NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has the Jets pick an OL at No. 13, but not one of the expected names
Now that it’s fairly clear the New York Jets will retain their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the question is which player they will select.
The consensus seems to be that they will go with a tackle. However, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks chose a guard. No. 13 overall is the same spot that the Jets traded up to select Alijah Vera-Tucker as a guard two years ago.
Brooks opts for Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence. Torrence was a popular pick for the Jets in pre-Super Bowl mock drafts but not since.
This is Brooks’ reasoning:
The rock-solid interior blocker could enable the Jets to put the best five in front of Aaron Rodgers, whose arrival in New York has been stalled by trade compensation talks, with Alijah Vera-Tucker kicking outside to man one of the offensive tackle spots.
While Torrence is a very strong prospect, there are a couple of reasons this pick is highly unlikely.
First of all, Torrence’s ideal scheme fit is a power-based scheme, as he has more power than agility and speed. He’s a mauler, but not in the mold of AVT. In that sense, he’s not a great fit for the Jets, who run an outside-zone scheme.
More importantly, Brooks clearly did not listen to Robert Saleh‘s presser with reporters at the owner’s meetings before making this selection. Saleh made it pretty clear that the Jets intend to keep Vera-Tucker at guard, where they see his ceiling as an All-Pro.
This is in keeping with what most analysts say about Vera-Tucker: solid tackle, potentially elite guard. Moving AVT to tackle was a possibility this offseason. Still, Saleh merely clarified what was most likely, anyway.
Therefore, this stab at a different pick is probably a whiff. A tackle at No. 13 remains the most likely scenario.
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