Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the season opener against Buffalo and lasted just four plays in his first year in New York.
Acquiring the future Hall of Famer would have required a major trade with Green Bay. The Jets sent a second-round pick and a sixth-round pick to the Packers in last year’s draft, and if the quarterback played 65% of the snaps in a season, he would have been a first-round pick in 2024. He sent a second-round pick in 2017 to the Packers.
The backup quarterback duo of Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian, and Tim Boyle struggled to lead the Jets to wins, as the team finished 7-10 and had the No. 10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
With only one pick in the first two rounds, the Jets have an important decision to make.
Given his position as No. 10, he can’t be too hard on a player who doesn’t have a first-round record.
It’s fine to approach the draft by considering your team’s needs, but you also need to consider which players are still available on the board.
We know they won’t draft a quarterback at No. 10 because the Jets’ priority is getting help from Rodgers. However, almost every position other than special teams could be considered.
Jets first draft player ranking odds
| position | odds | position | odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| offensive line | +130 | defensive line/edge | +2000 |
| tight end | +200 | corner back | +2000 |
| wide receiver | +240 | quarterback | +6000 |
Tight end at No. 10?
Unless there are personality issues, the highest performing players rarely get drafted. This scarcity means that teams that choose later need to be more adaptable to the options available.
As for the Jets, FanDuel currently lists 36 different players they can select with the No. 10 pick. Georgia tight end Brock Bowers has the shortest odds on the board at +250.
But is it really worth drafting a tight end in the first round?
Since 2011, only 10 players have been drafted in the first round. Across the league, some of the best tight ends were drafted in later rounds.
Those tight ends include players like Travis Kelce (63rd round, 3rd round), Mark Andrews (86th round, 3rd round), Dallas Goedert (49th round, 2nd round), and George Kittle (146th round, 5th round). included.
It is worth noting that all four players received contract extensions with their former teams.
Additionally, only four tight ends have been drafted in the top 10 since the 2000 NFL Draft. Those players include Kellen Winslow Jr. (6th place, 2004 Browns), Vernon Davis (6th place, 2006 49ers), TJ Hockenson (8th place, 2019 Lions), Kyle Pitts (4th place) 2021 Falcons).
Hockenson and Pitts are active players in the league, with the latter still on his rookie contract.
Therefore, compared to the other three tight ends selected in the top 10, Davis was the only player who benefited from a contract extension to remain with the team that originally drafted him.
A more realistic option for jets
Bowers is clearly gaining momentum in some mock drafts, but a better strategy would be for the Jets to target an offensive lineman with the No. 10 pick. This option is available on his FanDuel at +130, while the odds of the Jets selecting the tight end are +200.
These numbers suggest the Jets will have more versatility when it comes to targeting offensive line positions.
The Jets have gotten nothing from the Rodgers trade so far, and his current contract is only guaranteed through the 2024 season. Keeping Rodgers straight for a year should be their top priority.
New York added left tackle Tyron Smith, right tackle Morgan Moses and guard John Simpson, but Smith and Moses are on the wrong side of 30 players.
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Smith has played in just 30 games over the past four seasons due to injuries, and Moses required offseason surgery to repair a torn pectoralis major muscle.
Given the depth of talent in this year’s draft, the Jets have a great opportunity to address their need for a quality tackle. With as many as six players expected to be in the top 20, the Jets will have a top-10 worthy offensive lineman.
