Fantasy Impact: New York Jets select Sheldon Richardson

The New York Jets have selected Sheldon Richardson with the 13^th overall pick. Richardson immediately burst onto the scene after joining Missouri for his junior year. With 37 tackles, eight for a loss, and two sacks, 2011 went about as well as anyone could have hoped for Richardson. But it didn’t end there, as Richardson came back in 2012 to double his tackle output with 75, while adding four sacks and three forced fumbles. Given the level of competition that he routinely faced in the SEC this season, you really don’t even have to watch the tape to know that Richardson is a defensive force with numbers like that. It’s the fact that you can almost go to any single piece of film on Richardson and come away impressed that makes him such an ideal prospect in this year’s class.

There really aren’t that many knocks on Richardson. Some things that tend to happen is he gets beat by stronger blockers, especially if he happens to come high off the snap. Those who want to get really knit-picky might even point to his limited time playing against FBS opponents, but the numbers and game tape should dispel any notion that Richardson is anything but a special player.

Players with Richardson’s skill set and versatility don’t come along too often, and when you have a player who grades out above-average to excellent almost entirely across the board, you know you really have a special player on your hands. With a devastating first step, Richardson will force opposing offensive lines to stay honest and always be aware of where he is on the field. His combination of quickness, agility, and hand work make him an absolute force on defense. With the versatility to play all over the defensive line, it’s pretty evident why teams would want to spend an early round pick on him.

College statistics courtesy of Sports Reference.

Fantasy Impact

The Jets had a need for some muscle up front and didn’t hesitate to snatch one of the top rated defensive tackles in this year’s draft in Sheldon Richardson. With Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples book-ending the Jets defensive line, it’s possible that Richardson is rotated in to spell each of them during the early going. But the Jets only have Antonio Garay at nose tackle, which Richardson can play, and this could be a situation to monitor leading up to the regular season. Richardson could find his way to a significant amount of snaps right out of the gate, and help take attention away from Wilkerson and Coples on the ends.