With the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine behind us, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay released his latest mock draft on Tuesday.
With Mekhi Becton, Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills Jr. off the board, McShay has the Jets addressing their need at wide receiver with their first-round pick, selecting Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy over Georgia’s Andrew Thomas.
Here’s McShay’s explanation for the pick:
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jets go offensive line here. But rather than reaching here after those three tackles went off the board, let’s get Sam Darnold someone to throw to — especially since Robby Anderson might suit up elsewhere in 2020. Jeudy is a masterful route runner and tracks the deep ball extremely well. He’d be an instant target for Darnold in a passing game that was one of four to average fewer than 200 yards and score fewer than 20 touchdowns last season.
McShay, who knows Douglas from when the two were teammates at the University of Richmond, hints that offensive line could very well be the pick here. Many continue to believe and would be surprised if the Jets go any other route than offensive tackle.
McShay is a lot lower on Thomas than other draft analysts and pundits. He believes that after Becton, Wirfs, Wills, Josh Jones and Austin Jackson, there is a “big, big dropoff,” noticeably leaving off Thomas. However, he appears to be alone on that front. Thomas only helped himself with his combine performance and presumably would be the Jets’ choice with the 11th pick in this scenario.
As for Jeudy, he is universally viewed as the best wideout in this year’s draft class. In 2019. Jeudy was among the top receivers in the country, starting all 13 games and leading the University of Alabama with 77 receptions for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns to repeat as a first-team all-conference pick.
In Jeudy, the Jets would be getting a unique talent who can aid Sam Darnold’s development right away. He’s a route-running technician who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Between his ball tracking ability and breakaway speed, the Jets would be getting an immediate lift at the receiver position.