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          New York Jets

          Jets should focus on quarterback and everything else at combine

          Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson will get attention from the Jets and every team looking for an interior OL. Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire
          • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 27, 2018, 01:00 PM
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              Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
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          A closer look at the positions the New York Jets could target at the NFL combine in Indianapolis:

          Positions of need: Let's make it easy and list the positions that don't need to be addressed -- free safety and strong safety (Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams, respectively). The Jets are open for business everywhere else, which tells you why they won only five games last season.

          Narrowing it down, the positions under the microscope will be quarterback (naturally), offensive line (mainly center), cornerback and edge rusher.

          At quarterback, the Jets are poised to make a big-time run at prospective free agent Kirk Cousins, but that doesn't mean general manager Mike Maccagnan will ignore the position at the combine. If he fails to land Cousins, he might have to go quarterback with the sixth pick in the draft. The combine provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the top passers under the same roof and, just as important, to interview them in a private setting.

          Three players the Jets should focus on at combine:

          Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: This will be the Jets' first opportunity to sit down with Rosen and get into his head. He's a marvelously talented passer, but there are questions about his leadership and passion for the game. He'd get chewed up in a tough market like New York if he's deficient in those areas. Rosen, Sam Darnold (USC) and Josh Allen (Wyoming) should excel during the on-field drills. It'll be interesting to see how the undersized Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) matches up with the classic pocket passers. Lamar Jackson (Louisville) probably doesn't fit the Jets' West Coast scheme because of his accuracy issues, but he's too talented to ignore.

          Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State: The Jets passed on a terrific Ohio State corner last year (Marshon Lattimore), and now there could be another staring them in the face. Scouts are curious to get an official height on Ward, who is listed at 5-foot-10. That's not ideal for the Jets' press-man scheme. They've picked three corners in the past two drafts, all measuring at least 6 feet. But Ward is a freakishly gifted athlete -- he could break 4.35 seconds in the 40 -- so the Jets have to pay attention.

          Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame: "He just destroyed people at the collegiate level," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. said. The Jets could use some of that on their offensive line, which struggled against stout defensive fronts. Nelson has to be a consideration with the sixth pick. His weight fluctuated in college, from 320 to 340, so personnel types will keep a close eye on his official weight at the combine.