Mock draft season has begun.
On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Mel Kiper launched the primary model of his 2023 mock draft. He had a stunning choice for the Jets at choose No. 13.
Kiper has Gang Green drafting Ohio State extensive receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with its first choose in April’s draft.
“The Jets picked Garrett Wilson at No. 10 last April and he had 83 catches for 1,103 yards as a rookie, but for the Buckeyes in 2021, it was his teammate Smith-Njigba who was their top wideout, as he put up 1,606 yards, doing damage mostly out of the slot,” Kiper wrote.
But ESPN’s resident draft knowledgeable factors out {that a} “nagging hamstring injury” is an enormous query mark for Smith-Njigba heading into the draft. After his stellar sophomore marketing campaign, he performed simply three video games and caught 5 passes.
“The Jets had a stellar draft last year, Smith-Njigba would be a great start for this one. I know, this makes back-to-back top-15 picks on receiver for the Jets, but Smith-Njigba is worth it because of what he and Wilson can do together.”
The hamstring harm price the 6-0, 197-pounder many of the season, however the 12 months earlier than he was among the best gamers within the nation and was a third-team All-American. He was additionally the Rose Bowl recreation MVP after he caught 15 passes for a staggering 347 yards and three touchdowns in a victory towards Utah.
The Jets definitely produce other wants they may tackle within the first spherical of the 2023 draft — quarterback, offensive deal with and security — however extensive receiver is an space they may goal. Gang Green wants one other playmaker on the place because the offense struggled mightily down the stretch.
The Jets averaged 11 factors per recreation over the ultimate 5 video games, the bottom within the NFL throughout that span. That contains the ultimate three weeks of the season when the Jets went with out scoring a single landing in losses towards the Jaguars, Seahawks and Dolphins.
As the Jets enter the offseason, there are quite a lot of questions at receiver, so Smith-Njigba makes some sense. Both Denzel Mims and Elijah Moore had separate commerce requests in the course of the season and veteran Corey Davis might be a wage cap casualty.
Davis signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract with the Jets in 2021. He has 66 receptions for 1,028 yards and 6 touchdowns over two seasons with the staff. However, accidents have been frequent throughout his first two seasons.
In 2021, Davis performed a career-low 9 video games as he missed two with a hip harm and 6 with a groin harm that required core-muscle surgical procedure. This season, Davis missed a month due to a knee harm.
It’s troublesome to see the Jets deciding on a large receiver with their first choose in Round 1, however definitely not out of the realm of risk, particularly in the event that they tackle a lot of their wants throughout free company, which begins March 15.
GARDNER, WILSON UP FOR MORE
The Jets’ prime two picks in final 12 months’s draft are each finalists for AP Rookie of the Year awards.
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was chosen fourth total within the 2022 NFL Draft, is a finalist for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year together with Lions defensive finish Aidan Hutchinson and Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen. Wilson, together with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Seahawks operating again Kenneth Walker III, had been the finalists for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Wilson and Gardner had been named the Pro Football Writers of America Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year on Tuesday.
The NFL AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards can be introduced on Feb. 9 throughout NFL Honors.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com
