The New York Jets are at their best when they are playing great defense and running the football.
We already gave Gang Green a pair of defenders and now we’ll give them a weapon for the running game in Royce Freeman.
The Jets have Matt Forte and Bilal Powell in their backfield already but both are free agents after the 2018 season. Forte’s best football is also behind him and if the Jets drafted Freeman, they could cut Forte to save $3 million in cap space with just $1 million in dead cap.
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Freeman is a reliable workhorse running back who dominated for four seasons at Oregon. If you went to bed before #Pac12AfterDark, you missed a stud playing out in Eugene.
Freeman’s 5,621 career rushing yards were the sixth-most in FBS history and his 60 career rushing touchdowns were a Pac-12 record.
Although he’s not the fastest runner, Freeman is elusive and can accelerate through the hole. He also has great balance and strength which allow him to run through would-be tacklers.
Draft Wire sees Freeman as an impact player early in his NFL career:
"Freeman is a strong runner with a solid frame who has a solid combination of balance and vision. He may not have the breakaway speed of other runners in this class, and his workload may give NFL teams some pause about his longevity at the next level, but he’s a three-down talent with a productive track record who should make an immediate impact at the next level."
NFL teams could get concerned about Freeman’s workload at Oregon. There’s a lot of tread on the tires which could result in a shortened professional career. However, Freeman is a three-down running back who could start from day one.
Whether it’s Kirk Cousins, Josh McCown, or a rookie under center for the Jets in 2018, having a running back like Royce Freeman to rely on will make things much easier.
Next: New York Jets 3-round mock draft 1.0
Another 2018 NFL mock draft complete! What did we think?
As I said, I will switch things up as the offseason progresses. I’ll use different strategies and see how many different three-round combinations I can come up with.
Be on the lookout for my next installment of a New York Jets NFL mock draft! But until then, let me know what you thought of this one in the comments below!