The New York Jets have waived TE Joe Kowalewski and FB Stacy Tutt. The announcement was made by Jets’ General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Kowalewski (6-4, 250, Syracuse), signed as an undrafted free agent on May 15, 2006, after attending a rookie mini-camp as a tryout player. In 13 NFL games, with two starts, Kowalewski recorded 18 yards and one touchdown on five receptions. He spent the entire 2006 season as a member of the Jets’ practice squad.

Tutt (6-1, 233, Richmond), played in nine games and recorded seven special team tackles in 2007 before being placed on injured reserve on Nov. 17. Originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 12, 2006, he spent the first 13 games of the 2006 season on the practice squad before being elevated to the active roster on Dec. 16, 2006. He contributed on offense and special teams in two games as a rookie, but did not record any statistics.

There was a drop-off at the quarterback position after Matt Ryan was chosen third overall by Atlanta. Not until the 56th and 57th selections did we hear another gunslinger’s name called.With the 25th pick in the second round, Green Bay selected Louisville’s Brian Brohm. It will be interesting to see how Aaron Rodgers performs in his first full season as the starter following Brett Favre’s retirement. If he gets off to a slow start, the Packer faithful may start calling for Brohm.The next pick went to Miami, who tabbed Michigan’s Chad Henne, who will be joining a group that includes Cleo Lemon and John Beck. It should be a wide open competition with the winner getting to stand in the pocket behind Jake Long, the Dolphins’ new left tackle and overall number one pick this year. 

Gang Green moved up to number 30, but did not select safety Kenny Phillips. In a bit of  surprise, the Jets selected tight end Dustin Keller of Purdue, which may spell the end of Chris Baker’s days in East Rutherford.  Predictably, Phillips went next to the Giants, who must have been glad to see their stadium mates pass on the U of Miami product. 

Darren McFadden will be compared to Lawrence Phillips on more occasions than Adrian Peterson when his career is over - which will be sooner than later.  If that appears to be a bold statement, it was supposed to be. Character issues and off-the-field incidents are expected in Oakland, so McFadden will fit right in. This player had two incidents in college at nightclubs, and is also the subject of three paternity tests. Not exactly the type of guy that I want on my team.Phillips, who fell to the sixth spot to St. Louis in the 1996 NFL Draft, had only one incident in college, which was worse in nature and nearly ended his career at that level. His life after his drafting reads like a script from one of the “Law & Order” series’ and is a proverbial mess.Does any of this mean that McFadden will follow in these footsteps? Certainly not, but the chances are there, and they are quite good. He will be a rich young man in California, one that has already treaded water. With the NFL cracking down on conduct of late, would it really be a surprise if McFadden misses a month with a suspension during his rookie campaign? The bright side? It will not really matter and probably will only cause the Raiders to win one less game than the three or four they are expected to. 

The Tennessee Titans made a peculiar choice by taking East Carolina RB Chris Johnson with the 24th overall pick. The team signed former Dallas RB Julius Jones as a free agent in the offseason and then chose the undersized (5′11, 197) Johnson.Johnson was not even  on most mock draft boards in the first round, and was fifth back off the board. The crowd at RCMH did not appear to be appreciative of the selection once it was announced. 

The Panthers traded away their second, fourth and next year’s first round pick to Philadelphia, moving up from the second round to their second first rounder after choosing RB Jonathan Stewart at number 13.With the selection, Carolina took the fourth tackle to go, Jeff Otah from Pittsburgh. A risky trade, considering the team had a bad season and is no lock to make the playoffs. Their 2009 pick could end up being a top-10. Ouch! 

What some are calling a reach, Delaware’s Joe Flacco became the second QB taken in the first round when the Baltimore Ravens tabbed him with the 18th pick. Baltimore had traded down with Jacksonville from the eighth spot, stockpiling picks from the Jags.They ended up using some of those acquired selections to move up and grab Flacco, who was rumored to be going either in the second round or very late first. 

Perhaps the second biggest day circled on the NFL calendar after the Super Bowl is draft day. Once again, Radio City Music Hall will host the gala event, and Mel Kiper, Jr. will lose his voice, no doubt, over the exciting two days. 

 The inside is a sight to see. The grand stage is decorated in its football best, and the two television stages (ESPN and The NFL Network) are set up across from one another, but within eye contact to give one the impression that they are at a standoff at the OK Corral. 

Three hours prior to ‘kickoff,’ the doors begin to open and the masses of fans and media begin to file in, as if they were waiting for this all year, to which no doubt the majority has.

What is the common denominator every year at the NFL Draft? Expect the unexpected, and don’t act surprised once something happens. Last April, the biggest ‘oohs and ahs’ took place when the Miami Dolphins passed on Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and selected wide receiver/kick returner Ted Ginn, Jr. of Ohio State at number nine. The gold domer Quinn waited in the green room until the Cleveland Browns rescued him at number 22 following a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

Who will be feeling queazy like Quinn this year? Which player will be the ‘reach’ and have his name called long before he expected it?

The Dolphins did take the mystery out of their selection, the first overall, when they came to a multi-year agreement with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long during the week. Basically, the St. Louis Rams have been on the clock since Tuesday and have had more than the new time frame of 10 minutes per selection because of Long’s signing.

First Round Busts Throughout Jets History Mark Organization

On Saturday afternoon at Radio City Music Hall, the New York Jets will make their selection, the sixth overall, at approximately 4:00 pm. While this year’s crop seems deep as far as the top picks go, it is possible that Gang Green will be left with a difficult decision, depending of course on what the teams picking ahead of them do.

A defensive end or running back? A quarterback? Trade down to acquire more picks, especially the all-important, but overlooked Day Two selections?

It is imperative that general manager Mike Tannenbaum makes the right choice, especially in the first round where an impact player can be found. Coming off a 4-12 season, the Jets had visits from 30 college players who are entering the draft for interviews.

“It’s part of the process,” Tannenbaum said at the team’s Pre-Draft Press Conference last week. “We take players out to dinner. It’s just part of the evaluation process.”

Besides picking up the check, another part of that process is deciding on picking a player that is ready to contribute now or one that may need some seasoning. “We factor in those variables when we make the decision,” said Tannenbaum. “At the end of the day, we want to take the best player for us. We’re going to factor in his upside, his work ethic, his position. All those factors will go into the decision.”

Whoever the team tabs in the first round, hopefully that player will not be remembered as a bust, which can set an organization back many years. Looking back through the past 10 years, there have been some good choices (first player chosen), as well as some others that have not panned out as well.

2007 – Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh – The Jets traded up to select Revis at number 14, who ended up starting for the team and contributing all season long.

2006 – D’Brickashaw Ferguson, T, Virginia – A popular pick at the time, but Ferguson has not lived up to his billing. The jury is still out on the overall number four choice.

2005 – Mike Nugent, K, Ohio State – The Jets did not have a first round choice, and selected the diminutive placekicker 47^th overall. An average kicker, at best.

2004 – Jonathan Vilma, LB, Miami – The former Pro Bowler could not adjust to head coach Eric Mangini’s 3-4 defensive system and was dealt this offseason to New Orleans for draft choices. A good choice at number 12 that would have excelled in the old scheme.

2003 – DeWayne Robertson, DT, Kentucky – A disappointment, especially after the team traded up to grab him at number four. Was traded to Denver for an undisclosed draft pick the week of the ’08 draft.

2002 -  Bryan Thomas, DE, Alabama-Birmingham – After rejuvenating his career in ’06, Thomas was re-signed and then had a lousy campaign a year ago. Switching to OLB in the 3-4 system, this may be the former 22^nd pick’s last season with the team if he puts out another bad effort.

2001- Santana Moss, WR, Miami – The fast, but small wideout has had a nice career for the Jets and later the Redskins, enough to justify his number 16 pick.

2000 – Shaun Ellis, DE, Tennessee – Similar to Thomas, Ellis was re-signed after performing at a high level, but came back down to earth in 2007. He was chosen 12^th, the first of four first round picks the Jets had that year (John Abraham, Chad Pennngton and Anthony Becht being the other three).

1999 – Randy Thomas, G, Mississippi State – With no first round pick, the big lineman was chosen with the 57^th choice overall in Round 2. He has been a starter throughout, first with the Jets and later with Washington after signing with the ‘Skins as a free agent.

1998 – Dorian Boose, DE, Washington State – Another second round choice, 56^th overall. Did not make an impact and disappeared without many people noticing.

So what does all of this tell us for Saturday? Nothing and everything. The pick may be lauded at the time, such as Ferguson and Robertson were. The Jets have the following players still on their roster from the above 10 drafts: Revis, Ferguson, Nugent, Thomas and Ellis. Revis is the only one who is making a difference on the field, and he has only done it for his rookie season. He needs to keep doing what he did a year ago and build on that.

There is no such thing as a sure thing or a safe pick. Seeing who has come and gone in the past decade prove that.

The New York Jets have traded DT Dewayne Robertson to the Denver Broncos for an undisclosed draft pick. The Jets also waived the following players: RB Alvin Banks, CB Manny Collins, LB Jerry Mackey, and WR Shaine Smith. The announcements were made by Jets’ General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Robertson (6-1, 310, Kentucky) started 75 games for the Jets in five seasons, compiling 319 total tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In 2007, Robertson started 15 games, registering 74 tackles and four sacks. Robertson was the Jets first selection, fourth overall, in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Banks (5-10, 225, James Madison), who was added to the Jets practice squad Dec. 9, was first signed by the Jets on May 12 as an undrafted rookie free agent and was waived on Sept. 1.  He rushed for 11 yards on five carries during the preseason.  He finished his career third in James Madison history in rushing yards (2,694) and rushing attempts (551), fifth in rushing touchdowns (28) and had 11 career 100-yard rushing games.

Collins (5-10, 190, Rutgers) was added to the Jets practice squad Dec. 19. He was originally signed by the Jets as an undrafted rookie free agent on Aug. 2, waived on Sept. 1, signed to the Jets practice squad on Sept. 3, released on Oct. 10, re-signed to the practice squad on Nov. 13 and released on Nov. 29.  He recorded 68 tackles, two interceptions and four fumble recoveries during four seasons at Rutgers.

Mackey (6-1, 233, Syracuse) who was added to the Jets practice squad Dec. 9, signed with the Jets on Aug. 4 before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 21 for an undisclosed draft pick. He was waived by the Buccaneers on Sept. 1, signed to the Jets practice squad on Oct. 4 and released on Oct. 29.  He played four years at Syracuse, recording 202 tackles (106 solo), three sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.  The Freeport, NY, native earned All-Nassau County and All-Long Island honors as a senior at Freeport HS and is a great nephew of NFL Hall-of-Famer John Mackey.

Smith (6-2, 189, Hofstra), who was added to the Jets practice squad Dec. 9, originally signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 10 and was waived on Aug. 31.  He played two seasons at Hofstra University, recording 61 catches for 951 yards and nine touchdowns after transferring from Nassau (NY) Community College.  As a senior, he caught 60 passes for 951 yards and nine touchdowns and recorded four 100-yard games.