Michael Nania wields the power of advanced statistics to conduct a seven-round 2020 New York Jets mock draft.
It’s closing in – we’re only 10 days away.
This is the third of a few analytics-based Jets mock drafts I will be concocting. These mocks will be a bit different from anything else out there. I will be relying on the advanced stats to make each selection for the Jets across all seven rounds, going with the best player available according to the data (yes, team needs will be taken into account).
These mocks are conducted using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine. No trades are made. Keep in mind that these picks are not necessarily my personal preferences and are based almost entirely on statistics, so don’t knock me too harshly!
I would be very happy with this draft!
Agreed! (no bias to see here…) As much as I and all of us would love to see a 1-2 punch on offense to start out, there is enough talent at WR to grab a similar player in the 3rd as you would get in the 2nd. Could see an EDGE pick in R2, it worked out well in this mock
This is great stuff, Michael. I hadn’t looked very closely at Terrell Lewis, but was already on board with EDGE in R2. How do you compare him to some of the other 2nd tier guys like Weaver, Uche, Highsmith and Anae using these metrics? Also intrigued by Willekes.
So here’s where all of those guys rank in pass-rush productivity (per-snap pressure rate with double weight to sacks) out of all EDGEs:
Highsmith – 97th percentile
Uche – 96th percentile
Anae – 89th percentile
Weaver – 87th percentile
Willekes – 75th percentile
One of the big things to remember is that, to be one of the ~250 players drafted into the NFL, you have to have been one of the elites in college barring a few exceptions. Most of these players were good in college, so it’s key to compare the prospects against one another and separate the outstanding NCAA performers from the ones who were just “pretty good.”