1. Jack Conklin, OL, Michigan State
Do the Jets really want Paxton Lynch that badly? This is the question.
Perhaps they do. However, even if they do, odds are he’ll be gone by No. 20.
When two quarterbacks go one-two in the draft, like we’ll see this year with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, rarely does the third guy last that long. The worst part is, even if you try to think about which teams are in the QB market ahead of you, a last-minute trade will throw everything off.
The odds are extremely high that Lynch will be gone thanks to a league that is quarterback driven and thirsty.
This leaves the Jets turning their attention to other most pressing need on the table: The edge pass rusher.
I see Maccagnan looking to build from the inside-out with Jack Conklin from Michigan State, and we rank him No. 1 due to the idea he will be the choice.
It’ll come down to whether or not Maccagnan is in love with any of the edge rushing candidates (Floyd, Lawson).
Due to the success of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware a season ago, the edge rushing business, much like QB, will be high priority.
Because of this, I see Maccagnan looking to build from the inside-out with Jack Conklin from Michigan State, and we rank him No. 1 due to the idea he will be the choice.
Conklin’s a versatile lineman who’s played virtually every position up-front. He’s a 6’6”, 308 lbs. bookend who can serve as a team’s left or right tackle for a decade. Although he’s not a superior athlete, he’s the definition of a “football player” – a scrappy, high motor guy.
The beauty about Conklin is that it’ll allow the Jets to cut Breno Giacomini and shed much needed cap room for Fitzpatrick. This is especially important if Wilkerson is unable to be shipped out of town.
