New York Jets trade for St Louis Rams running back Zac Stacy
Sunday 3 May 2015 12:03, UK
The New York Jets have added Zac Stacy to mix in their backfield after trading a seventh-round draft pick to the St Louis Rams to acquire the running back.
Stacy was surplus to requirements in St Louis after the Rams selected Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the 10th pick of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday.
The move put the 24-year-old Stacy fourth on the Rams depth chart behind Gurley, Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham.
Stacy, who is entering his third NFL season, was a standout performer for the Rams as a rookie as he ran for 973 yards and seven touchdowns after winning the starting job during the season.
But the former Vanderbilt standout was limited to just 293 yards last season as he lost his job to Mason and asked to be released or traded after Gurley was selected.
With uncertainty at the quarterback position, the Jets are likely to lean on the running game and Stacy joins Chris Ivory, Stevan Ridley and Bilal Powell in the backfield.
The Jets made a splash elsewhere on Day 3 of the NFL Draft by selecting Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty with in the fourth round with the 103rd overall pick.
The Jets traded up one spot from the 104th overall pick to stave off interest from the Browns who were also interested in taking Petty.
Petty (6'3", 230), who was the fifth QB drafted, threw for 3,855 yards, 29 TDs and seven INTs as a senior in college and he is likely to sit behind veterans Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith as he transitions from Baylor’s spread scheme to a pro-style offence.
"I think I'm a guy that can make any throw, a guy that's kind of always had the ability to be a leader and rally guys around him, and I think that's important as a quarterback," Petty said.
"All those things you want from a quarterback intangibly, I feel like I have them. Physically, I'm tough to bring down, I'm always fighting for that extra yard."
He added there are similarities between his system at Baylor and coordinator Chan Gailey's offensive scheme.
"When we went over stuff with Coach Gailey and Coach [Kevin] Patullo, honestly, a lot of the stuff was the same as far as schematically or concept-wise as what we did at Baylor.
“It was a good fit so I was really excited about getting that call."
