This isn’t a great year to own high-end draft picks. The quarterback class isn’t regarded as strong, though I predict there will be teams that will look to move up in April to select their preferred target. There always are.
The Jets, who went 4-13 last season and have needs at most positions, should be all over that to gain additional rolls of the dice by trading down from either their No. 4 or No, 10 overall slots in the first round.
Assuming for this purpose that they don’t find a good deal, they’ll have to make the best of the picks they own. Here then, is my first run at a three-round Jets Mock Draft, using the ProFootballNetwork.com simulator—bear in mind that the NFL Combine is a little over a week away (if agents don’t direct the players to boycott the physical testing over COVID-19 protocols) and the results always sway all these sites’ models:
1st Round (No. 4): George Karlaftis, edge rusher (Purdue)
Many draftniks have Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux dropping down to New York, but that further underscores the flaws in so many of these players at the top of this draft. If, as in this simulation, he’s off the board, the Jets would do well to gobble up the Boilermaker, who, if not to provide insurance for Carl Lawson, who was out all last season after tearing his Achilles, can ably be plugged into Head Coach Robert Saleh’s heavy defensive line rotation. Some have compared him to former Purdue star and current Eagle Ryan Kerrigan. Kalaftis’ combine results will surely be dissected, since he’s known more for his strength and quickness than his length and pure speed, but if he comes out of it without showing warts, he would be a solid pick over a redundant tackle like Alabama’s Evan Neal or NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu.
1st round (No. 10): Drake London, wide receiver (USC)
In spite of my fears that he’ll be Denzel Mims 2.0—without the blazing speed, no less--I’m starting to come around on London, who is supposed to be way more physical getting off the line of scrimmage than the Jets’ 2020 second-round bust. The line on London is that he’s always open even when he’s covered due to his 6-foot 5 frame and contested-catch efficiency (19 in just eight games last season before fracturing his ankle, per ProFootballFocus.com). He’s also a bit underrated in his elusiveness after the catch, with 24 missed tackles forced. He’s just what quarterback Zach Wilson needs in the red zone. I have doubts that he’ll be a WR1 right out of the gate, but my preliminary research on the other contenders at the position haven’t wowed me either. Look, If Corey Davis has a repeat of his 2021 season, the Jets can then get out of his contract relatively pain free and by 2023, London just might be ready to handle the burden.
2nd round (No. 35): Trent McDuffie, cornerback (Washington)
Connor Hughes recently posted a piece in The Athletic about how Jets General Manager Joe Douglas hosted an organization-wide sit-down prior to the 2020 Draft to gain insight into the characteristics Saleh and his staff were looking for in their players. McDuffie, maybe more so than LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. and Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, is tailor-made for the Jets’ scheme. McDuffie thrived in zone coverage, allowing just 16 catches on 36 targets for 111 yards and no touchdowns in 296 coverage snaps over 11 games, per PFF. Though only 5-foot 11, some scouting reports rave about his tackling—limiting yards after the catch has been an ongoing issue for Gang Green. Again, plenty of mocks have McDuffie as a first-round talent, but since he was available here, it was an easy pick.
2nd round (No. 38): Trey McBride, tight end (Colorado State)
A bit of a reach here, but he’ll surely be gone before the Jets pick again in Round 3. Ideally, the Jets would move down about 10 slots while acquiring a later round pick, but at least they secured a position of dire need with the winner of the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end. Tom Middleton, New York’s tight ends coach who ran McBride’s team at the Senior Bowl earlier this month, had plenty of nice things to say about him, though he noted that his run blocking is a work in progress. With Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur infatuated with two-tight end formations last season despite the absolute dearth of talent in the room, the Jets need to clean house and start fresh. McBride, who caught 91 balls in 122 targets over 12 games last season, should at least give them a threat in the passing game that they haven’t had since Dustin Keller, who was the last Jets tight end with over 50 receptions in a season back in 2011.
3rd round (No. 69): Brian Asamoah II (Oklahoma)
Think Quincy Williams, with more upside. The book on Asamoah has him possessing Williams’ sideline-to-sideline speed and tackling brutality while also being susceptible to gaffes in his reads. However, the scouting reports suggest that those errors became less frequent as last season wore on—his missed tackle rate, per PFF, was a terrific 1.2% (Williams clocked in at 12.1% last season, and that put him in the top half of Jets linebackers). Still, Asamoah would be more of a third-down specialist as he’s too light to take on NFL blockers. If he can cover in space, that alone would make him worthy of the selection.