Prior to the Senior Bowl, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller unveiled a two-round mock draft that had the Jets selecting Wyoming QB Josh Allen No. 6 overall. Then with the team's pair of Round 2 picks, Miller had the Jets select Louisville CB Jaire Alexander at No. 37 and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu out of USC at No. 49.
Allen started two seasons for the Cowboys, throwing for 5,015 yards, 44 touchdowns and 21 interceptions while completing 56.2% of his passes in 25 games. Many draft pundits believe the 6'5", 240-pounder is a top-three quarterback in this year's class even though some consider him a raw prospect. Allen completed nine of his 13 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's Senior Bowl following an up-and-down week of practice.
"With Rosen (No. 2, NYG) and Darnold (No. 1, CLE) off the board, the next best quarterback is Josh Allen," Miller said of his Mock. "You'll hear in the next four months about how much potential he has, but the downside is that he is incredibly raw. The upside is that if the Jets hit, Allen could be a Cam Newton- or Ben Roethlisberger-type starter."
In the Miller mock, the Colts added to their defense with NC State's Bradley Chubb at No. 3. Penn State RB Saquon Barkley went to the Browns at No. 4 and Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick landed in Denver at No. 5.
Alexander had a successful career at Louisville at both cornerback and returner. A former receiver, Alexander recorded seven interceptions and 15 pass defenses in addition to 77 tackles in three seasons. The 5'11", 192-pounder is shifty as he had a punt return average of 10 yards and scored one touchdown (69 yards) in his two years as the Cardinals' primary returner.
"He's a little undersized. He was banged up this year, but he's physical at the line of scrimmage," Miller said of the underclassman. "I think he's great in terms of instincts — finding the ball, planting his foot and going after it. If you go back to last year, Alexander was one of the best corners in the country."
Nwosu was one of four USC captains in 2017 and played in last week's Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL. The 6'2", 240-pounder is very active around the line of scrimmage as he totaled 19 career pass defenses, 13 of which came in his senior year. For his career, Nwosu tallied 169 stops, 20.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one recovery.
"You can move him around. He started at USC as a safety, then they moved him to linebacker, and then they moved him to edge rusher," Miller said. "You have someone that on first and second down, he can play next to Darron Lee. On third down, he can put his hand in the ground and go get the quarterback. I think he's someone who could have a big role. He's not going to be just a pass-rush specialist. He's not going to be just an inside linebacker. He's going to be a matchup nightmare for offenses."
