How might the New York Jets attack their offense throughout all seven rounds of the NFL Draft?
The NFL Draft is a holiday for sports fans. I know my father calls it my holy day. It’s like Christmas or Channukah or Kwanza, or whatever holiday you celebrate. Your favorite team is going to unwrap new toys that they hope will be building blocks for their future. There’s no more exciting time filled with potential and optimism in all of the NFL.
That hasn’t always been true for the New York Jets. Joe Douglas’ tenure as general manager has been mired by some poor draft choices, but his 2022 class is also one of the best in the franchise’s history. So what could this year’s haul look like? I wouldn’t bet on a 2022 bonanza of a class, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t gems to be found.
10. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
I know this pick is a controversial one that has many divided. Brock Bowers’ talent is undeniable. The greatest TE in the history of college football, Bowers brings athleticism never before seen at the position. Last season he was clocked running 21.4 MPH; had he done that in the NFL last year, that would have ranked just outside the 20 fastest plays by any player at any position. Only 4 times did a TE hit even 20 MPH last season.
However, TE is one of the most difficult positions to scout in the NFL. It has one of the highest first-round bust rates in the league, and is a notoriously difficult transition to the league. Bowers may be a special talent on paper, but translating that to the NFL is an entirely different story. He’s far from a lock.
Still, if we’re being realistic here, Bowers has long seemed to be the favorite at this pick. The Jets filled out their starting OL in free agency, and none of the top-3 WRs are likely to be on the board. So the Jets, feeling they have to win now, take the offensive player who is most likely to be an impact player this season. That’s Bowers.
72. Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
With an offensive weapon on the books, the Jets can turn their attention to adding a developmental OT with starter upside. Kiran Amegadjie may not be getting the same buzz as the other top OTs in this class, but don’t let that fool you.
Amegadjie was getting serious first round buzz to start the season. However, when he tore his ACL after 4 games, that buzz quickly faded. Lucky for the Jets, that means a potential high-end talent being on the board for them in the third round.
Amegadjie is a raw prospect given the level of competition he played against while at Yale. However, like most small school prospects, he was dominant. Over the last two seasons Amegadjie gave up 10 pressures, 1 QB hit, and 0 sacks.
Give this young man a year to get healthy and learn behind trusted pros like Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. You could end up with a long-term solution at OT.
111. Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
Joe Douglas has made it no secret he’s looking to add a QB in the draft this year. So, in this mock draft, he goes out and gets the best one left on Day 3.
Pratt doesn’t have the gaudy numbers that most of these elite college QBs do. He never threw for 30 TDs and never had a 70% completion percentage. But he also didn’t play in a pass-happy offense, throwing the ball less than 300 times this past season. In fact, over the last two years, Pratt has a TD rate of 7.9%. Drake Maye over that same span was at just 6.6%. Caleb Williams’ rate was 8.1%.
Pratt gets praise for his understanding of how he fits into an offense and a gameplan. He’ll never be the most athletic, have the biggest arm, or be the most accurate passer. But he does read the game well and knows how to run a pro-style offense.
Perhaps he is not a future starter in the league, but Pratt could be a long-term solution at backup QB – a need the Jets would love to fill for cheap.
134. Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
The Jets add some depth to their WR room by taking a player that coaches love and see big potential in, even if the numbers on the field haven’t always backed that up.
Luke McCaffrey is, of course, the younger brother of superstar RB Christian McCaffrey. But that’s not all he is. Luke is a strong athlete, posting a 9.44 RAS. Coming from a football family, it’s going to be hard to find a player who has better understanding of the fundamentals than McCaffrey does this late in the draft.
His hands are great, he runs the whole route tree, and he’s not afraid to take hits. So what’s wrong with him? Well, he’s not played much WR. He’s a former QB who recently moved to the position making him a higher risk. With only one year at the position, considering his older age, it’s hard to justify the pick any earlier than this.
This is a gamble that an extremely coachable kid with athleticism and an excellent fundamental understanding of football is going to put in the work to make up for the experience gap. Maybe it doesn’t pay off, but at 134 you can’t blame a guy for taking a shot.
185. Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville
Breece Hall may be one of the best running backs in the NFL, but he can’t touch the ball 30 times a game. Someone is going to need to spare him, and it was evident last year the Jets didn’t have much faith that Israel Abanikanda was going to be that guy.
Isaac Guerendo might be that guy though. Guerendo is a special athlete, he posted a 9.90 RAS. He runs a 4.33 at 221 pounds. That kind of speed and that size is just ridiculous. It’s not just the athleticism – he was ultra productive on the field. Guerendo averaged over 6 yards a carry for Louisville this year and even caught 22 passes for 234 yards, over 10 yards a reception.
Like most who go this late, though, there are flaws. Guerendo is a one-year wonder. He had never had even 400 yards rushing before this year. He transferred from Wisconsin to get out of Braelen Allen’s shadow and get more touches. Now, to his credit, he did the most with those touches this year. But going off one year is still tough.
It doesn’t help that Guerendo plays slower on tape than his speed. He struggles when not running downhill, and he’s going to need to be a one-cut back to play in the NFL. But even if he never develops that skill, given his bowling ball body and lightning speed, Guerendo could likely have a place on special teams. In the fifth round, a high-upside RB with special teams ability is a guy any team can get behind.
256. Evan Anderson, DT, FAU
I didn’t forget about the defense. The Jets do still need help at DT even if their key role players are already on the roster.
The Jets are gambling at DT this year. Javon Kinlaw has not been good for the majority of his career. Solomon Thomas hasn’t been good really ever. Leki Fotu is a rotational run stopper. So the Jets need depth here.
Enter Evan Anderson. At 6-foot-3 and 319 pounds, Anderson has lost a lot of weight these last few years to become more athletic and fit the modern NFL mold. It wasn’t that long ago he was listed at 356 pounds. But he worked his way to 326 before the season and down to 319 by the Senior Bowl.
His best trait is, without a doubt, his run defense, where he excelled for FAU. But he’s been developing as a pass rusher. He had five sacks this past season after recording only three in his college career before that. His 6.6% pressure rate still leaves a lot to be desired, but the year-over-year improvement shows there could be more there.
Anderson would likely be stashed on the practice squad if the Jets drafted him. But the hope would be that given three of the Jets’ four DTs are on one-year deals, he could hopefully take over a situational role starting in 2025.
257. Kenny Logan Jr., S, Kansas
This is a two-sided pick. In Kenny Logan Jr. the Jets are getting a safety with years of production and a player with an abundance of experience as a kick returner, which matters more than ever thanks to the new rules.
Logan is one of the better kick returners in this year’s draft. He averaged over 26 yards a return this past season, and he does have a kick return TD on his resume. As a safety, the bag is much more mixed.
Logan is a very poor tackler, missing over 12% of tackles in every season of his college career. However, he does have his nose around the football a lot; he had 70 tackles this past season, 18th among safeties in the NCAA. In 2022 and 2021, he was second and first, respectively.
In coverage, he’s only given up three TDs over the last three seasons, including none last year. Though that’s more a consequence of him keeping plays in front of him (only 9.8 yards allowed per reception) than it is his ability to keep the ball away from his man (83.3% completion rate allowed).
Logan would be a developmental safety for a team that needs depth at the position, with a chance to compete for a roster spot on special teams.
