The Jets selected wide receiver ArDarius Stewart with their first of two third-round picks, No. 79 overall by way of a trade with the Vikings.
The Green & White were slated to pick No. 70, but struck a trade with Minnesota to move down nine spots. They also acquired the Vikings' fifth-round pick, No. 160 overall.
The 5'11" 204-pound Stewart led Alabama with 864 yards on 54 catches and eight touchdowns, earning first-team All-SEC honors. Of his 54 receptions, 30 of them went for either a first down or a touchdown.
In three years for the Crimson Tide, he racked up 129 catches for 1,713 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 13.4 yards per catch.
Top Photos of the Alabama WR and No. 79 Overall Selection
At the Combine, Stewart recorded a 4.49 40-yard dash. He's known for his physical style of play, mid-air adjustments and strong hands.
"I actually played safety in high school so that's probably because of that," he said. "My uncle made sure I was tough since little league and I tried to take that to the next level, which is college. I try to take it with me wherever I go. That's how the game is supposed to be played. I feel you need to come out physical and play fast because if you play slow, you end up getting hurt. I feel like it's a part of my game and a standard that I play by."
Stewart is the 10th Alabama player drafted by the Jets since 1963 and the first since CB Dee Milliner was taken in Round 1 in 2013 and the highest wide receiver taken by the
Green & White since Devin Smith was picked out of Ohio State in Round 2 in 2015.
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan, who made three draft-day trades in 2015 and one more last year, made his first trade of the 2017 draft. Prior to the Draft, Maccagnan expressed his desire to obtain more picks at any point in the Draft. The move gives the Jets two fifth-rounders, 150 and 160, and four in all on day three.
The last trade between the Jets and Vikings was the August 2006 swap of QB Brooks Bollinger to Minnesota for DT C.J. Mosley and a seventh-round pick.
