N.F.L. Draft - Jets Are on the Board and on the Fence - NYTimes.com FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - One of the Jets" glaring needs heading into next week's N.F.L. draft is the same position that produced their biggest bust under General Manager Mike Tannenbaum. Of the eight outside linebackers on their draft board, seven played defensive end in college, like Vernon Gholston, taken sixth over all in 2008. The Jets released him in March 2011 after three sackless seasons. "Anytime you're projecting a guy from one position to another position, the instincts play a big part in that," said Joey Clinkscales, the team's vice president for college scouting. You learn from those mistakes, but I don't think you can be gun-shy about going back to the position. And so, with the No. 16 pick, the Jets may try again to nab that dominant outside pass-rusher for their 3-4 defensive scheme. The primary candidates include Courtney Upshaw (Alabama), Quinton Coples (North Carolina) and Melvin Ingram (South Carolina), all of whom Clinkscales praised Thursday during the Jets" predraft news conference, some more than others. His concern that Coples performed better as a junior than he did last season, for instance, could be nothing more than a decoy. The Jets were more philosophical than hypothetical when discussing their draft plans, revealing little beyond their willingness to make aggressive moves. If the presence of Tim Tebow, who will probably assume several roles in the Jets" offense despite being characterized repeatedly as their backup quarterback, affects their thinking at all, Tannenbaum would not say, instead calling his versatility "a subtle tiebreaker." "We want the best wide receiver available, the best offensive guard available, the best tight end available," Clinkscales said. We're not going to specifically draft a guy or not draft a guy because of what particular players might do, especially if he's the backup. With the Jets, draft-day deals are all but inevitable. Aside from their pass rush, they would like to improve at offensive tackle, receiver and safety, though Clinkscales intimated that Mark Barron (Alabama), considered the best safety available, might not fit their man-to-man defense. In recent years, they have traded up to select, among others, Mark Sanchez, Darrelle Revis and David Harris, and with 10 picks (including four compensatory selections, which cannot be traded), Tannenbaum can get creative. "I really don't know what we're going to do," Tannenbaum said, "but I do like having the flexibility." This is a critical draft for the Jets, who in the last two years have fared better with late-round picks (Jeremy Kerley, Joe McKnight and John Conner) than with the first-round selections Muhammad Wilkerson and Kyle Wilson, and the second-rounder Vlad Ducasse. And by not restocking through free agency - so far, they have added only safety LaRon Landry and Chaz Schilens - the Jets have more needs at this stage than in recent off-seasons. This year, the Jets" scouting department evaluated 1,450 players, filed 6,000 reports and visited 265 colleges. Terry Bradway, the team's senior personnel executive, said the draft class was deepest at running back, wide receiver and cornerback. Bradway suggested that as many as nine running backs, sprinkled throughout the first five rounds, could contribute this season. Even though Tannenbaum insisted he was pleased with the "nucleus" of Shonn Greene, McKnight and Bilal Powell, the Jets, who have emphasized power running with the new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, are likely to augment that group. With Santonio Holmes as their only proven receiver, the Jets are interested in providing Sanchez with a bona-fide No. 2 option. Clinkscales gushed about receiver Michael Floyd from Notre Dame, who, if available, could be the offensive player most likely to be drafted by the Jets in the first round. The crop of offensive tackles is shallow, Bradway said, which could create an opportunity for internal options. There's a Jeremy Lin story in the N.F.L., and why can't it be in that locker room? Why can't it be Caleb Schlauderaff? Tannenbaum said, referring to a guard drafted in the sixth round last year by the Packers who is now a Jet.