“Tackle The Draft”…get it? Because the Jets desperately need offensive line help?
Look, I’ll be the first to admit I was one of the Jets fans monitoring X (formerly Twitter) wondering when Jets General Manager Joe Douglas was going to start making deals work. The first notifications I saw were TE Kenny Yeboah and CB Isaiah Oliver signing one-year deals.
Not quite what any of us had in mind. It was around that point Jets fans started getting antsy and anxious and angry as all New York sports fans are quick to do. Guard Robert Hunt left Miami for Carolina, the Titans overpaid for Calvin Ridley, Mike Onwenu stayed put in New England, and Jonah Jackson went to the Rams. All positions the Jets desperately needed, and all names they were at some point tied to.
But credit to Joe Douglas for letting the market come to him. There were solid additions to the offensive line; Mike Williams is in-house to take some pressure off young star Garrett Wilson; and the best special teams duo in the NFL has been reunited. Gang Green will head into the NFL Draft with flexibility, something they lacked last year. Remember when New England let the Steelers cut in line for tackle Broderick Jones?
Still, the team is missing a second round pick due to the Rodgers trade.
Bryce Huff Gets Snuffed
Now, before I apologize, I have to mention the absolute travesty in mismanaging DE Bryce Huff. As most Jets fans know, Huff was an undrafted free agent (UDFA): the definition of homegrown talent. He is now the highest paid non-QB UDFA in NFL history thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles. The writing was on the wall early on that the insanely productive Memphis product wasn’t sticking around New York. He took limited snaps, and was viewed by the brass as a finisher, taking mostly 3rd and 4th down reps.
And rather than trade him at the deadline when receiving plenty of calls, Douglas and Co let Huff walk for nothing. Devoid of draft capital, the Jets refused to recoup any assets for the man who led the team in sacks (10) and finished with a 79.7 PFF grade. How did that happen? I will never know, and Joe Douglas will never answer. But then again…what do I know?
Offensive Line
It’s uncomfortable, it’s ugly, it’s inevitable. Make the pick that makes sense, not the pick that’s flashy. Even after trading back for Morgan Moses and signing both John Simpson and future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, there’s still work to be done on the offensive line. Fans like the hot pick for the playmaker in the beginning of the NFL Draft. How could you not, considering the Jets could be staring down Washington’s Rome Odunze, LSU’s Malik Nabers, or Georgia’s Brock Bowers. They’re all legitimate playmakers.
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However, Tyron Smith, at 33, hasn’t completed a full season since 2015. There’s a reason Douglas got one of the best left tackles in football when he’s not hurt at $6 million plus incentives: he’s frequently hurt. It’s time for fans to turn the maturity corner the same way the franchise should: good teams address offensive line often, and heavily. Congratulations- fans celebrate that we’ve secured our starting lineup for ten, maybe 13 games. What happens next season when Tyron Smith is 34 and possibly retired, or God forbid the injury bug plagues the Jets offensive line like it does seemingly every single year? You can never have enough offensive lineman. I only wish Douglas and Saleh acquired talent for the defensive line like they did the offense. Aaron Rodgers is coming off a season’s ending Achilles injury and will be 40 by the time week one rolls around. Can you stomach another 4 plays like 2023? What about 2025?
Do the mature thing, and the best thing for the franchise. Find your future franchise tackle at 10, or trade back. And then you know what to do when you trade back? Draft offensive lineman.
Jets Draft Targets
- What To Expect: New York should look to trade back from 10. As things stand, after 10 they wont pick until 72. After that it’s 111, 135, 185, 256, and the final pick of the draft at 287. They don’t have the resources to move up to 5 like some have predicted.
- Pick 10: Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and Olumuyiwa Fashanu (Penn State) are the top 2 tackles in the Draft, but Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) has been closely tied to New York at 10.
- Trade Back: If New York moves back, don’t be surprised if they target Troy Fautanu (Washington) or JC Latham (Alabama). I wouldn’t mind Christian Hayes (UConn) somewhere in the third round in the event the Jets grab a receiving threat.
- Mid Rounds: Here’s where you can expect a wide receiver to go, for certain at 72 unless the Jets trade back. Later rounds the Jets might try to find a safety or Aaron Rodgers heir, because we all know Tyrod Taylor isn’t the long term answer.
Mock Draft
Pick 12: (Traded back) Olumuyiwa Fashanu, T, Penn State
- NYJ Receive: P12, P76
- DEN Receive: P10
Pick 72: Christian Hayes, IOL, UConn
Pick 73: (Traded Up) Ja’Lynn Polk, Receiver, Washington
- NYJ Receive: P73
- DET Receive: P76, P256
Pick 111: Jaden Hicks, Safety, Washington State
Pick 134: Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State
Pick 185: Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas
Pick 257: Tahj Washington, WR, USC
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