Mike Mayock Thinks Chandler Jones is the Best Defensive Player in the NFL Draft

Mike Mayock, the terrific NBC/NFL Network announcer, declared Wednesday that Chandler Jones of Syracuse is the “best defensive player” in the 2012 draft. Haven’t seen enough for the 6-foot-5, 266-pound defensive end? Here’s some film.

Jones had 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles for the Orange in seven games in 2011. He wasn’t the Big East defensive player of the year (or even dominate the league, according to Bruce Feldman). He had four sacks in 13 games in 2010 and two as a freshman in 2009.

But some guy on twitter went back and found this gem from 2009: Mike Mayock declared that Robert Ayers of Tennessee was the “best defensive player” in the draft. In three seasons (42 games) with the Broncos, Ayers has 4.5 sacks. To call him a disappointment so far would be putting it mildly. A slew of defensive players from the 09 draft have disappointed so far – Jackson, Curry was traded, Maybin was cut (though he shone with the Jets last season), etc – and Ayers is among them.

Mildly interesting – at 6-foot-3, 273 pounds, Ayers … is an undersized (weight-wise, anyway) pass rusher, just like Jones. Ayers didn’t come close to dominating the SEC in his two years with the Vols.

Gosh, I hope the Jets don’t draft this guy if Melvin Ingram is off the board.