In his first mock draft of the offseason, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had the Jets select Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick with the sixth overall selection.
In Kiper's mock, three quarterbacks came off the board before the Jets selected. Josh Allen (Wyoming) went No. 1 overall to the Browns, Josh Rosen (UCLA) followed at No. 2 to the Giants and Sam Darnold (USC) was the Broncos' No. 5 overall selection. Kiper awarded NC State pass rusher Bradley Chubb (NC State) to the Colts at No. 3 and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley went No. 4 to the Browns.
Fitzpatrick, a New Jersey native, won both the Chuck Bednarik and Jim Thorpe awards, which are presented to the nation's best defensive player and defensive back respectively. The junior tallied 171 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, nine interceptions and 24 pass defenses in three seasons for the Crimson Tide.
The 6'1", 202-pounder, known to be hypercompetitive, was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection as well as a two-time consensus All-American in 2016-17. In three years in Tuscaloosa, Fitzpatrick played in three college football championship games and won two of them.
