Taking Another Crack At A Jets Mock Draft
NFL Draft week has finally arrived. By the end of Thursday night, everyone’s mock drafts for the first round can be tossed in the trash or deleted from hard drives.
You know how no one has ever submitted a perfect bracket for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament? I’d bet the same one-in-a-kajillion odds apply to anyone who has ever attempted to nail the first 32 picks.
This year’s Draft seems to be even more of a guess, as there isn’t even a 75% consensus on who will go No. 1. With no “sure things”, it’s not a great year to have a high pick.
Of course, the Jets have two of them, at Nos. 4 and 10. I’m still holding out hope that some quarterback-needy team will pay the Jets handsomely to trade up and secure its top target, but most experts feel that there won’t be as big a windfall for selling teams as in past years.
Oh well. Understanding that every mock draft simulator will be different, I used the three most searched sites (Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Network, The Draft Network) to get rid of outliers.
Here’s my final picks:
1st Round (No. 4): Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge rusher (Oregon)
The polarizing edge rusher was a top-2 pick in several simulations. NBC’s Peter King thinks he’ll drop to 13. It wouldn’t be shocking if the noise emanating about Thibodeaux’s character was made with the intent that he does fall. In my view, I don’t see how the Jets pass up on such an explosive player who at worst would fill in on passing downs in Head Coach Robert Saleh’s defensive line rotation, so I’m sticking with this pick.
1st Round (No, 10): Garrett Wilson, wide receiver (Ohio State)
This is still a toss-up for me among whoever the Jets list as the best receiver in the class, only now another name has risen into the mix, with Alabama’s Jameson Williams joining Wilson and USC’s Drake London. Jets General Manager Joe Douglas has to be absolutely sure about Williams’ recovery from the torn ACL he suffered in January—Douglas needs to get quarterback Zach Wilson some help immediately, not in, say, December. For those hoping New York sells the farm in a trade to get San Francisco weapon Deebo Samuel, maybe just selecting Wilson will return a greater overall value. Wilson had only four rushing attempts last season, but do you know how many Samuel had in 12 games during his last season at South Carolina? Eight.
2nd round (No. 35): Jaquan Brisker, safety (Penn State)
I went with the slightly higher-rated Brisker over Baylor’s Jalen Pitre this time, as Brisker is a bit bigger without giving up speed and athleticism. He projects to be more of a box safety but PFF gave him an 80 grade in his 165 snaps when lined up as the deep man last season. Maybe he’ll make up for Douglas’ reach for Ashtyn Davis in 2020—Brisker is a real football player, not just an impressive athlete.
2nd Round (No. 38): Bernhard Raimann, tackle (Central Michigan)
Jets starting tackle George Fant was introduced to football as a tight end. So was Raimann, an athletic yet fundamentally sound pass blocker who will improve in the run game as he adds weight. I had to check with a fourth simulator to make sure Raimann would still be on the board since PFF projects him as a first-rounder. Since he was, I can see Douglas going the insurance route in taking a player who allowed only one sack in his last two college seasons, per PFF,
3rd Round (No. 69): Channing Tindall, linebacker (Georgia)
Oklahoma’s Brian Asamoah is a more polished prospect, but when I read one scouting report that said he needed to be “protected in the run game,” my reply was, “Pass.” The Jets have enough of those undersized, converted-safety types who struggle in that area. With his sideline-to-sideline speed and ferocity, Tindall, at the very least, is a guy you want spying on Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
4th Round: (No. 111): Jelani Woods, tight end (Virginia)
The Jets addressed the position in free agency with the signings of C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, so they can afford to take a bit of a risk on an athletic freak in Woods, who, at 6-foot 7, projects to be a red-zone beast. Other parts of Woods’ game, such as route-running, developing his hands (five drops in 71 targets last season), and run blocking, need developing, but I believe Douglas’ plan always involved bringing in a young tight end who wouldn’t be pressured to contribute right away.
4th Round (No. 117): Pierre Strong Jr., running back (South Dakota State)
The Jets need playmakers and Strong Jr. is a threat to go the distance on every touch. Though PFF compares him to Gang Green back Tevin Coleman, the scouting reports don’t consider Strong Jr. a big yards-after-contact guy. He also has Ty Johnson’s dropsies issue, but if he can get that fixed, he’d be an intriguing weapon in the passing game.
5th Round (#146): Bo Melton, wide receiver (Rutgers)
Another burner, though this may be wishful thinking on my part as a Rutgers fan. He suffered through a slew of lousy QBs that limited his collegiate production, which means coming to New York won’t require much of an adjustment. At this stage, he’s a one-trick pony, but it’s a valuable trick.
5th Round (#163): Bailey Zappe, quarterback (Western Kentucky)
It’s best player available time, and per PFF, that’s Zappe, who’s scouting report reads a little like Wilson’s, only with about 70% of the arm strength and athleticism. He didn’t face strong competition or deal with much pressure, but he was insanely accurate on the short-to-intermediate routes. The Jets aren’t loaded at backup QB with just Joe Flacco and Mike White, so bringing in a competitor on a cheap contract isn’t the worst use of the pick.