New York Jets’ draft pick from Seattle Seahawks continues to improve
The New York Jets have to be enjoying the Seattle Seahawks’ rough start to the 2021 season.
Owners of Seattle’s 2022 first-round pick via the Jamal Adams trade, the Jets’ fortunes improve with every Seahawks loss.
Pete Carroll’s squad fell to 2-3 with a 26-17 home loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. Currently situated in the NFC West’s fourth-place position, Seattle has lost three of its past four games.
With the loss, Seattle broke a tie with four other 2-2 squads to take sole ownership of the 13th-worst record in the NFL. That gives Joe Douglas and the Jets two first-round picks in the draft’s top-13 based on the current league standings.
Here is how the 2021 NFL draft order stands as of Oct. 8:
- Jacksonville (0-4, .471 strength of schedule)
- Detroit (0-4, .557 SOS)
- NY Jets (1-3, .441 SOS)
- Philadelphia via Miami (1-3, .441 SOS)
- Atlanta (1-3, .456 SOS)
- New England (1-3, .471 SOS)
- Philadelphia via Indianapolis (1-3, .471 SOS)
- Houston (1-3, .471 SOS)
- Philadelphia (1-3, .515 SOS)
- NY Giants (1-3, .565 SOS)
- Minnesota (1-3, .586 SOS)
- Pittsburgh (1-3, .609 SOS)
- NY Jets via Seattle (2-3, .500 SOS)
- Miami via San Francisco (2-2, .486 SOS)
- New Orleans (2-2, .493 SOS)
- NY Giants via Chicago (2-2, .529 SOS)
- Kansas City (2-2, .632 SOS)
- Cleveland (3-1, .544 SOS)
- Tennessee (2-2, .386 SOS)
- Washington (2-2, .551 SOS)
- Buffalo (3-1, .353 SOS)
- Carolina (3-1, .456 SOS)
- Green Bay (3-1, .486 SOS)
- Cincinnati (3-1, .500 SOS)
- Tampa Bay (3-1, .464 SOS)
- Denver (3-1, .500 SOS)
- Baltimore (3-1, .536 SOS)
- Detroit via LA Rams (4-1, .471 SOS)
- Dallas (3-1, .500 SOS)
- LA Chargers (3-1, .529 SOS)
- Las Vegas (3-1, .544 SOS)
- Arizona (4-0, .486 SOS)
New York is positioned to make multiple first-round selections in back-to-back drafts for the first time in franchise history.
In the 2021 draft, the Jets owned Seattle’s 23rd overall pick in the first round in addition to their own selection at No. 2 overall. They selected Zach Wilson with the second pick and packaged the 23rd pick with two third-round picks (one of those coming over from Seattle in the Adams trade) to acquire Minnesota’s 14th overall pick, which they used to draft Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Prior to 2020, the Jets had not used multiple first-round selections in a draft since taking Dee Milliner and Sheldon Richardson with the ninth and 13th overall picks, respectively, in the 2013 draft.
Things are not looking up for the Seahawks. Quarterback Russell Wilson left Thursday night’s game with a finger injury and is set to have an MRI on Friday.
Wilson was replaced by none other than former Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while rushing three times for 23 yards.
Seattle has a fairly light schedule over the next three weeks before heading into its Week 9 bye, taking on the Steelers (1-3) in Pittsburgh before hosting the Saints (2-2) and Jaguars (0-4). However, the Seahawks still have two games left against the undefeated Cardinals.
The Jets will aim to worsen the position of their own first-round pick when they take on the Atlanta Falcons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET). They are looking for their first two-game win streak prior to the month of November since they took down the Broncos and Colts in Weeks 5-6 of the 2018 season.
