NBC Sports analyst and former NFL QB Chris Simms went with a very outside-the-box pick for the New York Jets in his latest mock draft.
There have been a lot of names linked to the New York Jets at the No. 23 spot in the 2021 NFL draft. Teven Jenkins, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Greg Newsome, Jaelan Phillips – the list goes on and on. New York is loaded with needs and the bottom half of the first round is loaded with prospects who could fill them. There is zero indication whatsoever of who will end up being the Jets’ pick with Seattle’s selection at No. 23 – or if they will even stay there.
Many names have been commonly mocked to the Jets at No. 23 throughout this process, but one that has almost never been placed into that spot is that of Washington edge rusher Joe Tryon. NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms changed that with his recent mock draft.
My 2021 Mock Draft…full explanation of all 32 picks here: https://t.co/lCNaOJ7FWk pic.twitter.com/JFpIA8qFs6
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) April 27, 2021
Simms sees Tryon as a potentially explosive threat off the edge in the NFL, but he is impressed with his versatility as well.
“[He’s a] wide-9, Yannick Ngakoue, Dee Ford type of edge guy. That’s what he is. He’s either a true speed rusher or like a standup linebacker for me.”
Regarding Tryon’s traits and his fit in the Jets’ defense, Simms added, “there’s a lack of legit edge pass rushers [in this draft class], especially speed ones. Tryon just has too many elite traits, I think, to be left off the board. And I think he is going to fit exactly what they want.”
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Simms loves Tryon’s athletic profile but wants to see more from him technically.
“The athlete’s the real deal. The pass rusher is the thing I didn’t love. Lack of moves, wish I saw a little better bend from the guy, but the athlete is real. And I think he is too good of an athlete to where he’s going to get picked at some point in this part of the round.”
Tryon impressed at his pro day with a time of 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash, ranking at the 80th percentile all-time among EDGE prospects. He ran the 20-yard split in 2.69 seconds, an 84th-percentile mark for the position. Tryon was also above-average in the vertical jump (72nd percentile), 20-yard shuttle (66th), broad jump (56th), three-cone (55th), and 10-yard split (52nd).
The Washington Huskies edge rusher is seen by most observers as a second-round prospect, as he is currently ranked No. 48 on NFL Mock Draft Database’s internet consensus big board.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds (pro day measurement) and entering the NFL after opting out of his redshirt junior season, Tryon is one of the draft’s most intriguing pass-rushing prospects. He only has 851 career snaps on tape over 23 games, but he flashed potential with 50 pressures over 396 pass-rush snaps (12.6% pressure rate). Tryon posted 8.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in his 2019 redshirt sophomore season.
