The New York Jets have had an awful 2016 season, but with the holidays upon us, hope is soon around the corner. Leonard Fournette, perhaps?
The New York Jets (4-10) are more likely than not, going to end up with a top-five pick. Current NFL standings have the Jets with the fifth overall pick.
Here’s the current status of the Jets and what has to happen for them to rise or fall according to Chase Goodbread, NFL Media Analyst:
“The Jets can get no higher than the No. 3 pick, but it’s highly unlikely that they’ll climb that high. For that to happen, the Jets would have to lose out, the Jaguars would have to win out, the Bears would have to win at least one more game, and the Jets’ SOS rating would have to stay lower than both of those teams’. With an SOS rating of .492, the Jets are in a good position to win a tiebreaker if it comes to that.”
The front office likes going best player available with their draft strategy, which works out perfectly, considering all the holes the Jets have on the roster.
So, what does the Jets wish list actually look like? Let’s delve in:
Leonard Fournette, HB
The New York Jets do have some depth in the backfield with the ageless wonder, Matt Forte. Plus, they also have a young back in the bullpen in Bilal Powell, who is showing, perhaps, he can be a featured weapon on offense.
Despite that depth, the addition of Leonard Fournette should be a tantalizing option for Gang Green. Especially when you look at the impact a star rookie running back can have on an offense.
The Dallas Cowboys are riding their rookie running back to the playoffs and beyond this season. The Jets haven’t had a young back of Fournette’s ability in a long time.
Some concerns with drafting Fournette:
- Lack of production this season. He had his best season in 2015 rushing for over 1,900 yards. This season he has regressed mightily. Is it the talent deficiency on the rest of the roster or Fournette not being as good as we thought?
- I mentioned some of the holes on the Jets roster. Is running back the best bang for their buck with a top-five pick?
Dalvin Cook, HB
While last year the big debate was who should go first, Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, this year that decision is at running back. This class is loaded at the position and the Jets have a heck of a decision to make.
While Fournette has shown a higher ceiling in some regards, Cook has been captain consistency. Throughout his three seasons at Florida State, he has reached the 1,000-yard plateau every season. While his last two seasons have been nearly identical from a statistical standpoint.
If the Jets got some consistency in the run game that would parlay the effect of not having a viable starting quarterback. Although you can only marginalize/mask the deficiencies of poor quarterback play for so long.
These are both capable backs that could make immediate impacts on the field for the Jets. The only question will revovle around Mike Maccagnan’s willingness to take a running back, a devalued position, this high in the draft.
Quincy Wilson, CB
The Jets Achilles heel this season has been the poor play of their secondary — specifically, the cornerback position, where Darrelle Revis has become a shell of his former self.
The Jets need to give the position a serious face-lift and that can start with the fifth overall pick. Quincy Wilson is, arguably, the best corner on the board and he merits top-seven pick consideration.
Wilson hasn’t shown elite speed on film, but his tenacity and lock-down corner abilities would be welcomed in Gotham. Juston Burris has been a pleasant surprise as a fourth round rookie.
And the way he’s playing, he could earn himself a starting nod on next year’s squad. Maybe if the cards fall right he’ll be paired with Wilson on one side and Buster Skrine back to his natural position in the slot.
Cam Robinson, OL
The problem is the Jets biggest need is one of the weakest positional units at the top of the draft. If there was a bookend left or right tackle, that would be the slam-dunk pick for the Jets.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case so if the Jets drafted one this high it would be a reach. But the best offensive lineman on the board pre-combine is Alabama’s Cam Robinson.
Despite the lack of star power, the Jets should strongly consider trading back and accumulating picks. With all the holes this team has, this wouldn’t be that bad of an option.
If the Jets had it their way they would retain Brian Winters and pair him with James Carpenter. Keep Brandon Shell at right tackle and plug in Robinson on the blind side to fill as many holes as possible on the Jets line.
Myles Garrett, DL/OLB
By far the No. 1 option for the Jets with their first round pick should be Texas A&M’s versatile DL/OLB Myles Garrett. In a class with good pass rushers, Garrett is the best of them all.
The Jets haven’t had a legit pass rushing threat since John Abraham. The problem is he could go as high as number one overall.
If he’s available when the Jets pick they should sprint to the podium. Outside of that, the Jets may want to consider moving up.
But as we elicited earlier that might not be wise considering the many holes on this roster. Every year outside of this season he’s reached the double-digit sack plateau. He could change the dynamic of this Jets defense from day one.
While as much as I love Garrett it's unlikely he will be available when the Jets are on the clock. Who knows, these teams are drafting at the top for a reason. I didn't think L. Williams would ever be a Jet either.
The idea of trading back is a good one, especially this year with no OL at the top. This draft is loaded with CB's too. The Jets could drop back a few spaces and repeat until they find the player they are looking for. It's easier said than done but Cleveland pulled it off last year and now have 2 picks in the top 10. It may not be the best analogy but it is what it is.
If the Jets do trade back they can find a good CB anywhere in rd.1. I like Q a lot and his counterpart is very good as well at UF. There are also 3 very good RB's and I would opt for the ones at FSU and Stanford before drafting an injured RB. So it the Jets can trade back from 5th to 8th and then go from 8th to 12th they can get two more premium picks and still get either a CB or RB that's going to be highly rated. If the Jets did pull off two trades back, I'm either going RB or CB in the 12-15 range. Probably the versatile RB from Stanford as this DB class is very deep.
You are exactly right having the top O-Linemen ranked toward the bottom of rd.1 at least 1 needy team will likely reach for the kid from 'bama. That's OK as the OT from Wisconsin is a good one too, and he isn't surrounded by all-stars which makes players look better sometimes. Up at the top of rd.1 Mac may consider moving back into rd.1 to ensure he gets one of the top 2 OT's in this draft. If the Jets end up with either CB/UF or the RB/Stanford and OT/Wisconsin in rd.1, I would be elated. They would still have an extra pick and an early 2nd to get the CB or RB and a top TE or LB all before reaching rd.3. It won't be easy but I like your strategy as well as most of the players you listed too.