets moved back from forty to fifty nine and
Speaker 1: then picked up Denzel Mims, and then they had the
Speaker 1: hundred first pick. They trade out of that spot to
Speaker 1: the New England Patriots, of all people, and they get
Speaker 1: pick one, pick one twenty nine and they reacquire their
Speaker 1: one six round pick, which they gave up for Damarius
Speaker 1: Thomas last September. Good for Joe Douglas. Listen, you gotta
Speaker 1: do whatever is in the best interest of your team,
Speaker 1: in your organization, So if that means trading with the
Speaker 1: New England Patriots, you do just that. Greens. Yeah, when
Speaker 1: you look at what Joe d had entering the weekend,
Speaker 1: six picks and all. So by the end of the
Speaker 1: weekend Saturday night, we were talking in terms of ten
Speaker 1: players obtained nine picks, and he also traded his final
Speaker 1: sixth rounder to Indianapolis Colts in order to obtain veteran
Speaker 1: cornerback of the Colts. So Jets entered the draft with
Speaker 1: a number of holes on the roster, so you had
Speaker 1: to do as much as you could to fill those holes,
Speaker 1: and that meant moving back a couple of times. He
Speaker 1: made three trades on draft weekend, and this was a
Speaker 1: rare deal Greens, because you're talking about the Jets had
Speaker 1: the hundred overall selection, the hundred overall selection and then
Speaker 1: one nine because of that trade with the New England Patriots.
Speaker 1: So prior to selecting pron the Jets, they're sitting there saying, hey,
Speaker 1: we have three picks over the next nine. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: thought it was a great trade for Joe Douglas, and
Speaker 1: I thought at the end of the day, this was
Speaker 1: a draft where the meat and potatoes in the middle
Speaker 1: rounds were deeper than most years, and the Jets loaded up. Frankly,
Speaker 1: they had three fourth round picks, and let's start with
Speaker 1: p Rhyan because I don't think that a lot of
Speaker 1: pundits necessarily thought about running back as a need for
Speaker 1: the Jets. Obviously the offensive line, receiver, edge, and corner,
Speaker 1: and then after that, i'd say almost in the second tier.
Speaker 1: I think running back is right at the top of
Speaker 1: that list because at the time of the draft in
Speaker 1: the Jets backfield was Levy on Bell and then question
Speaker 1: mark question mark because Time Montgomery and Balal Powell, the
Speaker 1: second and third stringers from last year, both available on
Speaker 1: the free agent market. Yeah, on the surface, I think
Speaker 1: a lot of people follow the Jets are probably like, well,
Speaker 1: why are they going with a running back at overall?
Speaker 1: And then coming full circle here, why you turn six
Speaker 1: into ten is because you want to fill out the
Speaker 1: depth on this roster. And when you draft a kid
Speaker 1: like Lea Michael p Ryan, you're not thinking that he's
Speaker 1: going to be the number one back in two thousand
Speaker 1: twenty because he is not. Levian Bell is in questionably
Speaker 1: the number one back on this offense, and p Ryan
Speaker 1: you're getting a guy who took over as a starter
Speaker 1: is sophomore year in two thousand seventeen, and he was
Speaker 1: part of a team. What I like about him is
Speaker 1: another college captain right fits that mold that Joe Douglas
Speaker 1: was looking for in terms of intangibles. But he was
Speaker 1: also part of an uh turnaround at the University of
Speaker 1: Florida because that was a team that was struggling with
Speaker 1: Dan Mullen took over, but by the time that p
Speaker 1: Ryan laughed in net class had left. I believe the
Speaker 1: Gators over the last couple of years were twenty one
Speaker 1: and five. Before we dive into p Ryan at Florida,
Speaker 1: let's hear from the Jets personnel that includes Joe Douglas Chat,
Speaker 1: Alexander rex Hogan, Phil Savage on what they like about
Speaker 1: La Michael p Ryan versatility, big playability, he can help
Speaker 1: both run in pass game, really good and pass pro
Speaker 1: good hands, productive, and a great young man. He's a man.
Speaker 1: He's gonna be a great fit to our culture in
Speaker 1: our locker room. La Michael has been really good in
Speaker 1: terms of production for the Gators, not only as a
Speaker 1: runner but also receiving the ball. And he's been competitive
Speaker 1: for him on special teams and he's gonna add the
Speaker 1: same components for us. Is in terms of his versatility
Speaker 1: as a as a runner and receiver. You can split
Speaker 1: him out of the backfield, and he's got excellent hands
Speaker 1: to be able to adjust and run routes and and
Speaker 1: shown that throughout his career. So we're excited about what
Speaker 1: he brings in terms of being a change of pace
Speaker 1: to levy On and being a backup and and what
Speaker 1: he's shown it if Florida, hopefully he's going to continue
Speaker 1: here for us with the Jets, you know, first and
Speaker 1: foremost is do they have the physicality and the toughness
Speaker 1: and whether or not they have the ability to recognize
Speaker 1: blitz and pick up in protection. And Michael shown that
Speaker 1: throughout his career, and we were excited about a seeing
Speaker 1: on tape and with with both dal Login's and Jim
Speaker 1: Bob Cooter, they identified that as one of the aspects
Speaker 1: that are running back needs to have to be able
Speaker 1: to play on all three downs, and Michael has shown
Speaker 1: that well. I think with LaMichael p Ryan, you know,
Speaker 1: he's a well rounded running back. He's not only a
Speaker 1: ball carrier, but he can also catch out of the backfield,
Speaker 1: and he's also a good pass protector. So I think
Speaker 1: in terms of not only this coming season, as a rookie,
Speaker 1: there's a good chance that he'll be part of the backfield.
Speaker 1: But I think even rolling into the future, he's got
Speaker 1: a chance to be a contributor for our offense because
Speaker 1: of his versatility. How about this, Michael p Ryan, a mobile,
Speaker 1: Alabama native, went to theado Or High School, the same
Speaker 1: high school as Jets linebacker C. J. Mosley. So a
Speaker 1: little bit of a mobile connection coming up to the Northeast,
Speaker 1: especially when you throw Phil Savage in the mix there,
Speaker 1: who was the executive director of the REESEA Senior Bowl
Speaker 1: for a couple of years. Look at you dropping some knowledge.
Speaker 1: How about p Ryan's father, Terrence, actually played at Auburn
Speaker 1: and p Ryan LaMichael. In fact, he said that to
Speaker 1: Auburn coaching staff they recruited him a little bit, but
Speaker 1: they didn't think he was fast enough. So he always
Speaker 1: had a chip on his shoulder for Auburn. And as
Speaker 1: we just heard, what the Jets liked about him was
Speaker 1: he can do a little bit of everything. You can
Speaker 1: run the football, catch it out of the backfield, a
Speaker 1: good blocker for a guy coming out of college. And
Speaker 1: he also was a contributor on Florida's special team. So
Speaker 1: when you look at the Jets roster again, you needed
Speaker 1: something at the running back position. From a depth perspective,
Speaker 1: everybody gets so caught up and what is this guy
Speaker 1: gonna potentially adds to the offense, What is he gonna
Speaker 1: bring to the defense, And we forget about special teams
Speaker 1: and what Joe Douglas did in this draft he targeted
Speaker 1: guys who can help him on teams. You mentioned p
Speaker 1: Ryan's father playing football at Auburn. Well, how about this.
Speaker 1: His mother, Sabrina Haywood, won a state shot but title
Speaker 1: in high school. And p Ryan's cousin, Soma j was
Speaker 1: a fourth round pick played for Oklahoma. He was drafted
Speaker 1: in seventeen, and he's also related to Jaguars linebacker Miles Jackson.
Speaker 1: P Ryan clearly has the bloodlines. And I want to
Speaker 1: talk about his Florida career a little bit. You mentioned
Speaker 1: the team captain this past year. He's led the Gators
Speaker 1: in rushing in ten and twenty nineteen, and those are
Speaker 1: the three years in which he started. His first year
Speaker 1: in sixteen, he played in thirteen games, but he didn't
Speaker 1: start at any and for his career, he averaged five
Speaker 1: yards of carry. He totaled two thousand, four hundred eighty
Speaker 1: five rushing yards, twenty two touchdowns, and then pretty serviceable
Speaker 1: through the air seventy two catches, six hundred seventy four
Speaker 1: yards and eight touchdowns. Yeah, I didn't act for finding
Speaker 1: a hand. So and this is a tough kid, low
Speaker 1: center of gravity who can carry tacklers a little bit.
Speaker 1: You mentioned the two thousand seventeen season when he took
Speaker 1: over as a starter, he had five hundred sixty two
Speaker 1: rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Then he
Speaker 1: topped out as a junior right with the eight hundred
Speaker 1: twenty six rush yards and he averaged six point two
Speaker 1: yards a carry, had seven touchdowns. Then last year, of course,
Speaker 1: as you mentioned, senior team captain, six hundred seventy six
Speaker 1: yards on the ground, five point one yards of pop
Speaker 1: and six touchdowns, and then he had a career high
Speaker 1: forty catches in five more receiving touchdowns. So that's uncommon
Speaker 1: for a college back to give that kind of production
Speaker 1: in the past game when you're thinking about somebody coming
Speaker 1: out of and I see see school like that the
Speaker 1: University of Florida. Forty catches last year, and that knack
Speaker 1: for the end zone you like. And he really ended
Speaker 1: his college career with a bang in the Orange Bowl.
Speaker 1: One yards overall, that's rushing and receiving combined and three
Speaker 1: touchdowns Orange Bowl m v P as the Gators took
Speaker 1: down the Virginia Cavaliers. So yeah, that's what the Jets
Speaker 1: were attracted to. Is not only what he can provide
Speaker 1: to the run game, but here's a kid who has
Speaker 1: good hands. Uh, and he's also considered a pretty good blocker.
Speaker 1: You caught up with the Michael p Ryan and we'll
Speaker 1: hear that interview in a couple of minutes. But how
Speaker 1: about this with the Michael p Ryan. This is really
Speaker 1: cool to me. P Ryan, who you met and he
Speaker 1: about Auburn. They thought he was too slow. P Ryan
Speaker 1: took matters into his own hands. He purchased a bus
Speaker 1: ticket to Gainesville to attend a three day camp because
Speaker 1: he didn't really have a lot of offers. At that camp,
Speaker 1: he gets m v P honors, he earns a scholarship,
Speaker 1: goes to Florida, and then becomes a fourth round pick
Speaker 1: and a team captain. Like we said earlier, led the
Speaker 1: team in rushing for three straight seasons. I mean that
Speaker 1: speaks to the character of La Michael p Ryan. And
Speaker 1: you want to find guys that hate to lose almost
Speaker 1: more than they like to win. And I think that
Speaker 1: act of taking matters in your own hands and buying
Speaker 1: the bus ticket to go and go get that scholarship,
Speaker 1: I mean, I think that speaks volumes to the person
Speaker 1: of La Michael p Ryan. Well, I think p Ryan
Speaker 1: fits the mold of a guy who thinks that he
Speaker 1: has always been overlooked and he's always had to work
Speaker 1: his way up to get his position and earn his spot,
Speaker 1: and he's been calm with that. The knock on him,
Speaker 1: I think again from a lot of Punit's out there
Speaker 1: is he's not a burner four point six to forty
Speaker 1: yard dash in Indianapolis. But don't let that foolia, because
Speaker 1: the film does not lie. La Michael p Ryan plays
Speaker 1: faster than four or six two. There's a football speed,
Speaker 1: then there's also forty yard time speed in Indianapolis. I'm
Speaker 1: not saying he's running away from everybody in the National
Speaker 1: Football League. My point is is he does not play
Speaker 1: like a four point six two guy. Again, why did
Speaker 1: the Jets make that move and they had a clear
Speaker 1: hold at the running back position behind Levian Bell, and
Speaker 1: this is a guy who can do a little bit
Speaker 1: of everything. We're gonna talk about the state of this
Speaker 1: running backs room right after we hear from La Michael
Speaker 1: p Ran. So let's get right to it. Here's e
Speaker 1: a one on one with La Michael p Ryan right
Speaker 1: after he was drafted. La Michael, earlier this afternoon, you
Speaker 1: tweeted patients, what was it like when you finally got
Speaker 1: the call from the Jets. Um, just the opportunity of
Speaker 1: a lifetime. Honestly, man, it was a great feeling. Um,
Speaker 1: just being able to go to a great organization and
Speaker 1: a problem organization. Um. Just waiting on that call, man,
Speaker 1: I was just just trying to stay patients like, uh
Speaker 1: like I like I had put on Twitter, man, But uh,
Speaker 1: I know God have something good plan for me. So
Speaker 1: I'm just decarted to get up to New York. What
Speaker 1: put you in the position to get drafted? Remember back
Speaker 1: in two thousand and fourteen, you paid your own way
Speaker 1: with a bus ticket to Florida so the Gator coaching
Speaker 1: staff could get a luk at you. Most definitely, Uh,
Speaker 1: I feel like this is coming with his hard work
Speaker 1: and dedication. Honestly, I was Donna hard work, everything I
Speaker 1: haven't done and things like that. So I feel like
Speaker 1: they just carried over UM in college and just me
Speaker 1: being able to just get an offer from Florida. I
Speaker 1: feel like they just carried it thing go over me
Speaker 1: just having an opportunity speak in a Florida. How about
Speaker 1: joining the roster now that has five Gators on including
Speaker 1: Marcus May, Brian Pool, Jonathan Harrison, and the Jets most
Speaker 1: recently drafted one of your teammates at Florida, Jabari is
Speaker 1: a NA. I mean, hey, the Jets know what it
Speaker 1: is man. They know the Gators have great talent and
Speaker 1: things like that, so they know what they're doing. Uh.
Speaker 1: I feel very comfortable just being in the new town,
Speaker 1: just being around a lot of old teammates, just being
Speaker 1: able to just have that the tradition to keep it going.
Speaker 1: Give us a scouting report for fans who didn't get
Speaker 1: a chance to see a play at Florida. What are
Speaker 1: the Green and White getting? UM? A hard nose runner, competitor,
Speaker 1: a person who does not not like to lose. UM, majestical,
Speaker 1: hard working guy, just being able to just be versatile,
Speaker 1: being able to catch out the backfield. UM. I feel
Speaker 1: like me and Lebian would be great. Uh. Duo, man,
Speaker 1: that's uh. I feel like that's a guy look up
Speaker 1: to us and running back. Um, we have similar games.
Speaker 1: I feel like I gets the ball as well like
Speaker 1: he can. So I mean just being able to just
Speaker 1: have this opportunity is just on a round. Well, Michael,
Speaker 1: how much pride do you take in your versatility? Because
Speaker 1: you can run it, you can catch it. You are
Speaker 1: considered a back who is a good blocker, and you
Speaker 1: also contribute on special teams most definitely, I feel like
Speaker 1: to be able to play in this game, you have
Speaker 1: to be able to contribute on all four phases. And
Speaker 1: that's uh some I'm I'm very good at I feel
Speaker 1: like I can play off special teams. UM be a
Speaker 1: great running back as well. Um. Just being versatile all
Speaker 1: over the field, honestly, being able to do every day
Speaker 1: for my teammates and my coaches. Um, just being a
Speaker 1: dependable player. Did you save your best for last at Florida?
Speaker 1: Your final game? You went out with a bang Orange
Speaker 1: Bowl MVP. Uh, you know, producing yards all over the place. Uh.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't say that, but I feel like that was
Speaker 1: one of my best games I had Lord, So it
Speaker 1: was just pumped up just be able to win Orange
Speaker 1: Bowl m VP and uh in one of my last
Speaker 1: games as a Gator. So uh, I mean it was
Speaker 1: an exciting moment for me. Honestly, you mentioned Levan, let
Speaker 1: me ask you about the quarterback here in sam Dermoald,
Speaker 1: what do you think about joining an offense that is
Speaker 1: led by that talented twenty two year old signal car.
Speaker 1: I feel like he's uh, he's a great leader so um,
Speaker 1: I feel like that's the guy that I can honestly
Speaker 1: look up to as a as a leader man and
Speaker 1: be able to just fight for him and just be
Speaker 1: able to just contribute and just be back there and
Speaker 1: be comfortable with. Honestly, I feel like he does a
Speaker 1: lot of good things in his game. He's a guy
Speaker 1: who just get better uh as years ago. So I
Speaker 1: feel like he has a great, um great career. Can
Speaker 1: you mentioned Levian about what have you admired about his game? Um?
Speaker 1: Just a swag man. He's a guy who just being
Speaker 1: able to just catch the ball, his patience, his vision. Um,
Speaker 1: I feel like I have a lot of that those
Speaker 1: traces as well. So, I mean he's just a great
Speaker 1: overall player man. I can't wait to get with him. Honestly,
Speaker 1: what do you think about coming up to New York. Um,
Speaker 1: I've never been to New York actually, so uh that's
Speaker 1: gonna be a life changing experience. Uh so I'm ready
Speaker 1: for that and um just ready. Honestly, just get everything
Speaker 1: going for him the place of football. I wanted to
Speaker 1: ask you, what was that phone call like when you
Speaker 1: finally received it today? Uh? Was it an outpouring of
Speaker 1: emotion from your end? Um? Honestly, man, it was just
Speaker 1: the car that I wasn't even expecting at the momentum.
Speaker 1: It came out the blue really, um so, I mean
Speaker 1: just it was a opportunity of a lifetime. Like I said, Manu,
Speaker 1: probably the best feeling I've ever had in my life.
Speaker 1: So just having an opportunity, it's a great I'm grateful,
Speaker 1: great to hear from the Michael P. Ryan. He's joining
Speaker 1: a backfield e a where Levan Bell at the top, obviously,
Speaker 1: and then recently last week the Jets sign Frank Gore
Speaker 1: to be a part of this backfield. So not only
Speaker 1: are you looking at one of the game's current best
Speaker 1: and Levian Bell, you're looking at one of the game's
Speaker 1: best over the past decade or so and Frank Gore,
Speaker 1: I mean, this is an ideal situation for la Michael
Speaker 1: p Ryan to step into. If you are a young
Speaker 1: running back, you can't ask for more. You really couldn't
Speaker 1: ask for more. So he will be trained and mentored
Speaker 1: by a very good positional coach in Jim Bob Couder,
Speaker 1: but also these two veterans, They're gonna be outstanding for
Speaker 1: this young man as he makes a transition to the
Speaker 1: National Football League. That's really something else. And the Jets again,
Speaker 1: before the draft, it's Levian Bell and maybe a couple
Speaker 1: of question marks behind him. Now it's Levian Bell, Frank Gore,
Speaker 1: LaMichael p Ryan, totally different situation. The other part about
Speaker 1: Frank Gore is, you know, some veterans don't really embrace
Speaker 1: eas the mentorship role, and Frank Gore actually embraces it
Speaker 1: to the fullest. I've read a ton of articles and
Speaker 1: seeing a ton of stories online where last season Frank
Speaker 1: Gore was instrumental and Devin Singletarry's growth and success in
Speaker 1: Buffalo before becoming one of the top rookie running backs
Speaker 1: in the NFL. I also saw an interview where Frank
Speaker 1: Gore said that he gets motivated by being around the
Speaker 1: young running backs in the league, whether that somebody is
Speaker 1: young as twenty two year old with Michael p Ryan,
Speaker 1: or somebody like leady On Bell, who's a very good
Speaker 1: player in this league. I mean, Frank Gore is an
Speaker 1: ultimate competitor. And you spoke to Adam Gaatee who said,
Speaker 1: this guy treats every single practice like it's Monday night football,
Speaker 1: and that I think rubs off on the other players.
Speaker 1: It's got to what happens is when you walk into
Speaker 1: a building and there's Frank Gora that automatically gets your attention.
Speaker 1: The interesting thing I'm not comparing p around either one
Speaker 1: of these guys is that the styles, though he's more
Speaker 1: stylistically aligned with Frank Gore, because Gore is that, hey,
Speaker 1: I'm not dancing too much, I'm getting one caught in
Speaker 1: and I'm coming at you, and p Ryant got a
Speaker 1: little bit of that in him. Whereas Levian Bell, he
Speaker 1: is so natural and so instinctive and so patient that yes,
Speaker 1: you can learn some things from him, but you can't
Speaker 1: try to duplicate or replicate what Levian Bell can do
Speaker 1: on football field because he is so unique. And I
Speaker 1: like how you mentioned Motor Singletary last year because he
Speaker 1: was very productive in Buffalo in season one. So it's
Speaker 1: just soaking up that kind of knowledge from a guy
Speaker 1: like or is going to help pe ride. And again,
Speaker 1: Jim Bob Cooder is a very good positional coach, so
Speaker 1: he really liked where the backfield is as opposed to
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago where they naturally there were questions.
Speaker 1: And again, why do you draft la Michael p Ryan
Speaker 1: because you have to add depth and not everybody's gonna
Speaker 1: come in and be number one on the depth chart.
Speaker 1: Right now, you have Levan Bell, he is number one
Speaker 1: on the depth chart. But Adam Gaze does like to
Speaker 1: get the ball too different people and make sure everybody
Speaker 1: is fresh. Now he has more options, I think entering
Speaker 1: two thousand twenty, Yeah, I think one other player that
Speaker 1: we often forget is a part of this running backs
Speaker 1: room that Joe Douglas will often remind everybody is a
Speaker 1: part of his running backs room is Josh Adams. And
Speaker 1: Josh Adams, undrafted at an Order Dame in two thousand eighteen,
Speaker 1: plays four teen games for the Eagles, where Joe Douglas
Speaker 1: was leads the team in rushing with five hundred eleven yards,
Speaker 1: he gets waived, He gets claimed here by the Jets
Speaker 1: of practice squad player or the majority of the year,
Speaker 1: and then it was reported that another team tried to
Speaker 1: pluck him off the Jets practice squad. And so what
Speaker 1: did the Jets do? Well? They promoted him to the
Speaker 1: active roster because I guess the Jets like him that much.
Speaker 1: And I think the Jets have nice depth now when
Speaker 1: you add in p Ryan and Gore, because it was
Speaker 1: a big question mark entering the draft. So I think
Speaker 1: that Joe Douglas has done a nice job revamping this
Speaker 1: position to where behind a new offensive line, they have
Speaker 1: the opportunity to be much more effective than they did
Speaker 1: in two thousand nineteen. Yeah, I think the Jets are
Speaker 1: gonna run the football better in two thousand twenty. Lebian
Speaker 1: Bell your two in this system. McKay Beckton is a
Speaker 1: fantastic run blocker, and you think about Connor McGovern and
Speaker 1: Greg Van roteing and getting Alex Lewis back in the mix.
Speaker 1: So you have more pieces up front and more guys
Speaker 1: who are established run blockers in the National Football League,
Speaker 1: you have reason to believe that he's going to have
Speaker 1: more holes, but he has two new guys behind him
Speaker 1: and then want to get you. We'll have to see
Speaker 1: what the future holds for him. Is Trutton Cannon, former
Speaker 1: draft pick of the Jets Speedster, was hampered by an
Speaker 1: injury last year. Right now, you're feeling quite comfortable and
Speaker 1: confident with Val Frank ore La Michael p Run. I'm
Speaker 1: glad you mentioned Cannon too. He's a dynamite gunner for
Speaker 1: Brand Bowyer as well, so we'll see what happened. The
Speaker 1: Jets have now created depth at the running back position
Speaker 1: with the additions of the guys that we just talked about.
Speaker 1: That was another edition of the Official Jets podcast Raft
Speaker 1: Pick Profile series presented by Verizon. Continuing on here, that
Speaker 1: was the La Michael p Ryan episode. Next up, we're
Speaker 1: going to the quarterback position. James Morgan out of f
Speaker 1: I U