Final mock drafts are coming with the draft on Thursday. So let’s take a look at some of the mock drafts across the media to get a sense of where most experts and analysts believe the Jets could go on Thursday night in the first round.
Draft Wire: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Curt Popejoy at Draft Wire opts to give the Jets help up front with Taliese Fuaga after Chicago took Brock Bowers at No. 9.
Brock Bowers has been the pick here for some time but all the craziness means the Jets opt for a franchise left tackle instead.
USA Today: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
USA Today’s Nate Davis has Georgia tight end Brock Bowers heading to New York at No. 10 to give the Jets their explosive tight end.
Yet another team with a fascinating array of options. GM Joe Douglas, who knows he and HC Robert Saleh are on the hot seat entering this season, wouldn’t have far to go if he wants to get one of this draft’s elite wideouts. Despite an offensive line reinforced through free agency, this would also be a great spot to further fortify the blocking in front of QB Aaron Rodgers. A trade back could still net an impact player and, perhaps, the second-round pick the NYJ don’t currently possess. But sticking and picking could bring a threat of Bowers’ estimable caliber. Despite being limited by an ankle injury for a good chunk of the 2023 season, Bowers, the only two-time Mackey Award winner ever, had 26 TD catches during his three-year college career and averaged nearly 60 grabs for 850 yards as the rare player at his position who could dominate a game offensively – sometimes as a ball carrier. He’d be quite a run-after-catch threat between the hashes with WRs Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams operating outside and RB Breece Hall holding defenders in the box.
ESPN: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
ESPN held their NFL Nation mock draft and Rich Cimini went with Bowers, making that two mocks in this roundup so far for the Georgia tight end.
The Jets could really use another offensive tackle because starters Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, both 33, are considered one-year Band-Aids, but they can’t resist the temptation of another playmaker for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Bowers is “a Swiss Army knife,” according to GM Joe Douglas. They believe Bowers can do what rookie TE Sam LaPorta (86 catches, 889 yards, 10 TDs) did for the Lions last season.
LA Times: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
This time, it’s the Jets taking Fuaga with Bowers still on the board. Bowers falls to New Orleans at 14 here in Sam Farmer’s mock for the LA Times.
Receiver is tempting here, but a reliable tackle probably would be even more helpful for the aging Aaron Rodgers.
NFL.com (Charles Davis): Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
NFL.com’s Charles Davis makes it a hat trick here for Taliese Fuaga. What makes this mock interesting is that the Jets pass on both Bowers and Rome Odunze. Odunze lands with the Colts at No. 15 while Bowers slips all the way to the Bengals at 18.
A top WR is in play here. The best TE in the draft, Brock Bowers, has also felt like a fit. But Jets GM Joe Douglas must do everything in his power to keep Aaron Rodgers on the field, and he might not want to count strictly on his veteran OT acquisitions (Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses) to get the job done.
CBS Sports: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia (trade with New Orleans)
Another vote for Bowers here from Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, but it comes after a trade with the New Orleans Saints, who move up for Penn State OT Olu Fashanu. The Saints really could use an offensive tackle, so this is a plausible draft-day scenario for the Jets. The Saints currently do not have a pick in Rounds 3 or 4 but maybe they get aggressive and send their second-round pick (No. 45) to the Jets to make this deal.
I’ve said it since the fall: Bowers is a top 10 talent but because of the position he plays, and needs at other positions, he could slip to the middle of the first round. Even here, the Bengals could target tackles Taliese Fuaga or Amarius Mims here.
NFL.com (Eric Edholm): Rome Odunze, WR Washington
Our first vote in this roundup for Rome Odunze via Eric Edholm of NFL.com. Odunze is a potential trade-up candidate for the Jets as well, so if he’s still on the board at No. 10, the Jets will strongly consider him.
It might be too tough for general manager Joe Douglas to pass on Odunze, even with Mike Williams on board and O-line worries still not completely addressed, in my opinion. The Jets likely can’t count on Williams to stay healthy for a full season, and Odunze might be the perfect bookend to Garrett Wilson in time.
The Ringer: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Chalk another one up for Brock Bowers, this time from The Ringer’s 2024 NFL Mock Draft.
The more sensible move for the Jets here might be to take an offensive lineman and build some depth to boost their aging, cobbled-together group. But with Aaron Rodgers playing what may be his final season, the Jets instead put all their chips in on skill-player talent to surround their quarterback. As the new de facto no. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson, Bowers does solve a need for the team, and he gives New York a big-time creator after the catch.
Pro Football Focus: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
That’s five here for Bowers. Pro Football Focus did a full seven-round mock and Dalton Wasserman took the reigns for the Jets and went with Bowers after a run of wide receivers at picks four, five and six.
The top three receivers are off the board, so the Jets take the best available weapon in Bowers. He is arguably the greatest college tight end of all time, providing elite ability after the catch. The Jets pair their revamped offensive line with a loaded skill group that includes Bowers, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams.
The 33rd Team: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
Our first vote in this group for Troy Fautanu as Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team went with the Washington offensive lineman over Bowers with the Big 3 at wide receiver all gone.
The New York Jets quickly learned last season that having Aaron Rodgers could be special, but not having proper protection defeats everything. They’ve done a nice job this offseason, adding Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and John Simpson to go with Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera Tucker, who is coming back from an Achilles tear. That likely will be their starting five, but they need more capable players should there be injuries — which is likely considering the injury history of some of those guys.
Troy Fautanu could, at the minimum, start by competing for the starting left guard spot with Simpson, and he could be an immediate option at left tackle should something happen to Smith, who is on a one-year contract. Any injury on this line could be shored up with the positional flexibility of Simpson, Vera-Tucker and Fautanu.
The Athletic: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Finally, we check out the beat writer mock at The Athletic and this was a wild draft for the Jets’ board. The top three wide receiver and Brock Bowers all were taken in the first nine picks, so Zack Rosenblatt decided to go with the next-best option at wide receiver, in this case LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr.
Pretty much the worst-case scenario happened here for the Jets. All four of the top quarterbacks, three wide receivers, Alt and Bowers were taken. It decimated the draft board and removed much of the appeal for any team that might’ve wanted to trade up. But the Jets will still be happy to land a receiver they rate highly — and who many around the league don’t think would be a reach this high. Thomas is a dynamic playmaker and down-the-field threat who wouldn’t have to step in as a No. 1 or even No. 2 receiver with Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams in the fold — and also would serve as ideal insurance if Williams isn’t himself coming off ACL surgery. It was tempting to take an offensive lineman such as Troy Fautanu or Taliese Fuaga, but the winds for the Jets seem to be blowing in the direction of another pass catcher for Aaron Rodgers.
