The Jets have acquired quite the portfolio of draft capital this year. The 2-16-33-44 is so melodic that a theme song could be created from tit. Jets fans are using the numbers as the foundation for their hoped-for lottery wins. NFL draft analysts are falling over themselves coming up with different combinations of four picks in the first two rounds to help the Jets fill the different holes on their roster.
But the numbers can change — Jets general manager Darren Mougey showed that by adding 16 (in the trade with Indianapolis for Sauce Gardner) and 44 (in the deal with Dallas for Quinnen Williams) to their draft equation, as well as with the multitude of Round 5-6-7 swaps that the GM and his personnel staff have already executed.
What should the Jets do with their first four picks? Connor Rogers, who offers his pre-draft and mock-draft opinions on NBC Sports, SNY, and the NFL Stock Exchange and Badlands podcasts, shares some thoughts with NYJets.com senior reporter Eric Allen on the Jets' *Now Boarding* YouTube show.
Q. If you're advising the Jets on their draft, do you recommend them spending those first-rounders, second and 16th overall, on the best available players at each spot? Or do you use the No. 2 for a player but work the phones to find a top-10 team that wants to trade down to 16 for reasonable value?
Connor Rogers: This would be fascinating. In this scenario, say they go with one of the front seven guys at 2. You look at it and you go, OK, we didn't think that [Ohio State S] Caleb Downs would make it to 8 or 9. And the Bengals should be a team at 10 that if Downs makes it down the board, I don't see how he doesn't go in the top 10 because of the Bengals at 10.
You look at that scenario and you go, What's the cost? Is the cost a little different because teams are so desperate to get out in this draft? Say we took [Buckeyes LB] Arvell Reese at 2 and moved up from 16 and we got Caleb Downs at 8 or 9 — that's pretty special stuff.
Then if you're worried about the capital it costs to go up and do that ... trade out of 33 and you'll recoup that capital anyway and you'll walk out with great players. That's one that is big time.
Q: Again if you're the Jets, would you consider trading that 33rd overall pick for a first-round choice next year? Or is that too risky for a rebuilding team?
CR: It's tough to say no. Now this is where collaboration is so important, where [Aaron Glenn] will have a feel for the roster and where they need to add. Say they did what we just said — they were aggressive, they took a front seven player at 2 who they think is a star, they made a move nobody saw coming with Caleb Downs. You're looking at it and saying we have two difference-makers on defense. Now you still need another receiver, so you would have to see how you feel about that.
But if they felt like the roster was in a place where it was competitive enough going forward where they can wait, it's tough to say no to that scenario. Think about how the Rams are feeling right now after acquiring Atlanta's first-round pick last year. Now the Rams have the 13th pick in the draft and they were a Super Bowl-caliber team last year. So big picture, that would be fascinating to me.
Q. Rather than trading for a first-round pick next year, what if a team wants to trade up this year, only from a little farther down in Round 2 up to the top of the round?
CR: So say a team wanted to come up only a couple of spots. We still probably get the player that we want and they gave us that third-rounder that we're missing. Now we're picking late 30s, 44, we're picking in the third round, and we have two 4s as well. So it's going to be interesting to see how to balance that.
But accumulating draft capital for 2027? I tip my cap to any team — and the Jets are one of them — that's doing that because that group looks for real.
Q. The Jets have the first selection of Day Two in No. 33, then they have the third pick of Day 3 at No. 103 in Round 4. We talk every year about the great value of the early picks of each new day of the draft. How about 33 in this draft?
CR: Thirty-three is the dream you-can-trade-it scenario. Everybody gets real hungry after they go to bed after Round 1 and they go, 'God, I can't believe that guy is there at 33. What is it going to cost to go into the Jets' pick? And the Jets don't have a third-rounder. so do you move out of 33 and get more capital? That's at the top of my mind.
