On day six of TGH Draftmas, the New York Jets will be analyzed.
Jets SUMMARY
The Jets had a veteran roster last season that failed to make the playoffs. They have shed some of the veteran players, as they look to rebuild a playoff contender, even though it will take a few years to achieve that.
Scoring was not easy for the Jets last season, as they averaged just 17.2 points per game, which ranked them 30th in the league. Quarterback is a need, as they have two young unproven quarterbacks and a free agent veteran in Josh McCown. They were near the bottom of the league in pass yards and will need to be able to do more than just run the ball. With losing Brandon Marshall in free agency and not having a great tight end, the Jets will also be looking at receiving threats in this draft.
The defense is the better of the two units, but still needs some work. They signed Morris Claiborne, who had a successful season with the Cowboys last year, but has struggled with injuries throughout his career. They still need corners and safeties, but Claiborne will help. Otherwise they need to find a lot of depth players in this class for their defense.
Jets PICKS AND NEEDS
The Jets have seven picks in this draft, which means that they will need to make the most of these picks to start off their rebuild strong.
First Round:(1) No. 6
Second Round: (1) No. 39
Third Round:(2) No.70, No.107
Fourth Round:(0)
Fifth Round:(1) No.150
Sixth Round:(1) No.191
Seventh Round:(1) No.224
The early round picks will be crucial to filling their needs and could potentially have impacts on the field this upcoming season.
With this in mind, these are some of the biggest needs in no particular order are.
Offense
Wide Receiver– With Brandon Marshall gone, they are relying on Eric Decker to step up.
Offensive Lineman
Quarterback- This is really more pressing, but they already have 3, two young guys and a free agent signing. Thus, can’t see them going here until late.
Tight End- Almost every true contender has a pass catching tight end. No tight end on this roster has 60 career catches.
Defense
Safety
Cornerback
Jets’ TARGETS AND THOUGHTS
As with all the other Draftmas profiles, we will take a look at the first three rounds and there will be no trades.
First Round:
Pick #6: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
The best option for the Jets is to trade down and acquire more picks, but there are no trades in these Draftmas profiles. Marshon Lattimore could be the pick, but he was mentioned in the last team profile. Howard could be a reach at 6, but will likely be gone by their second pick, number 39. The best tight end in the draft going to the most TE needy team would make sense.
Second Round:
Pick #39: Marcus Williams, S, Utah
With this pick the Jets can fill one of their biggest needs, safety. Williams isn’t the biggest or fastest safety, but makes plays on the ball. The Jets will need him immediately and he will have to cover up for some bad corner play.
Third Round:
Pick #70: Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
Kaaya is a guy that still needs some developing, but can grow into a solid NFL quarterback. The Jets have Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg as young quarterbacks, but they may not be sold on those players, as they felt the need to sign Josh McCown in free agency.
Pick #107: Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
Kupp didn’t have the best combine, but was very productive at the FCS level. He was slower than expected, but has good route running skills and good hands. He is a very talented receiver who could go earlier in the draft, but the combine could make him fall to the Jets’ second pick in the third round.
Conclusion
The Jets have to get some good prospects in this draft class to build a solid foundation for their future. These players will have a chance to compete for starting jobs early on in their careers.
Thank you for joining us on our fifth day of TGH Draftmas! Check back tomorrow where we will be bringing you the Draft Profile of the Los Angeles Chargers.
You can read all of the previous days of Draftmas below!
Draftmas Day 5: Tennessee Titans
Draftmas Day 4: Jacksonville Jaguars
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Dylan!
“From Our Haus to Yours”