With so many quarterback-needy teams ahead of them in this draft, the New York Jets should be stuck with another elite defensive player to toss on the pile. But that’s not what’s going to happen. Instead, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears are all going to make the mistake of listening to Mel Kiper, Charley Casserly and Mike Mayock and guarantee losing seasons across the board.
But all that means is the best quarterback in this draft and the third best quarterback to come into the draft in the last three seasons just falls into their laps. Congratulations, New York. You’re about to win the lottery and end up with your first legitimate franchise quarterback since Joe Namath.
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Round 1, Pick 6: DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson
2016: 67 percent completions, 4,593 yards, 41 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 165 carries, 629 yards, nine touchdowns
Go back in time with me, Jets, if you will. It was a brisk April day in New York, April 26th to be exact in the year of our Lord, 1983. You held the No. 24 pick in that draft and it was loaded with potential quarterbacks, all with first round grades. Of the six QBs taken in the first round that day, four would lead their team to at least one Super Bowl, one would win two Super Bowls and three of them would make it to the NFL Hall of Fame. Those three guys were, of course, John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino.
Now. of those three non Hall of Fame quarterbacks only Todd Blackledge, taken at No. 7 by the Kansas City Chiefs, was a bust. Tony Eason led the New England Patriots to the playoffs three straight seasons and to the Super Bowl in 1985 where they got their asses destroyed by the Chicago Bears. But he still did it. A lot of people shit on Eason, but he quarterback a pretty mediocre Patriots team in those days and did the best he could. hell, he set a then new NFL record at the time for getting sacked 59 times in a single season in 1984.
You guys took Ken O’Brien and he. like Eason, eats a lot of shit after a solid pro career. He took the Jets to the playoffs three times and made two Pro Bowls. There’s no shame in that. Eason and O’Brien weren’t busts by any stretch. They just had one problem; they weren’t Dan Marino.
Marino went to the Dolphins with the 27th pick in the draft. He was the final QB taken and while Eason and O’Brien were respectable four-door sedans as QBs, Marino was a Ferrari and the Dolphins got to drive him for 17 seasons.
Watson is your chance to make up for passing on Marino. There’s not a lot you could do wrong with this pick as far as a good NFL player goes, but there’s a lot to do wrong to your franchise. A franchise that has been dying for a hero QB since Broadway Joe hung up his fur coat. Do it.
Round 2, Pick 39: Kevin King, CB, Washington
2016: 44 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, 13 passes defended, two interceptions
A season ago it looked like King would be the best cornerback in this draft. As it is, he may have to settle for being the fourth or fifth best on draft boards, but all that does is sending him to New York to try to set up a new island in the Jets’ defensive backfield.
Round 3, Pick 70: ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama
2016: 54 catches, 864 yards, eight touchdowns, eight carries, 68 yards
As good as Stewart was at Alabama, it’s difficult to know exactly how good that was. He never played with a legit upper-level quarterback and the Crimson Tide is a run-first team, regardless of what kind of super star they have at wideout. They were the same way with Julio Jones was there. Hell, they were that way with Amari Cooper too. Stewart was still able to produce at an elite level in that situation and could slide into the Jets No. 3 receiver slot on opening day.
Round 3, Pick 107: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma
2016: 187 carries, 1,274 yards, 10 touchdowns, 37 catches, 538 yards, five touchdowns
Old off-the-field issues have hurt Mixon’s draft stock, but his performance on the field won’t keep him from dropping out of day two of the NFL draft. Once the Jets turn in this card Mixon will immediately be the best running back on their team and provide the dual-threat run-pass options DeShaun Watson will need to succeed early. This will be the Jets’ Dak Prescott-Ezekiel Elliott situation.
Round 5, Pick 150: Carroll Phillips, OLB, Illinois
2016: 58 tackles, 19 for a loss, nine sacks, three passes defended, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble
Phillips may not be an upgrade over current projected starters Jordan Jenkins and Lorenzo Mauldin, but he adds another set of fresh legs to the Jets’ outside pass rush. Frankly, Bowles has to try to find a legit OLB in this draft somewhere and Phillips is the best one on the board in the fifth round.
Round 6, Pick 191: Dan Skipper, OT, Arkansas
The Jets have a patchwork line filled with players Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan have brought in off the NFL scrap heap. Skipper is a guy that can develop quickly into an NFL right tackle and could even contribute early at guard if needed.
Round 7, Pick 224: Treyvon Hester, DT, Toledo
2016: 39 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, five sacks
The Jets are loaded with talent along their 3-man front, but they didn’t get nearly the production they paid for, especially from Sheldon Richardson. Richardson was suspended multiple games in 2015 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and was a non factor in the pass rush last season, notching just 1.5 sacks. The team is looking to deal him in a trade instead of paying him $8 million this season. If they do it before the draft, they’ll get a second or third round pick and I’ll have to update this draft. Either way, they need to add a defensive tackle for depth and Hester fits the mold for what they need at 6-3 and 300 pounds.
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