With the Jets’ season already fading from our memory it is never too early to start talking about the NFL Draft and with the conclusion of Saturday’s Senior Bowl, there were a number of players who stood out that would make sense for the Jets.

A rookie salary cap has been on the minds of NFL owners the last few years and with the collective bargaining agreement due to expire after the 2010 season, rookie wages will be the top issue during the negotiations. Because of this, a large number of juniors have already declared for the draft.

One of the keys coming into this game was Rex Ryan mixing it up defensively to confuse Peyton Manning yet it was surprising that Ryan stayed with a lot of man coverage. In these one-on-one match-ups, Dwight Lowery covered Pierre Garcon almost exclusively while Drew Coleman was responsible for Austin Collie.

Manning threw to Garcon 15 times overall and 12 times with Lowery in coverage. Lowery broke up one pass and Manning threw off target twice. Garcon caught 9 balls against him for 109 yards and a touchdown.

The Jets’ exciting post season run comes to an abrupt end. It has been a wild ride for Jets fans. From the surprising win over Indy in week 16 to the dominant win over the season finale against Cincinnati to close the Meadlowlands through the physical beat down they put on San Diego, the Jets seemed destined for a trip to the Super Bowl.

Getting so close and coming up short is devastating. It is so hard to get back to the Championship game; you have to take advantage of the opportunity when it is in front of you.

It has been easy for doubters to explain away the Jets’ late season surge for one reason or another. The Colts and Bengals rested their starters and handed them an easy win. In the wildcard game, they overtook a beat up Cincinnati club that had dropped three of its last four.

But against San Diego the Jets quieted the skeptics. By beating the Chargers, the Jets established themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Rex Ryan had the secondary playing a lot of deep zones in the first half. Although San Diego completed a lot of underneath passes, the strategy worked out well. The Chargers’ longest play from scrimmage in the half was 26 yards.

Ryan’s design intended to keep the plays in front of them and force the Chargers to work the length of the field for points. The fact that they mustered only 7 in the first half affirmed his strategy.