It was 40 years ago when the Jets last drafted a defensive lineman out of Alabama in the first round. It was Marty Lyons, who went on to play 10 years for the Jets and become a star with the “Sack Exchange” defense.
Forty years later, the Jets hope they have drafted another defensive lineman out of Alabama who can be a mainstay on their defense for the next decade or more in Quinnen Williams.
“It’s exciting to have another Alabama guy come in 40 years later,” Lyons said Friday afternoon. “I’m excited for him.”
The Jets took Lyons 14th overall in 1979 and then took Mark Gastineau a round later in one of their best drafts.