The New York Jets need to select Penei Sewell with the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Suffice to say, Robert Saleh has his work cut out for him as the new head coach of the New York Jets. The team has lot of holes to fill, pretty much all across the board this offseason. There are a myriad of possibilities as they hold the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which they should use to select Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
The popular choice is for them to select Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, assuming new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer doesn’t shock the world and draft Fields over Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and move on from Sam Darnold, most likely trading him for more picks.
However, here are a couple of problems with the Jets taking a quarterback over Sewell.
The case for the New York Jets taking Sewell over Fields.
For starters, Fields may be an exciting prospect at the quarterback position, coming from a powerhouse college program (which for the record doesn’t have the best track record for pro quarterbacks) but benefited from having a superior roster around him for his college career. Putting it kindly, the Jets roster is not that.
The Jets have a desperate need for playmakers and offensive line help when it comes to that side of the ball. Fields — or any other quarterback prospect other than possibly Lawrence, for that matter — aren’t the type of quarterback that will turn a franchise around himself despite the team’s limitations.
Lawrence is compared to Andrew Luck as a prospect and someone who maybe could turn around the Jets but New York missed out on him by winning two meaningless games. So now, they need to turn their focus to helping Darnold since Joe Namath or any other quarterback savior is walking through the door.
The draft does feature many good receivers, including reigning Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, another possibility for the Jets on draft day. The thing is, a team can have any many playmakers as they may but if the quarterback doesn’t have time to get them the ball, what’s the use?
Moreover, historically, having a stud wide receiver doesn’t always equal championships. For historical context, the last Hall of Fame receiver to win a Super Bowl as the primary option is Isaac Bruce with the 1999 St. Louis Rams. Besides, the Jets do have another first-round pick to play with and the cap space to go get a weapon in free agency.
That brings us to the offensive line. Defense may win championships, perhaps a reason behind the Saleh hiring. But there are no defensive prospects worth the No. 2 pick, so the offensive line is the most important need.
Darnold was the eighth most sacked quarterback in the NFL in 2020. But keep in mind, he only started 12 games. The Jets have to improve their offensive line before anything else. They drafted mountain of a man Mekhi Beckton with the 11th pick in 2020 and, while he isn’t perfect, he’s a start.
Pairing a gargantuan tackle like Beckton with a strong, athletic freak like Sewell would give the Jets two bookend tackles to build around for years to come. Sewell also helped make Justin Herbert the quarterback he is today whilst in college. And maybe Sewell can give Darnold some blindside protection at long last to help him achieve his potential.
Of course, there is always the possibility that the new head coach wants to come in and start fresh with a new quarterback to call his own. That option is always on the table. However, with Saleh having a defensive background, he may be more content to stick with Darnold.
If the Jets want to accomplish anything on offense and the win column, they need to start with the offensive line. Trevor Lawrence may be the best quarterback prospect in years but Penei Sewell is the best offensive line prospect in years in his own right.