There is an awful lot of consensus already around who the New York Giants take in this year’s NFL draft. There isn’t that same level of agreement when it comes to the New York Jets, not at all.
Mock drafts everywhere seem locked in on the fact that not only will the Giants go quarterback but there’s only one quarterback they will consider taking with the No. 2 pick.
CBSSports.com late last week mocked UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen to the Giants. In many ways, it is an odd pick personality-wise as Rosen has made headlines for being a bit of a free-spirit and his antics run counter to the very dour public image of current starting quarterback Eli Manning.
And a Rosen partnership with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on and off the field could be downright combustible. Tim Daniels at Bleacher Report is also on board with the selection of Rosen in his mock draft that was released on Saturday.
In their most recent mock draft over this past weekend, WalterFootball.com also has the Giants in on Rosen after they have the Cleveland Browns taking Saquon Barkley No. 1 overall. The Sporting News as well has Rosen as the pick at No. 2, with Eric Galko writing that “a few teams, most notably the Cardinals and Bills, might aggressively try to trade up to draft Rosen if the Giants want to give Manning another Super Bowl run.”
The outlook for the Jets is all over the place.
The same CBSSports.com mock draft that had Rosen heading to the Giants has the Jets going defensive in the first round, taking LSU defensive end Arden Key with the sixth overall pick. In his assessment, R.J. White notes that the selection of this edge rusher would “give the team one of the rising defensive units in the game, provided the Jets aren’t scared away by his off-field red flags.”
Quarterback is the way the Jets go according to Bleacher Report, with Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield likely to make fans happy if this mock comes true.
“He certainly has his flaws, like his mechanics and anticipation, but a team desperate for a franchise quarterback – i.e. the Jets – could pull the trigger much earlier than some expect,” Walter Camp’s Charlie Campbell wrote on the Jets possible pick.
Mayfield isn’t the pick according to the Sporting News, who has the Oklahoma quarterback going fifth overall to the Denver Broncos. The Jets are going defensive here with Bradley Chubb, a pass rushing end a fit.
“Quarterback could be an option, but finding offensive skill players and defensive impact players makes sense for the Jets,” the Sporting News notes.
