The New York Jets needs a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately for them, that player does not exist in this year’s NFL Draft. They possess the No. 6 overall selection and will likely have their pick of the QB lot should they stay in their place, but in my eyes they won’t get neither the value nor the franchise player they so desperately crave should they do that.
GM Mike Maccagnan is smart enough to realize that his roster is shallow and he needs to fortify it with as many virile young bodies as possible. He can accomplish that by trading down in this draft several times to accumulate more picks and players. The Jets need troops and this is the year beef up the corps.
With the No. 6 pick, the Jets will be looking at a slew of quality players. None of them are quarterbacks, however. I strongly urge the Jets to stay away from this year’s QB class and either trade back or take a stud along the lines of Alabama TE O.J. Howard, LSU RB Leonard Fournette or one of the two top safeties – Malik Hooker of Ohio State or Jamal Adams of LSU. All four players serve as massive upgrades over the players they have on their roster at those positions.
The Jets have a ton of questions at QB right now, so why bring in another question mark? I don’t see Deshaun Watson coming into Florham Park and outplaying Josh McCown or even Bryce Petty at this point. He’s a good kid with a big heart, but he’ll need a lot more if he is going to be the Jets’ savior.
Mitchell Trubisky will also struggle. The Jets don’t have the offensive talent right now to support a young quarterback. Drafting a QB could be a wasted pick. My advice is to hold on to the sixth pick and see what deals you can make, if any. If none materializes, take the best player in front of you and move on.
The ideal situation would be for the Jets to trade down twice and end up with five or six picks in the top 100. They need help and depth all over their roster. In every unit, too.
Initially, I was all for Maccagnan to make a big splash in they draft, but after reviewing this draft class further, I’ve changed my mind. There is not a ton of top quality offensive playmakers this year. If they can get one, fine, but if not, stock up on as many B-level bodies as possible and hop several of those develop into A-listers.
The Jets are about as far away from the Super Bowl as you can get in the NFL these days. They need to field a competitive team. They are in Year Three of a plan that has gone sideways and are back in rebuilding mode.
Show us what you got, Mike Maccagnan. Go down to Philadelphia in two weeks and go on an NFL version of Supermarket Sweep. Grab as much as you can and run.