I just got done watching Episode One of Flight 24 and it is absolute propaganda… but I’ll be damned if it didn’t work on me. The Jets may have their faults as an organization but the media team is just top-notch. Despite being relentlessly beaten down by disappointment for all 27 years of my life, the Jets managed to give me hope from one episode of a documentary. The return of Aaron Rodgers, the bolstering of the offensive line, the new pieces on defense, Mike Williams and his Taylor Ham… this team could really be something special.

This weekend is the next pivotal piece in the Jets building up their roster for a Super Bowl run. The Jets did a good job of addressing their major holes on the offensive line, adding a good WR, and replacing Bryce Huff in free agency. Most importantly, that gives Joe Douglas way more flexibility in the draft. Before free agency, it seemed like a lock that the Jets would just take the best available offensive tackle at #10, but that is no longer the case.

From trading up, trading back, taking a tackle, taking a WR, taking Brock Bowers… there are many options now available and I ranked my preferred moves here:

1. Trade back in the first round and add a 2nd or early 3rd round pick

Despite their FA moves, I still think tackle and wide receiver are the Jets’ two biggest needs in the draft. Luckily for the Jets, those are arguably the two deepest position groups in this draft. That makes trading back an easy choice in my opinion. Assuming that Joe Alt is taken before #10, there is a drop-off to the rest of the tackles. Also assuming that the Big 3 WRs- Nabers, Odunze, and Harrison- are taken, there is a drop-off to the next tier there as well.

If one of those four guys somehow makes it to 10, then I would be happy with the Jets pulling the trigger on any of them. However, they are most likely not going to make it (Odunze has the best chance) in which case I think there is tons of value deeper on the board. At offensive tackle, you have Fashanu, Fuaga, Fautanu, Latham, Mims, and Guyton who are all first-round caliber offensive tackles. So if you trade back somewhere in the late teens or even 20s, you can pick up a guy who could still be an elite NFL OT.

The big concern around the Jets’ offensive line is health, but assuming everyone is healthy, the OT who you draft in the first round might not even be a Week One starter so there is no need to take one at #10 when you could get just as good of a player at #22 and let them develop behind Smith and Moses.

Hopefully, you could swing a second-round pick in this trade since the Jets don’t have one but even an early 3rd round pick could get you a wide receiver with huge upside. Xavier Legette, Ricky Pearsall, and Ja’Lynn Polk are all guys that you could get in the mid-2nd to late-3rd that I think have massive upside potential.

So, if the Jets can somehow flip the #10 pick for JC Latham and Ja’Lynn Polk, I think that has to be your top choice.

2. Trade up for an elite talent

For the same reason that my top priority is to trade back, I wouldn’t hate trading up. I think the way that the board is shaping up, #10 is kind of a dead zone where all of the top-tier players will be taken. However, there is still a lot of value if some other team can get their guy at #10.

Like I said before, I would be happy with the Jets staying at #10 if it meant they could get Alt, Harrison, Nabers, or Odunze. I think those are the four top-tier players in the Jets’ positions of need. So, if you really just want to go for it and get yourself an elite talent- I have no problem being aggressive and going up to get your guy.

I am under the assumption that quarterbacks will go 1, 2, 3 and then Harrison will go at 4 to the Cardinals. That leaves the Chargers at #5 as a prime trade target. There has been a lot of talk about the Chargers being open to a trade and being in on Brock Bowers. It could be the perfect move for both sides if the Jets jump up to #5 to take any of Alt, Nabers, or Odunze and then the Chargers can get Bowers at #10.

The Jets are all-in on this season so getting as elite of a talent as you can at the cost of surrendering a future draft pick would be good in my book. Personally, Odunze would be my top pick from that group (after Harrison) but Alt and Nabers are both great choices.

3. Staying at #10

So my top choice is to trade back and my second favorite option is to trade up. However, the most likely scenario is that the Jets will stay put at #10 and just take the guy at the top of their board. So here are my rankings inside of a rankings of guys to take at #10:

  1. Rome Odunze- I already talked about that elite group but there is still a chance Odunze makes it to #10. The rest of that top group is basically a lock to get taken in the top-8 but if there is a real run on QBs and somebody wants to make a play at a defensive guy, Odunze could justtttt slip to #10.
  2. Fashanu/Fuaga/Fautanu- If one of those elite WRs isn’t available and you stay at #10, I would go with one of these OTs. It’s not just because they have similar names but I think these guys are the three on the next tier down after Alt and Joe Douglas can take whichever one he likes the most. Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses both staying healthy all year is asking a lot so getting one of these guys who can learn from two veterans and jump in when necessary is a solid move.
  3. Brock Bowers- We finally get to the elephant in the room. A lot of people have Bowers mocked to the Jets but I am just not quite bought in. This is not a diss to Brock Bowers because, for my money, he is the best college tight end I have ever seen. There is a real chance that this guy is just Travis Kelce with more blocking ability. However, tight ends have proven to be one of the hardest positions to translate from college to pro and do not hold a ton of draft value, similar to running backs. I can’t say I would be angry if the Jets took Bowers because I think his upside is still insanely high, but he is my last choice of realistic moves for the Draft, purely based on positional value.

One last note- I do want the Jets to make a move at quarterback in a later round. If Spencer Rattler is there in the 3rd or 4th round, I would 100% pull the trigger there. If not, Jordan Travis could be the move even later in the draft since you are in no rush to get him starting games (or even backing up Rodgers) anytime soon. I will have another blog tomorrow ranking the QBs in this year’s draft so make sure to look out for that.

I have given all of my takes and it is now on Joe Douglas to figure out the rest of the plan. My dream is to get the Schefty notification that the Jets are trading back and we get a really solid tackle and a really solid wide receiver. All of that being said, I will immediately buy into whoever we take and convince myself they are a future Hall of Famer and the Jets are winning the Super Bowl… so let’s just get to Draft Night.