April 26th, 2008 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
The Jets wanted Darren McFadden, but in the end they are happy with the player they got – DE Vernon Gholston of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Last season in 13 games he had 37 tackles, and had a whopping 14 sacks, a number the Jets would have no problem with in the Pros. He will likely stand up and play LB in Jets defense, and will be called upon often to be a player to make plays. He was one of just two players to have a sack against Chris Long, the number one pick OL that went to the Dolphins. He’s actually a pick that was cheered by the Jets fans…go figure.
Here is a scouting report on Gholston from NFLdraftcountdown.com
Strengths:
A terrific athlete…Good speed and quickness…Has a cut muscular physique…Very strong with good power…Has an outstanding motor…Does a solid job against the run…Has excellent range and is a terror in pursuit…Is able to get pressure off the edge or as a bull rusher…Good tackler…A hard worker with top intangibles…Very productive…Versatile and can play more than one position…Still has some upside.
Weaknesses:
Needs to be more consistent…Questionable awareness and instincts…Undersized if he were to play defensive end…Does not have a lot of experience dropping into coverage…Has some work to do when it comes to technique…May have to learn a new position at the pro level…At times he gets by on his natural ability…Does not have an elite burst…Some durability issues…A better athlete than football player?
Notes:
Could be either a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL…Broke his left hand in the ’05 season opener and redshirted…Beat Michigan’s Jake Long for the only sack he surrendered as a senior..A workout warrior with rare physical tools but he was also very productive..Can be a Shawn Merriman type of player at the next level with some development..The best pure pass rusher in the ’08 Draft.
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