Brooks has the New York Jets selecting a tackle at No. 13, but not the expected type
The New York Jets‘ draft speculation has been understandably centered around the offensive line.
After all, the Jets have only two of their five starters penciled in for 2023, with many questions at tackle, center, and even left guard.
There’s also the possibility that the Jets trade their first-rounder for a certain Quarterback-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
However, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has the Jets going in a different direction in his latest mock draft.
The player he chose for the Jets is defensive tackle Bryan Bresee from Clemson. Part of the rationale for this pick is that Brooks already has the top three tackles in the draft—Paris Johnson Jr., Pete Skoronski, and Broderick Jones—off the board before the Jets are on the clock.
Here is Brooks’s blurb about his selection:
“If the Jets take care of their offensive line needs in free agency, the team could add another disruptive interior defender to play beside Quinnen Williams at the point of attack.”
This scenario likely assumes that the Jets do not re-sign Sheldon Rankins. Given that Rankins reportedly wants $8-10 million per year, it’s possible that the Jets choose to move on.
NFL.com’s draft profile for Bresee lists him as a 6.35 prospect, saying that he will eventually be a plus starter. The 6’5″, 305-pound redshirt sophomore put up 15 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two pass breakups in 10 games (seven starts).
Bresee does not jump off the page as a Rookie of the Year candidate the way the Jets’ top two picks last year did, but he should be a solid run defender and have some pass rush thump early on.
The problem is that getting a player who will eventually be a plus starter in the top half of the first round is not usually an exciting prospect, particularly for a team with aspirations of contending in 2023.
I think it’s far more likely that if the Jets still have the No. 13 pick and the top three tackle prospects are taken, they will either take a different tackle (such as Darnell Wright or Dawand Jones) or trade back to try to nab an extra pick and still be able to take one of those players.
However, if the Jets don’t re-sign Rankins, that may leave some money for the team to sign a higher-priced offensive tackle in free agency. In that scenario, perhaps they do consider defensive tackle at No. 13, or even safety or wide receiver.
Jets fans, who do you want to see the team take in the first round?
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I so wanted the Jets to trade up and get center Tyler Linderbaum last year at #25, instead of taking Jermaine Johnson at #26, instead the Ravens got him (ONE pick away!). Our OL would have been so much better from jump, while JJ (a good player) is still a fringe player in a spot where we had depth. I will always wonder if the Ravens had passed on Tyler, would we have chosen JJ still or instead drafted our new Mangold.
Trade back from 13 to late in the 1st round. Take Mauch in the 1st and Schmitz in the 2nd. OL problems solved.
Could reply to you or BigJetsFan1 with the same thing…
I never heard of Mauch before; its so surprising how new names just pop out of nowhere, but I’m with you in theory. A move back from 13 to late first round is actually worth a mid-to-high 2nd rounder, giving you a choice of quite a few tackles, schmitz, and a WR that can make you 10mm richer by cutting Davis. This, to me, is a killer plan A.
Tackle or Center in the first. I would love Cody Mauch in the second