The Senior Bowl is one of the biggest pre-draft events and the last opportunity to draft prospects to put on some fresh film in pads before teams start getting into the nitty-gritty on the players through the Scouting Combine and pro days.
The Jets have dipped into the Senior Bowl pool as recently as last season. Four of their seven picks last April were in Mobile for the Senior Bowl: Jermaine Johnson, Jeremy Ruckert, Max Mitchell and Micheal Clemons.
Could the Jets grab players again from this year’s Senior Bowl class? Here are some names to keep an eye on.
John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
Connor McGovern is a free agent, so the future of the center position is up in the air. Regardless, the Jets can use some bodies in the middle and Schmitz is setting up to be a strong contributor on an NFL offensive line.
A 2022 All-American, Michael Schmitz (6’3″, 306 pounds) started every game at center for the Gophers over his last two seasons and has shown the ability to power through defensive linemen, helping anchor what was a strong running game at Minnesota.
A player of his caliber would help open up holes for Breece Hall for years to come.
Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State
If the Jets want to add some depth at the offensive tackle position, they could go big, literally, with Dawand Jones.
Jones checked in at 6’8″, 375 pounds with a massive wingspan of almost 90 inches, normally a wingspan of someone that would 7-foot-5.
Not only does he have the size, he has the power, as he showed during practice in Mobile.
This was the matchup everyone wanted to see in OL/DL pass rush drills: Dawand Jones vs Isaiah Foskey (Foskey put an OT on his ass his previous rep)
Jones with another win on the day. No one has been able to get the better of Jones’ size and length yet pic.twitter.com/TNFRtqxQY5
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 31, 2023
The top three tackles — Peter Skoronski, Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones — seem to be pretty consensus, but there’s a race for the top of the next tier. Jones could reach that threshold.
Keion White, edge, Georgia Tech
You can never have enough pass rush. The Jets tried showing that last season with a number of edge players. With Carl Lawson a potential cap casualty and a handful of other defensive linemen set to be free agents, a player like Keion White, who can line up all across the defensive line, would add another young, flashy presence in the pass rush, along with Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff and Micheal Clemons.
White (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) is also a strong run-stuffer, so Jeff Ulbrich would be able to get very creative with a talent like White. White is going to rise up draft boards in Mobile.
Here’s Georgia Tech EDGE Keion White – most talented player here
Very engaged with coaches in between reps, great combo of size/athleticism
Should be a huge week for him pic.twitter.com/6uyzFHQVd4
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) January 31, 2023
DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas
DeMarvion Overshown is a linebacker that can play all three levels of the field thanks to his versatility and experience at both safety and linebacker — he originally played safety for the Longhorns before moving to linebacker.
He may be a little undersized at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, but his athleticism across the field helps make up for the lack of size. He can fly around and make plays and be somewhat of a chess piece for a defensive coordinator.