Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Ethan Greenberg, Randy Lange, Caroline Hendershot and John Pullano will give their responses to a series of questions regarding this year's Jets.
Today's question: Are the Jets More Likely to Trade Up, Trade Back or Stay Put in Round 1 of the NFL Draft?
EG: Trading up or back would not surprise me since GM Joe Douglas has shown he's happy to do both, but I'm more inclined to think Douglas would move up to grab a player he wants. It may seem counterintuitive to dispose of draft capital since the Jets do not a second-round pick, but this is a win-now team. If the Jets made the move up, I think it would be for a wide receiver to add to a group that includes Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams, who is rehabbing from an ACL injury. The Green & White also don't have a lot of cap space remaining, so if they were to move up, they'd draft fewer players which would likely mean less money on the books for the entire draft class. Douglas is in a good spot at No. 10 overall because he can let the draft come to him. After a successful free agency, the team does not have a glaring need, which makes them unpredictable in the draft.
RL: Right up top, anyone who knows what Joe Douglas and the Jets will definitively do with their No. 10 overall pick is guessing, because Joe isn't telling and his track record goes in all three directions. From the 2020 draft through last year, Douglas has at one time or another held nine first-round picks. He stood pat on three, traded for four, traded his own No. 1 once, and traded a previously traded Round 1 pick once. Also from '20-23, Douglas has kept 13 of the Jets' own picks and traded 18 of them, while keeping 20 traded picks and trading 11 traded picks again. So that being said, we could see the Jets moving up a few rungs to secure the player they want, staying at 10, or trading down to fill in that Round 2 hole created by last year's Aaron Rodgers trade. So how to gameplan this? Joe D at the top of his predraft newser last week said: "We definitely have 10 players that we're excited to take, so we're ready to roll." Does that mean he'll stay at 10? Of course not. As he also said, "If our phone is ringing, we're going to be prepared." But my instinct is the Jets will stay anchored at 10 and let the best WR, T or TE come to them.
CH: It depends on who is available and how the first few picks fall. If one of the top receivers – Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze – is still available, I could see the Jets trying to trade up to take one of them. I could also see teams with bigger needs going after the No. 10 spot and offering GM Joe Douglas a second-round pick to trade back. That could be a nice addition to the seven picks the Jets currently have since they currently don't have pick in Round 2. The most likely scenario, to me, is staying put at No. 10 and drafting the best available player.
JP: With no 2024 second-round pick to deal in a trade up and a need for depth at the wide receiver position and along the offensive line, I expect the Jets to "stick and pick" at No. 10 overall. The Jets acquired LT Tyron Smith, RT Morgan Moses and WR Mike Williams, among others, in free agency but still need depth at those positions. Draft analysts have labeled this year's class as tackle and receiver rich, highlighted by the big three wideouts – Rome Odunze (Washington), Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State) and Malik Nabers (LSU) – and several NFL-ready linemen – Joe Alt (Notre Dame), Olu Fashanu (Penn State) and Troy Fautanu (Washington) –, setting up well for the Jets to grab either position at No. 10. In addition, since his first draft with New York in 2020, general manager Joe Douglas' draft philosophy has been to trust his draft board. I expect Douglas to stick to his guns, put faith his player personnel staff's scouting and take the best player available Thursday night.
