Tag: New York Jets

Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas with ‘Draft Day’ scenario drafting Malachi Corley

Malachi Corley, no matter what.

The 2014 movie “Draft Day” followed the story of Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr looking to turn his team around. When the draft happens, the Browns move all over the board but ultimately stick to their plan of “Vontae Mack, no matter what.”

The Jets may have just had their own Draft Day scenario play out. The team shared what they claim is a real text message exchange between head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. The jist of the chat is that it was Malachi Corley, no matter what.

Sure enough, the Jets got their man, the wide receiver from Western Kentucky, with the 65th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, moving up from No. 72 in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. New York sent a fifth-round pick to the Panthers to get the deal done.

The Jets tried to trade into the second round but ultimately couldn’t find a team willing to trade down that far. Fortunately for them, Corley fell into the third round and Douglas struck. The Jets now have the YAC King. They’ll likely also be going to Corley’s birthday party in the coming years.

Panthers trade back from 65th overall selection in deal with Jets

Another trade for Dan Morgan!

It’s clear, through his very first draft atop the Carolina Panthers front office, that president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan is a tough man to pin down.

For the fourth time over the past 24 hours, Morgan and company have made a deal with their capital. This time, they’ve sent the 65th overall selection to the New York Jets in exchange for the 72nd and 157th overall selections.

The first swap came on Thursday night, in their jump to the 32nd spot at the end of the first round. They used that agreement with the Buffalo Bills to select University of South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette.

Their second day began with a move off the 39th pick, which was sent to the Los Angeles Rams for Picks No. 52 and No. 155 as well as a second-rounder in 2025. They then used that very haul, along with No. 142, to leap up to No. 46 for University of Texas running back Jonathon Brooks.

As of this writing, Carolina has the following picks remaining this weekend:

  • Third round: No. 72 (from New York Jets)
  • Fourth round: No. 101
  • Fifth round: No. 157 (from New York Jets)
  • Sixth round: No. 200 (from Buffalo Bills)
  • Seventh round: No. 240 (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

[lawrence-related id=696072,696066,696052]

Jets select Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley with 65th pick of draft

The YAC King is coming to the Jets

The Jets landed their pass-catcher. New York moved up from No. 72 to No. 65 in the third round to select Western Kentucky wide Malachi Corley.

The Jets traded a fifth-round pick, No. 157 overall, to move up seven spots to secure Corley.

Corley is known as the “YAC king” thanks to his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands. Corley is explosive with the ball in his hands and is a receiver that can make plays all over the field once he gets into the open field.

In 2022, Corley caught 101 passes for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns. That included leading the FBS in yards after the catch as well as forced misses by a wide receiver. Last season, he caught 79 passes for 984 and 11 touchdowns in two fewer games.

The Jets may have gotten their own version of 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, just in a smaller frame (5’10”, 207 pounds). Corley will make the offense that much more exciting.

Zulgad: Suspense turns to celebration after Vikings land J.J. McCarthy

The suspense that held every Vikings fan by a thread was finally seen as rewarding as the team landed their guy in J.J. McCarthy.

It was no secret the Minnesota Vikings badly wanted to find their next quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. The question was whether they would be able to make that happen by trading up from the 11th pick or standing pat. The latter seemed to be a risky move, and the former figured to be potentially very expensive.

This worked under the assumption that the top four quarterbacks, of the six who potentially would be taken in the opening round, were Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy. Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix also were in the mix, but many considered them to be a step down.

As expected, Williams went first overall to the Chicago Bears, and Daniels was taken second by Washington. The intrigue began at No. 3 since there was some thought the Patriots might have been willing to move off that pick for an enormous return. But New England either didn’t get the offer it wanted or never intended to pass on Maye.

That left the Vikings in the position of having to trade up, or rely on hope, if they wanted to land McCarthy. The first sign that things were turning in the Vikings’ favor came at the sixth pick as the New York Giants grabbed wide receiver Malik Nabers to serve as a weapon for quarterback Daniel Jones. Many had thought the Giants might opt for McCarthy with an eye toward having him replace Jones.

The next break came two picks later as the Atlanta Falcons made the most surprising move of the first round by taking Penix at No. 8. These are the same Falcons who signed former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency last month and appeared to be all in on the veteran.

Two picks later, with McCarthy still on the board, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ended the waiting by acquiring the 10th pick, along with a seventh-rounder, from the New York Jets in exchange for the No. 11 selection and a pick each in the fourth and fifth rounds. McCarthy became the first quarterback the Vikings have ever invested a top-10 pick on.

Smart money said O’Connell’s first choice was Maye, but McCarthy wasn’t believed to be far behind. Missing on McCarthy, with Penix already off the board, would have left the Vikings in position to be criticized and second-guessing themselves for not being more aggressive in moving up the draft board.

O’Connell, who was part of a contingent from the Vikings that conducted private workouts with all of the top QBs except for Williams, acknowledged there were some anxious moments as the process played out.

“We knew we weren’t the only ones that had identified (McCarthy) as a quarterback that we wanted to select,” he said. “So, in those moments you start thinking about kind of the what if? If we’re not able to get this thing done, making that one pick jump. Once we were able to do that and agree to that deal and I knew we were going to be selecting J.J., it was just pure excitement.”

That wasn’t just true for O’Connell. The majority of Vikings fans also were very pleased.

Cousins’ departure left many wondering what the team would do at quarterback, and the move to sign veteran Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract in free agency didn’t provide much confidence.

The Vikings’ obtained the 23rd pick in the first round from Houston in March in part because it was believed they might need to package two first-rounders in order to move into the top five to take a quarterback. But the Vikings got the best of both worlds as they were able to get one of the QBs they wanted and keep their second first-round pick.

That was used on Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner, whom the Vikings took at No. 17 after trading No. 23 and a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, as well as third- and fourth-rounders in 2025, to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

O’Connell did his best in his press conference Thursday to include Turner in conversations, but it was clear McCarthy was the main story. If Cousins’ departure created questions about the future at QB, the drafting of McCarthy put an end to the Cousins chapter and gave the Vikings new life at quarterback.

Attention now will turn to what O’Connell can get out of McCarthy and when McCarthy might take over the starting role. O’Connell earned well-deserved credit for his work with Cousins, but in that case he inherited a quarterback who was well into his career.

O’Connell, a former backup quarterback in the NFL, will get the opportunity to develop the 21-year-old McCarthy from scratch. At least as a professional.

McCarthy’s critics will point to the fact he was 94th in FBS last season in passes per game at 22.1. But playing for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, McCarthy was 27-1 as a starter and helped guide the Wolverines to the national championship last season. McCarthy also had success in high school, winning two state championships at Nazareth Academy in Illinois. He won a high school national title after moving to IMG Academy for his senior season.

He’s basically won everywhere he has gone.

“J.J. was a guy, very, very early in the process — obviously coming off a national championship — (he) has won at every level he has been at,” O’Connell said. “Then when you really dive into the tape, some of the things I really look for and really emphasize in my evaluation process, there was a lot to really like about J.J.’s tape and that was before he absolutely crushed the process postseason.”

McCarthy will arrive in Minnesota with a big advantage over a guy like Maye, who is joining the bottom-feeding Patriots. O’Connell will have a coach who understands his position and wants to mold him, and a wide receiver group that includes stars Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The Vikings are coming off a disappointing season but they aren’t rebuilding.

What they are hoping is that on Thursday night they landed a guy who will lead them to their first Super Bowl appearance since Fran Tarkenton.

2024 NFL draft order for Rounds 2 and 3 on Day 2

Here’s the draft order for Day 2.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has come to a close. That leaves six more before a frenzy of undrafted free agent signings and countdown to rookie minicamps begin.

That begins Friday, when rounds two and three take over primetime and the lingering borderline Day 1 picks, including Jackson Powers-Johnson, Cooper DeJean and Jer’Zhan Newton, get snapped up by hungry teams. A bevy of trades shook up the pecking order on Day 2, meaning these rounds will look very different than the one that preceded them.

Here’s how the draft order looks for the second and third rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Round 2

33. Buffalo Bills (from Carolina Panthers)
34. New England Patriots
35. Arizona Cardinals
36. Washington Commanders
37. Los Angeles Chargers
38. Tennessee Titans
39. Carolina Panthers (from New York Giants)
40. Washington Commanders (from Chicago Bears)
41. Green Bay Packers (from New York Jets)
42. Houston Texans (from Minnesota Vikings)
43. Atlanta Falcons
44. Las Vegas Raiders
45. New Orleans Saints (from Denver Broncos)
46. Indianapolis Colts
47. New York Giants (from Seattle Seahawks)
48. Jacksonville Jaguars
49. Cincinnati Bengals
50. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints)
51. Pittsburgh Steelers
52. Los Angeles Rams
53. Philadelphia Eagles
54. Cleveland Browns
55. Miami Dolphins
56. Dallas Cowboys
57. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
58. Green Bay Packers
59. Houston Texans
60. Buffalo Bills
61. Detroit Lions
62. Baltimore Ravens
63. San Francisco 49ers
64. Kansas City Chiefs

Round 3

65. Carolina Panthers
66. Arizona Cardinals
67. Washington Commanders
68. New England Patriots
69. Los Angeles Chargers
70. New York Giants
71. Arizona Cardinals (from Tennessee Titans)
72. New York Jets
73. Dallas Cowboys (from Detroit Lions through Minnesota Vikings)
74. Atlanta Falcons
75. Chicago Bears
76. Denver Broncos
77. Las Vegas Raiders
78. Washington Commanders (from Seattle Seahawks)
79. Atlanta Falcons (from Jacksonville Jaguars)
80. Cincinnati Bengals
81. Seattle Seahawks (from New Orleans Saints through Denver Broncos)
82. Indianapolis Colts
83. Los Angeles Rams
84. Pittsburgh Steelers
85. Cleveland Browns
86. Houston Texans (from Philadelphia Eagles)
87. Dallas Cowboys
88. Green Bay Packers
89. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
90. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)
91. Green Bay Packers (from Buffalo Bills)
92. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Detroit Lions)
93. Baltimore Ravens
94. San Francisco 49ers
95. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City Chiefs)
96. Jacksonville Jaguars (Compensatory Selection)
97. Cincinnati Bengals (Compensatory Selection)
98. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Philadelphia Eagles; Compensatory Selection)
99. Los Angeles Rams (Special Compensatory Selection)
100. Washington Commanders (from San Francisco 49ers; Special Compensatory Selection)

Jets made attempts to trade up in first round of draft

Jets made attempts to trade up in first round of draft

The Jets traded down during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, the team made an attempt to move up in the draft.

Hughes notes that Giants and Bears were “locked in” on LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers and Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, respectively. That could lead one to believe the Jets were attempting to trade with those teams at No. 6 and No. 9, respectively.

Ultimately, those teams stayed put and added weapons for quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Caleb Williams. The Jets ended up getting mid-round picks from the Minnesota Vikings to move down one spot, from No. 10 to No. 11. In the end, the Jets added offensive line insurance with the selection of Penn State offensive lineman Olu Fashanu.

Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton drafted No. 29 overall by the Dallas Cowboys

Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Tyler Guyton taken No. 29 overall by the Dallas Cowboys.

The Oklahoma Sooners have another first round offensive tackle to tout. Former Oklahoma Sooner Tyler Guyton is headed to the Dallas Cowboys to play with former Sooner turned Cowboy [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag].

Guyton was selected with  29th overall by the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Guyton has been on NFL radars since his excellent showing against fellow first-round draft pick Jared Verse in the Cheez-It Bowl.

The Cowboys lost two starters on their offensive line when left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz signed with the New York Jets and Washington Commanders. With Smith headed to the Jets, the opportunity to select a high-upside left tackle prospect was too much for the Cowboys to pass up.

Guyton, who is 6-foot-7 and 322 pounds, excels in pass protection. He needs to work on his hand placement and consistency as a run blocker, but he’s the type of player that Dallas has successfully developed in recent years.

With his first-round selection, Guyton becomes the fourth offensive lineman since 2010 to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, joining [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] (2023), [autotag]Lane Johnson[/autotag] (2013), and [autotag]Trent Williams[/autotag] (2010).

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Updated list of Jets’ picks following Day 1 of draft, trade with Vikings

Updated list of Jets’ picks following Day 1 of draft, trade with Vikings

The Jets made a trade during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. With Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy still on the board, the Jets swung a deal with the Minnesota Vikings, who wanted to ensure they got their guy in McCarthy.

As a result, the Jets were able to select Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu at No. 11 and gain a pick on Day 3. New York acquired a pick in the 4th and 5th rounds while trading the 6th-round pick, No. 203 overall, they acquired in the Zach Wilson deal to the Vikings.

The Jets now have three picks in the 4th round, which could help them get into the second round. In total, they currently have seven more picks in the draft. For now, here is the updated list of picks for the Jets entering Day 2 of the draft.

  • Round 3, Pick 72
  • Round 4, Pick 111
  • Round 4, Pick 129
  • Round 4, Pick 134
  • Round 5, Pick 157
  • Round 6, Pick 185
  • Round 7, Pick 257

Grading every trade from the 2024 NFL Draft first round

So, uh, what at the Bills trying to do here?

The NFL Draft is never neat or tidy. It’s a frenetic, sloppy mess of trade offers and over-analysis.

Thus, we add to that pile by combining both.

The first round of the 2024 draft will be loaded with big swing trades designed to either jump start a franchise’s rebuild or add the missing piece needed for a Super Bowl run. Here’s where we’ll break down each one and figure out which side came out ahead in the deal.

For an idea of the value each team got, we’ll use two different systems. The first is the well-known Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, derived by the former Dallas Cowboys head coach in the early 1990s. We’ll also include a Bill Belichick-inspired chart discussed by Bill Belichick and brought to life by Pats Pulpit’s Rich Hill.

Of course, there’s more to each deal than just draft assets. It boils down to needs, which players are available and more. Let’s take a look at the trades that defined the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Vikings make a modest move up to land J.J. McCarthy

New York Jets send: 10th overall pick (QB JJ McCarthy), 2024 fourth round pick (129th overall), 2024 fifth round pick (157th overall)
Minnesota Vikings send: 11th overall pick (OT Olu Fashanu), 2024 sixth round pick (203rd overall)

Belichick trade value analysis: The Jets got excess draft value of 13 points, equivalent to the 146th overall pick.
Johnson trade value analysis: The Jets got excess draft value of 11.2 points, equivalent to the 201st overall pick.

The Vikings got the quarterback with whom they’d been linked throughout the pre-draft process and didn’t have to trade any Day 1 or Day 2 picks in order to do so. McCarthy is a gamble, but he’s a modest one whose risk-averse game should at least make the Minnesota offense viable in 2024. Having Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson around should help considerably.

The Jets got a little extra Day 3 flair to slide back one spot and take the player they would have taken at No. 10 anyway. Fashanu is a monster and could be the best blocker in the 2024 class. Everyone wins.

Jets grade: A-
Vikings grade: B+

The Vikings strike again, get an edge rusher who means they may not blitz 50 percent of the time in 2024

Jacksonville Jaguars send: 17th overall pick (EDGE Dallas Turner)
Minnesota Vikings send: 23rd overall pick (WR Brian Thomas Jr.), 2024 fifth round pick (167th overall), 2025 third round pick, 2025 fifth round pick

Belichick trade value analysis: The Jaguars got excess draft value of 30 points, equivalent to the 109th overall pick.
Johnson trade value analysis: The Jaguars got excess draft value of 71.9 points, equivalent to the 111th overall pick.

Pundits across the board expected Turner to be selected in the first 10 picks, notably by an Atlanta Falcons team with a definitive need at edge rusher. But Atlanta went with Michael Penix Jr. (… huh) and Turner slid out of the first half of the first round. That made him irresistable to the Vikings, whose blitz-heavy defense spammed extra rushers and forced an overtaxed secondary into entirely too much single coverage situations.

Turner has the chops to fix that, generating pressure from four- or five-man sets. While Minnesota gave up extra value in the deal, it’s not something the team will feel this spring, The Vikings are intent on building a competitive team around J.J. McCarthy, and Turner’s arrival will help them win games even when the offense sputters.

The Jaguars felt they were in good shape to trade back and still be able to address a major need. Without any cornerbacks selected through 17 picks and a lull in the wide receiver market, it was a sensible call. Thomas lingered to 23 and gives Jacksonville a potential WR1 to top a useful, if unspectacular, depth chart.

The question is whether the Jags maximized their value here. There’s nothing wrong with taking a shotgun approach to the draft — it’s what the Patriots did so well for a while there — but the real impact of this deal won’t be felt until next spring.

Jaguars grade: B+
Vikings grade: B

The Cowboys do something, let the Lions overpay to land a stud cornerback

Dallas Cowboys send: 24th overall pick (CB Terrion Arnold), 2025 seventh round pick
Detroit Lions send: 29th overall pick, 2024 third round pick (73rd overall)

Belichick trade value analysis: The Cowboys got excess draft value of 29 points, equivalent to the 110th overall pick.
Johnson trade value analysis: The Cowboys got excess draft value of 124 points, equivalent to the 94th overall pick.

The Lions overpaid here. They did so for a good reason; their secondary was a mess and the chance to take arguably 2024’s top cornerback prospect was suddenly a possibility. So Detroit gave up a top 80 pick to move up five spots, but did so for a blue chip player at a premium position.

There’s logic to that, even if the value stinks. Arnold is a first-team All-American who had five interceptions and 17 passes defensed at Alabama last season. He’s explosive and capable of playing inside and out, giving him the skills to be a true island defender in the NFL.

A trade back may not have been the move Cowboys fans wanted, but it’s a smart one. Dallas hemhorraged talent this offseason as a salary cap crunch left the team to sit and watch as the rest of the NFL added veteran talent. Adding a bonus third round pick — one in the first half of the round, even — is great value for a team that badly needed it. And plenty of great players will still be on the board at No. 29.

Cowboys grade: A-
Lions grade: B

The Chiefs make a modest move to land their new Tyreek Hill

Buffalo Bills send: 28th overall pick (WR Xavier Worthy), 2024 fourth round pick (133rd overall) 2024 seventh round pick (248th overall)
Kansas City Chiefs send: 32nd overall pick, 2024 third round pick (95th overall), 2024 seventh round pick (221st overall)

Belichick trade value analysis: This trade is perfectly balanced, with each team giving up 240 points worth of draft value.
Johnson trade value analysis: The Bills got excess draft value of 12.5 points, equivalent to the 197th overall pick.

The Chiefs didn’t have a reliable deep threat either of the last two years and still won back-to-back Super Bowls. Now they get the fastest runner in modern combine history in Worthy, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds and is, to put it lightly, quick.

Is he complete enough as a receiver to lift the Chiefs offense? Maybe not, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be. Patrick Mahomes’ average target distance fell to a career low 6.5 yards last season. If Worthy can light it up for a few deep targets per game it wouldn’t just create big gains but provide the breathing room the rest of the offense needs to thrive.

It’s easy to drag the Bills for trading back without picking up too much in return, but Worthy wasn’t a fit for their offense that badly needs a bigger, more versatile wideout than the Texas star. Of course, giving the team that’s been a thorn in their side in the playoffs the added dimension the Chiefs need while extracting minimal value in return adds salt to that wound. It’s not great, no.

Bills grade: C
Chiefs grade: B

The Bills trade back *again* so someone else can draft a wideout

Buffalo Bills send: 32nd overall pick (WR Xavier Legette), 2024 sixth round pick (200th overall)
Carolina Panthers send: 33rd overall pick, 2024 fifth round pick (141st overall)

Belichick trade value analysis: The Bills got excess draft value of 5 points, equivalent to the 195th overall pick.
Johnson trade value analysis: The Bills got excess draft value of 14.1 points, equivalent to the 193rd overall pick.

Buffalo has plenty of holes to fill after shedding talent this offseason amidst a veteran lineup and salary crunch. The Bills also had a massive need at wideout, so trading back twice for minimal value while other teams drain the pool of talent at receiver is… not ideal.

On the plus side, trading into the first pick of the second round gives the team an extra 20 hours of fielding trade offers and other potential moves backward as more wideouts roll off the board. And if there’s no receiver to be found there are several solid defensive backs who’d be proper picks on Day 2.

Did Carolina really have to trade up to make this happen? Legette is big and fast, so there’s some A.J. Brown/DK Metcalf potential to his game. But he was also largely considered a Day 2 selection. And having the first pick of the second round is a luxury that allows you a full day of fielding trades from increasingly desperate teams looking to pull from a dwindling pool of instant impact rookies.

Was Legette, a player with exactly one season in five spent at South Carolina with more than 167 receiving yards, worth it? We’ll see.

Bills grade: C
Panthers grade: C-

Grading the Jets pick of Penn State OT Olu Fashanu

What grade do you give the Jets for selecting Penn State OT Olu Fashanu?

The Jets have added insurance along the offensive line with the selection of Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu with the 11th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Instant grades? We got one right here.

We’ll give this pick a B+. No, it’s not the pass-catcher many fans wanted, especially with Brock Bowers still available (selected No. 13 by the Las Vegas Raiders) but the Jets needed extra help along the offensive line. They needed extra depth this season behind Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses and they needed a future starter. Fashanu checks those boxes.

Fashanu also reminds some of one of the greats in Jets history, offensive tackle and 2006 first-round pick D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Fashanu is powerful in the pass game and still has room to grow in the run game but is still plenty athletic in that department. Fashanu now has a chance to fine-tune his game while likely operating as the swing tackle behind Smith and Moses this season before taking over at left tackle in 2025.

The Jets had plenty of options in the first round that all would have worked out to be a solid pick at the very least. Fashanu was one of those picks.