New York Jets select Josh Allen in Daniel Jeremiah initial mock draft

The NFL draft will be here before we know it. We evaluate Daniel Jeremiah‘s first mock draft where the New York Jets select Josh Allen from Kentucky.

It’s only January, but the NFL draft will be here before we know it. Soon enough we will be debating about what New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan did, or didn’t do, with his selections. It’s a pastime of ours, isn’t it, Jets fans?

As we know, with draft season comes mock draft season. Everybody has an idea of where each team is going to go with their first round pick. What do we do? We debate about it. It’s what fans do.

We will have our own mocks as the draft season progresses, but for now, we take a look at a mock draft. This one is the first effort from NFL Network familiar face Daniel Jeremiah.

More from Empire Writes Back

For his Jets selection, he turned to edge rusher Josh Allen from Kentucky.

"The Jets need to address the O-line, but Allen will be too tempting to pass up. He’s a bendy edge rusher with excellent production."

Every Jets fan that has watched more than a game knows the Jets need an edge pass rusher in the worst way. We have talked about the position, it seems, almost as long as we have talked about the quarterback position.

So, what about Josh Allen?

Let’s start with the fact that he was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, and if you look at his numbers you can see why. He posted 17 tackles, 21.5 TFL’s, 88 total tackles, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended. That is about as dominant of a college season as anyone can have.

Young Mr. Allen stands at 6-5 and weighs in at 260 pounds. For comparison’s sake, DeMarcus Ware is 6-4, 260 pounds.

Now let’s take a look at his performance from last season against Mississippi State:

Yes this is only one game of footage. As the draft gets closer we can take more of a detailed look, but here are some initial observations.

Next. Looking at Gregg Williams and his impact. dark

A major positive is that he can play standing up as well as with his hand in the dirt. That shows a great amount of versatility. He also looks competent in pass coverage which gives him a leg up on some NFL linebackers.

With the pass rush, Allen displays a strong combination of speed and strength. Watch when he comes off the edge. There are a couple of plays where he comes around, and although the tackle shows solid footwork, Allen gets leverage on the outside shoulder and he can’t be stopped.

The NFL Combine will be interesting as his speed looks like it’s really good. If he gets that first step on his opponent he is tough to stop. His motor is also simply non-stop.

As far as negatives, he could serve to come up with some countermoves. If the offensive tackle is aggressive and on him quickly he has more difficulty beating his opponent. Allen could use a swim move, a spin, or something he can use to counter the opening move by his opponent.

Personally, I might use the pick to take an offensive tackle, even if that means trading back. Setting up protection around Sam Darnold is my first priority. But, if the Jets were to go this way, it would be very hard to be disappointed.

Home/New York Jets