The Jets signed seventh-round draft pick Nate Garner late this afternoon to an undisclosed deal. (Darrell, thanks for being on top of this). The 6-7 318-pound Garner, the 211th overall pick of April’s draft, started all 13 games for Arkansas last season at right tackle, helping to clear space for running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, each 1,000-yard rushers in 2007.
While teams typically sign players in inverse order of selection and negotiations with top picks generally don’t heat up until after July 4, General Manager Mike Tannenbaum said today the Jets (the Darrelle Revis holdout of last year notwithstanding) aren't always looking to go by the book.
“I really don’t mind going first and setting the market,” Tannenbaum told me today at the Jets fifth annual Charity Golf Classic. “Some agents want to wait. Every dynamic is a little bit different.”
Tannenbaum added later: “I actually prefer going first because I try and construct deals that are good for us and good for the player. And we have certain philosophies that we really believe in: team-oriented goals, team-oriented incentives, team-oriented escalators and the off-season program. So we have certain attributes of the contract that are important to us.”
More from the golf event in a bit, though I found out this bit of trivia regarding Eric Mangini. His first summer job in college was at the Meadow Brook Club - the site of today’s charity event – as a waiter. Longtime club manager Dennis Harrington, a Wesleyan grad, hired Mangini, who later that summer attended a Jets practice at Hofstra for the first time. The Jets PR staff now has something new it can add to Mangini's media guide bio. You're welcome, Bruce, Dave, Meghan, Jared and, the ones who will probably have to do most of the work, this year's interns, Matt and Christie.
Also, Tannenbaum hit an 8-iron from 160 yards to about 18 inches on the par-3 ninth hole to win a closest-to-the-pin contest. That can probably stay out of the media guide. As should the fact that his stacked team that finished 11-under included Bob Miller, who works as one of the Jets' regular practice officials. But more relevant to today's activities, Miller is the head pro and manager of Bergen Point Golf Club in West Babylon. Now that's a good draft pick.
Comments (6)
Hey Eric- I agree with everyone else- Great Job!!!!
Any news on possibly siging the OT Shane Olivea....I read that he supposedly had an agreement with a team that he would sign in June- the added depth would be great!
Also - any possibility of trading for Lito Sheppard now that he's skipping workouts in Philly?
Ganggreen31, thanks. Everything I've heard is that the Jets are not that team. I do agree depth on the O-line is a concern. As for Sheppard, the Jets weren't interested in early March when it was apparent Sheppard was on the trading block and not much has changed. The way Justin Miller has been worked in with the first team over the last three weeks of OTA's suggests they're pretty confident he'll be able to win that starting spot opposite Revis. This week's minicamp, longer and more intense than the OTAs, should give us a better look.
Erik,
This guy Nate Garner is a big dude and he was at least a part of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones' success this past season. You think maybe down the line a few years this guy has the chance to be a solid depth tackle?
Bryan, Garner certainly was a late-bloomer at Arkansas (he didn't start until his senior year, which is unusual for a top O-lineman), but that said, he did his job well in the nation's top conference, the SEC. He steadily improved year to year. His size alone makes him a worth-while project and to answer your question, there's a decent chance Garner will stick, though I'm not sure I'd expect anything big from him this year.
Oh, and Erik, one more thing. You're easily my favorite Jets beat writer; the promptness and thoroughness of your responses only enhance an already solid blog.
Thanks, Bryan. Glad you enjoy the blog.