Grading the New York Jets First Round Trade and Selection
It's early in the NFL Draft, but Joe Douglas and the Jets are an early winner
After the Bears selected Rome Odunze the Jets lost seemingly their draft target as all three of the top wide receivers came off the board. The Jets traded back one spot in the draft with the Vikings allowing the Vikings to draft JJ McCarthy. The Jets gave up the tenth overall pick and the 203rd overall pick for the 11th overall pick, the 129th overall pick, and the 157th overall pick.
Jets trade
The deal is an A+ move by the New York Jets to acquire another pick in the draft while moving up 46 spots from 203 to 157. The Jets knew the Vikings were selecting a quarterback and were able to gain draft capital while ensuring their next best player available was on the board. Any time you can pick up additional draft capital without sliding too far back in the draft it's a massive win and that's what the Jets got in this deal. The 203rd pick that the Jets traded to the Vikings is the pick they landed in the Zach Wilson trade.
The Jets then used the 11th overall pick on Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu. The Penn State tackle is a mountain at 6 foot 6 312 pounds and will be a franchise cornerstone for the Jets. The team spent the entire offseason bolstering their offensive line by signing Tyron Smith and trading for Morgan Moses.
The Jets needed a younger option at offensive tackle as both starting tackles for the Jets are 33 years old. The team now has a long-term pass protector that can either start from day one or learn the game behind Smith and Moses. The mentorship of Tyron Smith will be massive for Fashanu as he gets to learn from one of the best to ever play the position.
This selection is a massive success for the Jets, as they land a wall at tackle while picking up additional draft capital. Fashanu was good enough to become a top-15 selection in last year's draft instead of returning to college. The health of Aaron Rodgers is this team's top priority and the selection of Fashanu ensures Rodgers will stay upright.
New York Jets: Early Winners of the Draft
While the NFL Draft is still underway with plenty of first round to go, the New York Jets will certainly be a winner of Day 1. The team was able to land a franchise cornerstone in Fashanu who was graded as the top tackle by many of the draft experts. The Jets could have turned to tight end Brock Bowers who may end up being a massive weapon in the NFL, but the team adds a top-tier pass protector.
More New York Jets news and analysis:
feed