New York Jets: No man’s land in 2019 NFL Draft?

A new week brings a new mock draft for the New York Jets. There has been a change in the pecking order. That means new potential for the team from Gotham.

The New York Jets defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 to move their record to 4-9. For fans hoping for the Jets to tank, that’s not a good thing. With the loss, they slid from the third to fifth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, now picking after the Raiders and Falcons (via Tankathon).

As of this week, we may have a rarity on our hands. With the top six spots occupied by the 49ers, Cardinals, Raiders, Falcons, Jets and Bills, five of the top six spot are occupied by teams with quarterbacks who are widely considered to have their franchise guys.

The toss up is the Raiders, because it appears they may be in full-on rebuild mode, but it’s unclear as to what they are thinking about Derek Carr. (If they still think here’s their guy, then the first team that needs a quarterback is Jacksonville at No. 7).

Picking at No. 5 behind those teams puts the Jets in an awkward position. They can’t really trade up, because none of the trade partners will likely want to go to No. 5. They also may not have an enticing enough pick to trade back. They may be stuck with the pick if they are there by season’s end.

There’s also another problem. They may be reaching for talent at No. 5 based on need. The Jets are in no man’s land where they stand. It’s not a good place to be in, because of the needs of the teams around them.

In the end, the Jets are not in a good place in the draft right now. There are three weeks left. They still have a chance to move up or down, and either direction would be better than where they sit at the moment.