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Here’s how all seven rounds of the 2022 NFL draft could shake out for the New York Jets
The 2022 NFL draft is just days away, and your favorite NFL team is about to add tons of young talent to help improve their chances of success in the upcoming season.
Here’s how all seven rounds of this year’s draft could shake out for the New York Jets:
ESPN’s Jets’ beat reporter Rich Cimini has the Jets taking Louisville OT Mekhi Becton in his latest draft projections.
In the spirit of mock draft season, Rich Cimini, ESPN’s Jets’ beat reporter, has released his own mock draft.
In Cimini’s projections, he has the Jets opting for Lousiville OT Mekhi Becton with Jedrick Wills Jr. and Andrew Thomas off the board to the Cardinals and Browns, respectively. That leaves the Jets to pick between Becton, Tristan Wirfs and the draft’s top receivers in Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs III.
Here’s Cimini’s reason for pairing Gang Green with the Lousiville product:
This would be a good choice for the Jets. In my opinion, which is based on conversations with several talent evaluators, Wills and Becton are the only two tackles I’d take with the 11th pick. If they’re gone, I’d turn to wide receiver — either Jerry Jeudy or Henry Ruggs III. I’m leery of CeeDee Lamb because, in the defensively challenged Big 12 Conference, he didn’t face many good cornerbacks or a lot of press coverage.
Tackle Tristan Wirfs is a freakish athlete, but he’s not as technically sound as the previous top linemen from Iowa. He will be a good player, but he’s not as pro-ready as Wills or Becton.
Wills and Becton are the only tackles that Cimini would take with the 11th pick. However, that may not align with Joe Douglas’ thinking. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Wirfs showed off his athleticism and positional versatility, both things Douglas has stressed in search of improving New York’s offensive line thus far.
Wirfs will be an option at No. 11, but Douglas would also have a hard time passing on Becton, who projects to be like former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl OT Bryant McKinnie.
Becton is big, long and athletic, standing at 6-foot-7, 370-pounds. He also has nimble feet, which is rare for someone his size. Not to mention he can play both tackle positions, which could give him the edge over Wirfs.
The Jets land Jerry Jeudy in Draft Wire’s most recent seven-round mock draft projections.
The Draft Wire just released its latest seven-round mock draft, which has the Jets taking a top receiver.
In this seven-round projection, Luke Easterling Draft Wire’s has the Jets making some interesting picks. First, Easterling has the Jets spurning an offensive tackle in favor of taking a potential All-Pro wide receiver in Jerry Jeudy.
From there, the projections teeter from needs to positional value. Easterling has the Jets addressing the tackle position, but it’s the right side, which is less of a concern. He is able to find immediate, impact starters in the third and fourth rounds, but from there, the Jets aren’t drafting based on needs.
With that said, let’s take a look at Eatserling’s projections for the Jets in Rounds 1-7.
With Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills and Mekhi Becton all off the board before the 11th pick, Easterling has the Jets swinging for the fences by taking Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy over the fourth-best tackle, Andrew Thomas.
Jeudy is the perfect No. 1 wide receiver for Sam Darnold. He’s a crisp route-runner who has the natural speed and ability to take the top off of defenses. Jeudy’s experience in pro-style route combinations at Alabama should bode well for his transition to the pros.
While Jeudy didn’t put up the numbers he did in his sophomore year with the Crimson Tide, he was still among the top receivers in the country last year. Starting all 13 games, he corralled 77 receptions for 1,1263 yards and 10 touchdowns, repeating as a first-team All-SEC pick.
Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb is the Jets 11th overall pick in Touchdown Wire’s latest mock draft.
While the Jets have made offensive line a point of emphasis and they aren’t quite yet done improving their unit, it’s become increasingly likely that wide receiver will also be an option with the 11th pick.
That’s exactly what Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has the Jets doing, selecting Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in his latest mock draft.
There may be concerns that George Fant can’t maintain a starting spot on the offensive line, but the Jets’ wide receiver corps is awfully thin. Beyond Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder, there’s Quincy Enunwa, Vyncint Smith, Josh Doctson and Braxton Berrios. That’s too many what if’s to gamble on, especially with the need for Sam Darnold’s continued development. While this draft is plentiful with talented receivers, the Jets may decide against waiting for Day 2 and Day 3, not wanting to pass up on the cream of the crop of the position like Lamb.
Here’s Farrar’s explanation for the pick:
Jets general manager Joe Douglas did a lot with a little in free agency to improve an offensive line that was sprouting needs just about everywhere. There are still concerns about the abilities of guys like George Fant to hold up to a starting right or left tackle spot, but if Douglas and his team believes they’ve done enough to make the line at least league-average, the next step may be to get Sam Darnold a No. 1 receiver — especially after Robby Anderson signed with the Panthers. Darnold would be absolutely ecstatic if the Jets’ first-round pick turned out to be Lamb, because his combination of quickness, route understanding, and strength for his size (six-foot-two, 198 pounds) make him a plug-and-play “X” or “Z” receiver in just about any offense.
At the end of the day, Lamb is as good a No. 1 wide receiver the Jets are going to get Sam Darnold without mortgaging several draft picks or having to pay a high price-tag.
At Oklahoma, Lamb was named a first-team Associated Press All-American and a Biletnikoff Award finalist. He also earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. In 13 starts, he led the Sooners with 62 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Lamb has the flashiness, explosiveness and playmaking ability to give the Jets passing attack something it’s so greatly missed. Adding Lamb to a starting rotation of Perriman and Crowder opens endless possibilities for Adam Gase and the Jets offensively.
We, at the Jets Wire, have released our first mock draft of the season, pairing, University of Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas with Gang Green.
With April underway and the draft just a little over three weeks away, we at Jets Wire have joined the mock draft craze.
The Jets find themselves in an interesting position with the 11th pick. At this point they seemed destined to take a tackle or a receiver with the pick, but they have plenty of options between the two positions.
This decision all depends on what happens between now and the draft, whether that means an acquisition of a wide receiver or someone like Redskins All-Pro OT Trent Williams. Without that, the Jets would be left with starting George Fant at left tackle. The draft will now be taking place virtually, rather than in Las Vegas, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let’s take a look at who we think the Jets and the other 31 teams could take in the first round.
Cincinnati doesn’t think twice about taking the top signal-caller with ice in his veins. He’s a playmaker by nature and has shades of Andrew Luck in terms of hype around the prospect.
In another draft, Chase Young would be the No. 1 overall pick. Ron Rivera sets the tone on his defense with a dominant edge rusher who has a rare combination of explosiveness, power and speed.
The Lions stay put, taking the highest-rated cornerback prospect since Jalen Ramsey to replace Darius Slay on the outside.
The Nate Solder signing was a bust, so the Giants find their eventual heir on the left side. However, Tristan Wirfs is athletic enough to play the right side in 2020.
The Dolphins flirted with Tua Tagovailoa all throughout the draft process, but their decision-makers decide that Justin Herbert is the safer bet.
Landing Tua Tagovailoa is a nice consolation prize for the Chargers at No. 6. A team in win-now mode, the Chargers can hand the keys to Cam Newton or Tyrod Taylor while allowing Tagovailoa to sit and maintain his health for a season.
The Panthers on paper have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Isaiah Simmons is the modern archetype of a positionless defender and gives Phil Snow’s defense an immediate boost.
The Cardinals found their No. 1 wide receiver, but they still need to work on protecting Kyler Murray. Jedrick Wills can be the answer on the right side.
The Jaguars fill a massive need after Calais Campbell’s departure.
Mekhi Becton is 6-foot-7, weighing over 360 pounds, and yet, he’s nimble. The Browns find their left tackle of the future for Baker Mayfield.
The Jets get lucky, as Andrew Thomas slides to them at No. 11. The University of Georgia product will start at left tackle and allow George Fant to be the swing-tackle, depth piece that New York signed him to be.
With his route-running and slipperiness, CeeDee Lamb is an easy choice as the Raiders’ next playmaker.
Kyle Shannahan parts with DeForest Buckner to get his own Odell Beckham Jr. for his offense.
Tampa Bay finds its Breshard Perriman replacement while becoming even more dangerous on the offensive side of the ball.
Denver misses out on the top-three wide receivers but finds a versatile defensive lineman who can wreak havoc on its defensive front.
Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs slides to Jets in Touchdown Wire’s post-free agency mock draft.
While the Jets have made it a point of emphasis to improve the interior offensive line, there is still much work to be done.
Joe Douglas has made it his priority to add versatile offensive linemen this offseason, but an injection of youth is still expected next month. That’s exactly why Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has New York selecting Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs in his post-free agency mock draft.
Here’s Farrar’s explanation for the pick:
The Jets and new general manager Joe Douglas have done a lot to retool an offensive line that was responsible for 24 sacks and 188 pressures in 2019, per Pro Football Focus. The additions of tackle George Fant, center Connor McGovern and guards Josh Andrews and Greg Van Roten show the extent to which Douglas realizes the need for improvement. But none of those guys are top-tier starters, which still leaves an opening for someone like Wirfs, the weightlifting monster of a tackle who was the first true freshman to start at offensive tackle for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. Some believe that Wirfs projects better as a guard at the next level, given his combination of strength and athleticism. But based on the tape, I think he could be a rock star over time at either guard position, right tackle, or protecting Sam Darnold’s blind side.
Adding George Fant isn’t enough to move the needle at the tackle position. While Fant was the first offensive lineman the Jets signed to a long-term contract, he’s best suited as a swing tackle with the functional athleticism to be used as an extra tight end like he was in Seattle.
Wirfs makes sense for the Jets. He displayed at the combine why he is the most athletic offensive lineman in this draft. Wirfs has the athleticism to play either tackle position or be moved inside if need be, but that shouldn’t be of particular issue for New York, which did nothing but add to its interior offensive line so far this offseason.
Wirfs started 10 games at right tackle and three games at left tackle for the Hawkeyes in 2019. The 6-foot-5, 322-pounder would be a homerun first pick for Joe Douglas in his first draft at the helm of the Jets’ war room.
CBS Sports released a full NFL mock draft that included 7 Georgia football players being taken.
Most NFL mock drafts that we’ve seen over the past couple of months have had 2-3 Georgia football players going in the first round.
However, in CBS Sports’ most recent 7-round mock draft, the outlet has just one Dawg taken in the first round, and that’s left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Analyst Chris Trapasso projects the New York Jets to take Thomas with the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which is currently scheduled for April 23 in Las Vegas.
On Thomas, Trapasso wrote:
Jets GM Joe Douglas knows how vital an offensive line is after his time in Philadelphia. Thomas was outstanding the two seasons at Georgia and has length for days.
Trapasso has Thomas ranked as the 15th overall player in the draft class and 4th ranked offensive tackle.
In total, Trapasso has seven Georgia players going in the draft.
In Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft, they have the Jets taking Alabama OL Jedrick Wills, Jr., who can plausibly play both tackle spots.
Pro Football Focus released a new mock draft as the NFL Scouting Combine got underway this week.
In this mock draft, PFF has the Jets taking Alabama OL Jedrick Wills Jr. with the 11th pick. With prospects Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Andrew Thomas already off the board, the Jets elect to take Wills over Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton, both, who tested excellently at the scouting combine on Friday.
Instead of taking a plug-and-play left tackle, the Jets opt for versatility. Here’s PFF’s explanation for the selection:
While Thomas ranks first among offensive tackles on PFF’s latest big board, Wills is right behind him at No. 9 overall and No. 2 among tackles. The former Alabama standout is expected to blow up the Combine from a testing standpoint considering his sheer athleticism and foot speed. Wills also recorded a 90.1 PFF run-blocking grade in the SEC this past season, a remarkable figure for a underclassman.
Since the start of the draft process, Wills has been working on his versatility and trying to show NFL teams that he can also play the left side at the next level. When Joe Douglas spoke with reporters at the combine, he mentioned that versatility would be a big factor when New York evaluates its options on the offensive line before April’s draft.
“Trying to do both because I know that’s something that teams have questions about,” Wills said. “Just trying to have that versatility. It’s something that’s new. Any time at a new position, there’s going to be a new feeling, but it’s something I’m trying to be comfortable with.”
Given the state of the Jets offensive line, Wills could start at both tackle positions depending on how the current Jets regime feels about Chuma Edoga, a player Douglas did not draft. Still, versatility is a trait the Jets are seeking out as they attempt to restructure the offensive line.
Wills is viewed as a potential top-five pick in the draft and arguably the best offensive lineman. It would be a surprise if Wills is on the board when the Jets make their selection, but if he is, this pick not only benefits Sam Darnold’s development, but it aids Le’Veon Bell as well.
Wills’ run-blocking grade should be something that intrigues the Jets. The team failed to adequately block and create running holes for Bell in 2019, which caused the All-Pro back to hit statistical lows in his first season in green and white.
In NFL Network’s three-round mock draft, the Jets trade back with the Denver Broncos and add Alabama OL Jedrick Wills Jr. with the 15th pick
With the NFL Combine next week in Indianapolis, the NFL Network released a three-round mock draft that includes multiple trades.
In this particular mock draft, the Jets trade back in the first round and add an extra pick on Day 2 and Day 3. While this mock draft has the Jets maximizing their value, some of the picks may be too good to be true. Obviously, the combine will help clear up any uncertainties, but players like TCU’s Jeff Gladney and Michigan’s Josh Uche could be dark horse first-round picks after they perform in front of teams next week.
With that said, let’s take a look at who the Jets got in NFL Network’s pre-combine mock draft.
In this scenario, as projected by NFL Draft analyst Chad Reuter, the Jets trade back from No. 11 to No. 15 and pick up a third and fourth-round pick in the process.
The Broncos trade up for Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb, who was just recently mocked to the Jets by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, while the Jets trade back four spots and land arguably the draft’s best tackle in Jedrick Wills Jr.
Here’s Reuter’s explanation for the trade-back and the draft choice:
Wills lived up to the recruiting hype in 2019, showing nice athleticism in pass pro and destroying his man in the run game. The Jets pick up third- and fourth-round picks from the Broncos in this trade scenario.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, it’s highly unlikely that Wills will be on the board for the 11th pick, let alone the 15th.
If he were there at No. 11, the Jets probably wouldn’t trade back with Denver and risk him being poached by the Raiders, Colts and Buccaneers. That trio of teams could be in the market for a tackle depending on how free agency shakes out.
In the Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, they have the Jets making necessary adjustments to the offensive line while adding key contributors.
With the combine at the end of the month and the NFL in a holding pattern of draft buzz, Draft Wire released its latest mock, a four-rounder.
In this hypothetical, the Jets are able to reload on both sides of the football by targeting needs and finding value on Day 2 and the early portion of Day 3. Not only do the Jets find a key cog on the offensive line, but they also find multiple starters that they can plug-and-play on the offensive side of the football. At the same time, they’re able to find players who can be contributors from Day 1 of OTAs on defense.
Here’s a look at the players selected by Luke Easterling in each round for the Jets.
With the Jets’ first pick, they address the offensive line and are fortunate enough that one of the draft’s top-four offensive linemen falls to them with the 11th pick.
Here’s Easterling’s explanation for the pick:
If Sam Darnold is going to live up to his full potential, the Jets need to find him a true franchise left tackle to keep him upright. Becton is a massive force with rare athleticism for his size, and while he may not be as polished as some of the other top tackles in this class, his upside gives him the nod for the Jets here.
Becton has a huge frame, standing at 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds, but he’s complemented with nimble feet and functional athleticism for his size, allowing him to be plugged in at either tackle position. The Louisville product is an athletic blocker with the size, length and skill to become a top offensive lineman.
