New York Jets: Nolan Rich’s Seven Round Mock Draft (2.0)

Check out the second New York Jets mock draft from Nolan Rich.

Round 1: Malik Hooker: S: Ohio State

The New York Jets secondary was a disaster in 2016 and is in need of a major overhaul. While fans may be disappointed that New York doesn’t select a quarterback at this juncture, the problem is I have Watson, Kizer, and Trubisky potentially all off the board with Cleveland, San Francisco, and Chicago ahead of New York. This could change in the coming months, but rather than reach for a quarterback in round one, New York could instead select one of the best defensive prospects.

Hooker is a rare ball hawk at safety whose coverage skills would be a huge addition to a secondary that was constantly burned by the big plays. Not only is he the rare cover free safety, but his ball and return skills resulted in six interceptions for the Buckeyes including three of those for scores.

While his instincts in the passing game are exceptional, he does have trouble recognizing run plays and he tends to have trouble finishing tackles. While the Jets may look to deal former first-round pick, Calvin Pryor, one possibility is moving Pryor into the box as a strong safety and could give New York a solid safety tandem on the back-end.

Either way, the Jets need playmakers on the roster, and while the offense needs help, the team would also benefit from one of the best playmaking defensive prospects in the entire draft.