New York Jets: Quarterback not a given with No. 2 overall pick

The New York Jets may not plan on making the consensus No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

What a difference two wins makes. Before their first winning streak of the year, the New York Jets were in perfect shape to finish the season with the worst record (or at least tied for it) and land Clemson product Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It was the perfect consultation prize for an atrocious season.

Unfortunately for Jets fans, the team finally started to play good football and are on a two-game winning streak after starting the season 0-13. While the Jets started to turn things around, the Jacksonville Jaguars continued to flounder and now have clinched the No. 1 overall pick and the rights to drafting Lawrence in April.

Many people assumed that the Jets will take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick — in particular, Justin Fields of Ohio State. Fields has frequently been listed as the No. 2 pick in mock drafts throughout the season, but that might not be as automatic as we all thought now that the top two picks have been shuffled.

Will the New York Jets go a different route with the No. 2 pick?

Now that New York won’t have the rights to Lawrence, will they still go with a quarterback in April’s draft? As strange as this is to admit, Sam Darnold is playing good football recently and perhaps that could be enough for the Jets not to abandon ship. Ditching him for Lawrence made sense, but it might not for Fields or any of these other quarterbacks.

Perhaps the Jets opt to use their No. 2 selection on the best offensive lineman in the draft, Penei Sewell. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Sewell was going to land with the Bengals at No. 3, but now the Dolphins (thanks to the Texans) have that spot, so Week 16 really shook things up in the first round.

Sewell is the second-best prospect in the draft and would be as close to a can’t miss prospect as one can be. The Jets wouldn’t be foolish to take him with this pick, especially if Darnold finishes out the 2020 season on a high note. Protection is key in the NFL and Darnold hasn’t had any. Maybe this is the route the Jets need to go rather than trying to rebuild once again.

Two weeks ago, this seemed like an absolutely crazy idea, but with how well Darnold is playing and the fact that Lawrence is no longer an option, this could make a lot of sense for the Jets.