New York Jets: 5 Biggest needs in 2018 NFL Draft, pre-free agency

1. Offensive Line

There’s no doubt on this one. The Jets need to rebuild this offensive line, and do it pronto. It doesn’t matter who the running back or quarterback is if there’s an inadequate offensive line.

By any stretch of measurement, the Jets offensive line was awful in 2017. According to Pro Football Focus Elite, with a pass blocking efficiency of 76.0, they allowed pressure on the quarterback on 34 percent of all passing snaps. It was mostly from the inside, as the interior linemen allowed over 100 pressures.

According to Football Outsiders, they ranked near the bottom on runs 10 yards and closer to the line of scrimmage. They also allowed the fourth most runs to be stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Next: NFL Free Agency: Top 50 players, signing predictions

Let’s face it: a terrible offensive line = terrible offense. There’s not ifs, ands, or buts about it. The Jets top priority this offseason should be their offensive line. If they can’t land the free agents needed to fix this issue, they need to use the top of the draft to do so. There’s no sense in getting the quarterback at the top of the draft if there’s no one to protect him. The offensive line is the key to this offseason for Gang Green.