New York Jets strong offseason could shake up the 2024 NFL Draft
The New York Jets truly hit on all of their roster needs this offseason and have a ton of flexibility in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Jets have added three new starts to their offensive line and have also added a wide receiver. Right now, Jets GM Joe Douglas has certainly done enough this offseason to impact the 2024 NFL Draft in a big way. Currently, New York holds the 10th overall pick, which is high enough to land a blue-chip prospect.
However, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports that the Jets would ideally like to trade down from their 10th overall spot:
"There's always a lot of smoke when it comes to the draft, and it certainly sounded a bit ... well, smoky, when Douglas hinted this week that the Jets could consider a quarterback with the 10th pick.
- Rich Cimini
While the Jets need a young quarterback in their pipeline, assuming Zach Wilson is a goner, the idea of them drafting one that high seems unlikely. Yes, the future is important, but they need a player who can help them now and maximize quarterback Aaron Rodgers' window. He turns 41 in December.
What they'd really like is a trade proposal from a quarterback-needy team, which would allow them to acquire a top-100 pick. A handful of teams behind them, most notably the Minnesota Vikings (11th), Denver Broncos (12th) and Las Vegas Raiders (13th), might be motivated to move up."
The Jets did have to give up some notable draft capital to trade for Aaron Rodgers, so they currently do not have a second-round pick and only have two picks in the top-100. With them addressing many of their needs, a trade-down scenario to acquire more capital makes a ton of sense. Joe Douglas, historically, has been very active in working the draft boards, so I don't see how he doesn't make a move one way or another.
With them still going all-in with Aaron Rodgers, one may think that staying at 10 and adding another piece to the offense could work. However, the 2024 NFL Draft is very deep at both wide receiver and offensive tackle, two positions that New York could still add to. Trading down from 10, perhaps only moving down a few slots, not only nets them additional draft capital, but would also still get them in a position to land a top WR or OT prospect.
And heck, there is no guarantee that Joe Douglas would even go offense. Perhaps Douglas has his eyes on a certain defensive prospect. Either way, the Jets could have a huge impact on the 2024 NFL Draft.