NFL: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

The Jets have mixed feelings about Christian Hackenberg. (Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports)

MOBILE, Ala. -- The NFL world convened this week at the Senior Bowl. The Jets sent a full contingent of coaches, scouts, and executives, including head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan.

As Bowles and Maccagnan try to save their jobs in 2017, coming off last season's 5-11 debacle, here is what we heard in Mobile this week about all things Jets and NFL Draft:

Christian Hackenberg optimism? The report was a damning assessment of a rookie quarterback. According to ESPN, an anonymous Jets coach said the second-round draft pick "couldn't hit the ocean" with a pass, and team officials said he "regressed" during the season. Not all felt this way. There was some sense among the coaching staff that Hackenberg did get better throughout the season. All will wait until spring practices to see how much better. In the meantime, there are clearly mixed feelings about Hackenberg within the organization.

Ryan Anderson on Jets' radar. Alabama outside linebacker Tim Williams is still (arguably) the best pass rusher in this draft, but the Jets "love" Anderson, his pass-rushing partner, according to a source close to the situation. He has good size (6-2, 253), was productive (61 tackles, 8.5 sacks last season), and looks the part of an NFL player. From talking to him this week, he's a no-nonsense, nasty (in a good way) guy. If he slips to the second round, he could be the Jets' pick.

Todd Bowles filling out his staff? Dennard Wilson was recently hired as the Jets' secondary coach. (We caught up with him Tuesday.) Among the Jets' remaining assistant coaching openings -- defensive line. Could Brentson Buckner be a target? He has been the Cardinals' defensive line coach since 2013, so Bowles knows him well. (Bowles was Arizona's defensive coordinator from 2013-14.) Still, Buckner to the Jets seems unlikely. They can't offer him a promotion, and Arizona coach Bruce Arians might not let Buckner go even if he wants to join a hot-seat coach, Bowles. But a league source said Bowles likes Buckner a lot as a potential replacement for Pepper Johnson.

Weak offensive line, quarterback draft class. Arguably the Jets' two biggest needs are at offensive tackle and quarterback. This just isn't the best draft class for either. Some talent evaluators love quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (Clemson), Mitch Trubisky (North Carolina), and DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame). Others don't. Some love tackles Cam Robinson (Alabama) and Ryan Ramczyk (Wisconsin). Others don't. There's no set consensus at this point.

Mitch Trubisky to Jets? It seems unlikely he'll fall to them at No. 6. But even though Trubisky has just one full year of college starting experience, one AFC scout who observed him believes he is the real deal.

Small-school prospects to watch. The scout was less high on Bucknell offensive tackle Julie'n Davenport, a lean player (6-7, 315) from Paulsboro. On the other side of the line, the scout really likes another long, lean player -- Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (6-7, 290). Keep an eye him on. He's been getting a lot of buzz lately, and the scout said Kpassagnon is legit. But it's probably unlikely the Jets would pick him. They have enough defensive linemen.

Initial plan for when Chan Gailey retired? One hope was quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo would be his successor. This fell through because of how much the Jets' offense struggled in 2016. Bowles still likes Patullo, but didn't want to give him the promotion, and couldn't force him on a new offensive coordinator. Normally, an offensive coordinator prefers to pick his own quarterbacks coach.

The Jets doing their homework on tight ends. The Jets might not have an offensive coordinator (yet), but they were doing a ton of homework on the tight ends (as you'd figure) at the Senior Bowl. NJ Advance Media confirmed meetings with O.J. Howard (Alabama), Gerald Everett (South Alabama), Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas), and Evan Engram (Mississippi). The Jets likely won't select any of them with the No. 6 pick, but they could be options if they're available in Rounds 2 or 3.

Former Jets assistants in Mobile. Two fired Jets assistants, Patullo and outside linebackers coach Mark Collins, were spotted in Mobile, as they looked for new jobs. Patullo's search continues. Collins was hired by the Jaguars to coach all of their linebackers. Unemployed assistant coaches typically swing by the Senior Bowl to network and find work, since much of the league is in Mobile that week.

Calvin Pryor trade possibility? Pryor, the Jets' 2014 first-round pick, is entering Year 4. He hasn't been a huge difference maker so far. The Jets have to decide this offseason whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2018 (which doesn't become a meaningful, binding decision until next offseason). They could also trade him. One trade possibility floated by a league source: Pryor to the Seahawks for Germain Ifedi, a first-round pick last year. Ifedi was Seattle's right guard last season, but he has a background at right tackle. The Jets are expected to cut right tackle Breno Giacomini. And this draft's tackle class is weak, remember.

How well does John Morton know Bowles? The Jets interviewed Morton, the Saints' wide receivers coach, for their offensive coordinator opening. Morton doesn't have any background with Bowles, in terms of knowing him well. Morton became somewhat familiar with Bowles and his approach from 2013-14, when Bowles coordinated Arizona's defense and Morton was the 49ers' receivers coach. (UPDATE: The Jets hired Morton to be their offensive coordinator.)

Centers to watch. If the Jets cut Nick Mangold, to save about $9 million in salary cap space, they could be looking for a center in this draft. Mangold's replacement in 2016, Wesley Johnson, is a restricted free agent. Among centers at the Senior Bowl, West Virginia's Tyler Orlosky and LSU's Ethan Pocic are considered legit, while Baylor's Kyle Fuller falls more into the "just a guy" category.

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.