In Mock Draft 2.0, Jets Use Saints’ Pain To Acquire Extra Pick

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Football injuries are awful, but they’re a business risk, which means they can present new opportunities.

The Saints’ misfortune surrounding the news that starting quarterback Derek Carr was contemplating surgery to repair his shoulder might have consequences that stretch beyond New Orleans. Since the 34-year old Carr’s guaranteed payments run out after this season, it might behoove the Saints to start looking for his replacement sooner rather than later.

The University of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is one such possibility, provided, of course, that he is still on the board when New Orleans is on the clock at No. 9 overall at the April 24 NFL Draft.

It just so happens that Sanders was available for the Jets at No. 7 in two of my three mock draft simulations (ProFootballNetwork.com, ProFootballFocus.com, and NFLMockDraftDatabase.com). All it took was the Saints’ third-round selection at No. 71 overall to make the trade for them to move up two first-round slots to secure their QB.

Whether such an opportunity is actualized remains to be seen (the Giants are reportedly taking another up-close look at Sanders on Thursday), but let’s play it out anyway, because if it does proceed on this course, the Jets need more bodies than they have picks for. Trading down would be the smart play for new General Manager Darren Mougey. Here’s my second try at a five-round Jets Mock Draft:

Round 1 (No. 9 overall): Armand Membou, Missouri tackle

In the simulations, the trade didn’t shut out the Jets from taking one of the consensus top two tackles in the class. Whereas LSU’s Will Campbell, my prediction in the prior 1.0 Mock, was gone, New York was able to select a more natural right tackle in Membou, who didn’t allow a sack or even a QB hit in 411 pass block snaps (129 “true” pass block sets, as tabulated by ProFootballFocus.com) all last season. With 2024 first-round pick Olu Fashanu manning the left side, the Jets hopefully found their bookends for the next decade.

Round 2 (No. 42 overall): Jayden Higgins, Iowa State wide receiver

The old regime had an affinity for Cyclones, drafting running back Breece Hall and edge rusher Will McDonald IV with high picks in back-to-back years while signing wide receiver Allen Lazard as a free agent. It just so happens that Lazard’s eventual replacement as the big target in the middle of the field might also come from the school—and perhaps without Lazard’s drop problem (there was a discrepancy in Higgins’ drop total from last season between PFF’s 5 and The Athletic’s 2; Lazard had an egregious 8 in 60 targets, by the way). Though Higgins didn’t play special teams in college, he is considered versatile and a willing blocker. That could be enough to get him on the field in Year 1.

Round 3 (No. 71 overall): Alfred Collins, Texas defensive tackle

With the extra pick, the Jets will able to add to their interior defensive line depth. I’m not quite sure Collins will be here at this spot, but South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders would be the consolation prize, albeit a smaller and more athletic version. Whereas Sanders is the better pass rusher, Collins is the run-stuffing tackle the Jets need to place next to Quinnen Williams.

Round 3 (No. 73 overall): Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green tight end

There’s a chance Miami’s Elijah Arroyo slips to this slot, but I almost prefer Fannin anyway, despite the lower profile collegiate experience. Neither is an outstanding blocker, so you’re looking at the slot/wingback position in 12 personnel packages anyway. Arroyo may have the better PFF drop stats, but he was targeted just 55 times in his Miami career versus Fannin’s 232 after he converted from safety. As I noted in my first mock, PFF had Fannin with 9 deep catches for 333 yards, the most in his Draft class. That’s good enough for me to overlook the 0.02 40-yard time difference.

Round 4 (No. 110 overall): Jonas Sanker, Virginia safety

In this simulation, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, the flyer I tabbed for the Jets in my first mock, was off the board, leaving suboptimal choices like Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Dillon Gabriel (Oregon). The Jets might get someone of that caliber in Round 5. So though Gang Green gave former Jaguar Andre Cisco plenty of green in free agency and retained Tony Adams, they still could use a box safety who can make plays in the run game. Sanker is a fantastic athlete who, if he doesn’t start right away, will make an impact on special teams. He was durable in college too, which is something to consider at the position.

Round 5 (No. 145 overall): Jared Ivey, Ole Miss edge rusher

We’re in best available territory now, and Ivey is coming off a pretty good year at Ole Miss. He is a bit older, turning 24 in December, but he has the physical attributes to help right away in a Jets defensive line rotation. At 6-foot 6 and 285 pounds, he might also contribute inside. Just like his PFF comp—John Franklin Myers, a familiar name to Jets fans.

Round 5 (No. 162 overall): Kyle McCord, Syracuse QB

I was mulling Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard here because the Jets offense might actually cater to the strength of new QB1 Justin Fields, and he’s a much better runner than McCord. Then again, the new Jets staff worked with Jared Goff in Detroit, and he is as immobile as they come. McCord’s comp is Baker Mayfield attitude without Mayfield’s physical gifts, which isn’t exactly an endorsement. But PFF gave McCord a high grade in throws under pressure despite his 12 picks last season. That’s because he is said to have advanced processing skills and can throw guys open. That would be a nice change in New York, and certainly worth a shot for their developmental QB3 position.