Gang Green leaves night one with their top-rated quarterback and top-rated guard in Zach Wilson and Alijah Vera-Tucker. They are slated to head into night two with the 34th overall pick.
A handful of names immediately flash off the screen: Teven Jenkins, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Azeez Ojulari, and Asante Samuel Jr are all first-round-caliber players who slipped out of the first round.
This happens every year. A first-round talent falls out of the first round and a team aggressively tries to trade up and snag them early in the second round. New York traded picks 23, 66, and 86 for picks 14 and 143 in the move for Vera-Tucker, so it’s valid to question whether GM Joe Douglas will stay put at 34 or move back and regain those picks.
Should the Jets look to trade back, there is a considerable pool of players they could feel comfortable about dropping. Some names available who could help further bolster the offensive line in the second round following a trade-down include Creed Humphrey, Landon Dickerson, Wyatt Davis, Quinn Meinerz, Samuel Cosmi, Dillon Radunz, and Jalen Mayfield, to name a few. The EDGE class may still have names available after a trade down, including Ronnie Perkins and Carlos Basham Jr, as well as the CB class with Ifeatu Melifonwu, Tyson Campbell, and Kelvin Joseph.
If they stay put, Teven Jenkins and Asante Samuel are the two names I’ll be keeping an eye on. Landing Jenkins in the second round may be too good to pass up. Zach Wilson would have more time to throw in the NFL than he did at BYU. Samuel is an athletic, physical corner despite his size and would fit the Robert Saleh mold of a zone corner who can win in man-to-man situations.
What will Douglas do? Tune in to rounds two and three of the NFL Draft tonight at 7:00 pm est and catch the Joe Show.
