04/27 — We offer one last Draft 2008 blog to wrap up newyorkjets.com's coverage, this one about quarterbacks.

Specifically, Mike Tannenbaum and then Eric Mangini came down after Round 7 was in the books to give their views of the draft. But both men were asked about the Jets' QB depth chart. Nothing much has changed in how they view the battle ahead, although the head coach and the GM both commented about the remade depth chart now that Erik Ainge has joined Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens as well as Brett Ratliff.

"I like Chad and I like Kellen," Mangini said when asked if the drafting of Ainge in the fifth round rather than another QB higher showed confidence in his holdover veterans. "And with Erik now, it's going to be a good group. We'll see how Erik develops. It's going to take some time, but I think he'll fit in well in that room."

"We like both those guys and again, the best player will play," Tannenbaum said. "They'll both compete throughout the summer. And we've added another one in Erik and he'll be thrown into the mix as well and the best players will play. But with Chad and Kellen and an improved offensive line, we're looking for improvement in the offense this year."

Taking It to the Street

Both men excused themselves after roughly five-minute media sessions to get back upstairs "and sign some free agents."

That's what happens as soon as the draft is over as 32 sets of draft teams feverishly try to convince undrafted college players to come to their operation.

This year the Jets have a smaller number of slots for street FAs to fill. With no NFL Europa, there are no roster exemptions and all teams must go to camp with no more than 80 players. The Jets had 66 on their roster before the draft, added six the last two days and will cut one player — Tannenbaum wouldn't say who because the player hasn't been notified yet — leaving nine spaces available.

But Mike T wasn't changing his tune about the Jets still having the welcome sign on the doors to Weeb Ewbank Hall.

"If anybody's listening to this live," he said, referring to the streaming video of his news conference online, "we're the land of opportunity. We've had a lot of undrafted free agents make it here, be it Wallace Wright, Stacy Tutt, Rob Turner, Mike DeVito, so there's great opportunity here."

And that was one more subtle message that while the Jets have done a lot of work at reshaping their team for the season ahead, the process will continue through tonight, through June 1, through first and final cuts to add even more pieces to the Green & White puzzle.