Bonus: Mock Draft Saturday

I know, I know...it's too early. I just can't help myself though, here's my Mock Draft 1.0.

🗽 Good morning Jets fans! I don’t usually send out a Saturday newsletter but with a full slate of content planned next week, today I just had to make an exception. Before I head to Carrow Road to watch the mighty Norwich City likely lose another football game, and before the Texas Longhorns ruin yet another Saturday for me, I thought I’d put together my first mock draft of the season.

🏈 When I first started writing for Gang Green Nation, SB Nations Jets site, I did so as more of a draft analyst. I spent the majority of my time watching college football and writing scouting reports like this one on Demario Davis back in 2012, or this one on Taylor Mays back in 2010. I went away from that to focus more on the Jets team itself but always kept a keen eye and keen interest on the draft.

Over the course of the next 5 months, I’ll be putting together 3-4 mock drafts and I’ll be using different simulators to do it. For today’s mock, I’ll be using Pro Football Networks. I’ll do my best to explain the logic behind the picks and as always please do leave a comment or send me a message with the picks you like and the picks you hate.

Obviously this is all speculation and we still have plenty of college football left to play. You won’t fill every hole in the draft, and what you do in the draft is often dictated by what you’ve already done in free agency, which is information we don’t have at this point, so take it for what it is.

Shall we get into it…

Round One: Pick 3

DE: Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

I’ve included the two picks ahead of the Jets one so you have context around who was available and who was already taken.

I went back and forward on this selection, knowing that Carl Lawson is set to return next year and JFM has just signed a big extension. But, we know that the defensive philosophy employed by Robert Saleh, and the success of this unit as a whole, is directly related to the success of the pass rush.

Having a pass rush that can get home with just a 4-man rush allows you to do so many things in terms of your coverage. Saleh also likes to rotate his defensive line, keeping his pass-rush fresh. So if you get Lawson back, if you get Huff back, then you add those guys to JFM and Hutchinson, you’ve got yourself a unit.

Hutchinson is having a breakout year as a senior, he’s already racked up 9 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss in 10 games. He has a combination of explosion and power that will make him very hard to block and his motor is unmatched, he’s not a freak athlete like a Kayvon or a Bosa, but he’s a very good athlete who was born to rush the passer. He’s continued to go from strength to strength this year and top 5 is the buzz he’s getting from the scouting community.

Round One: Trade back to #13 for Vikings 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks.

Round One: Pick 13

OC - Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa

I will just say this now, I don’t think center is the biggest issue for the Jets. Connor McGovern isn’t an all-pro but he’s above average statistically and he’s still on the right side of 30. Saying that this presents an opportunity to lock up the line for the foreseeable future.

I recently wrote a profile on Tyler Linderbaum which you can read HERE. For me, he’s the best center prospect I’ve seen in a long time. He has everything you need to play the position for the next 10-12 years. It’s a key position on any roster and having that protection for Zach is only going to help in the long run. I know people don’t like taking interior lineman early in the draft, but having moved back to 13 to get him, this is too good an opportunity to pass up.

Round Two: Pick 36

LB: Christian Harris, Alabama

The linebacking unit for the Jets this year has been problematic, and that’s as nice as I can put it. The Jets attempted to draft two safeties and make them into linebackers and while the results are still out on that, I think it’s time we invested a premium draft pick in a position that’s so key to the defense.

Christian Harris is one of my favourite prospects in the draft. In an ideal world I’d get Nakobe Dean, but he’s long gone here and Harris has the potential to be as good as any linebacker in the class.

Harris played defensive back in high school and that shows in his coverage ability. He’s able to mirror receivers and tight ends in the short and intermediate routes and make plays on the ball in the air.

Harris could easily fill the Warner role on this defense because he’s fast, has + coverage ability and he’s about as reliable as you get in terms of tackling. He’s also a team captain at Alabama and you know how much we value leadership on the defensive side of the ball.

To be completely honest, I' wouldn’t be surprised to see him go in the first round, but he’s available here so I’m taking him.

Round Two: Pick 44

S: Lewis Cine - Georgia

If I can’t have Nakobe Dean, then I’m going to take Lewis Cine. The 2021 Georgia defense has been outstanding, and Cine plays a huge role in that.

Rewind a couple of years and the Jets were projected to have one of the better starting safety combinations in Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. With Adams having been traded and Maye wanting a big contract and the Jets not willing to budge, they could be both off the roster by opening day 2022. There’s a chance Maye is back on a one-year prove-it deal after his injury, but let’s wait and see on that one.

Cine is a 6’1, 200lb safety with good length and good speed. He’s been asked to do a lot at Georgia, he lines up as a single high safety but has experience split too. He’s a Blitzer, a downhill thumper, a coverage expert, and a slot corner. He’s also one of the leaders on this defense who’s often seen directing teammates. His read and react skills are excellent and his closing speed is elite.

He’s a good athlete, but he’s a great football player, and that’s what we need on this defense. I’d have no problems taking him in the 2nd round and he would be a day one starter for this defense. He already has 8 pass defenses in 2021, so although he’s known as a downhill thumper, don’t sleep on his coverage ability.

Round Two: Pick 51

CB - Trent McDuffie, Washington

You may have noticed a little trend. Outside of the Linderbaum pick, I’m stacking the defensive talent early and often. We have a few pieces on this defense, mainly on the defensive line, but at the other two levels, we need talent infusion. The 2022 defense is stacked with defensive talent, so you exploit that.

McDuffie is one of the most underrated players in college football for me. He possesses one of the more complete games at the cornerback position, combining off-the-chart athletic ability with an understanding and feel for the position. He has the speed to stick with any receiver and the fluidity to change direction with ease.

He has a couple of interceptions to his name, but his ball skills are an area to improve on for the next level, but that and his size are the only things stopping him from being a first-round selection. He plays with good physicality, can man up or drop into zone. Some won’t like that he’s under 6 feet, but I think his explosiveness is something the jets could use.

He’s smooth in his backpedal and he has a real feel for when to break on the ball, I saw some all-22 of his game against Utah in 2020 and he gave up zero separation, I mean he was on the hip of the receiver all game.

Round Three: Pick 67

OG: Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech

If you’ve followed me for more than a day, you’ll probably know that I think we need to improve upon our RG situation. I may be a touch harsh on GVR sometimes, but average is probably the best we can hope for with him, and with a contract that we can void at the end of the season, average just isn’t good enough.

I’m a big fan of Smith. He’s a 6’3 320lb guard that moves really well. He does his best work in the run game, but he shows good technique in pass protection in terms of working from a solid base, maintaining blocks and using good hand placement to keep leverage.

He’s been used as a pulling guard and he is comfortable moving laterally which is key for our offensive system. He’s a very good player to be able to nab in the third round, and after so much defense we sort the offensive line out once and for all with two selections.

Round Three: Pick 75

LB: Brandon Smith, Penn State

A superb athlete that plays at 100mph but is in control. Good change of direction in coverage, good strength, tackling ability is a + and he’s lined up as a SAM, WILL, and MIKE at Penn so he has scheme versatility. Penn is renowned for producing linebackers as well. He only started blossoming in 2020 so he’s still only scratched the surface of the player he could become, but with his length and read and react skills out of zone, I think he’s the ideal fit for this Jets defense. If you said to me, show me a Saleh LB, I’d point you to Smith.

Trade: Picks #115, #121 and #145 for pick #87

Making this trade as with all said and done we still select 9 players in the draft and while numbers are good, I’ll take the better talent level at this point, and with Kolar still available, I decided to be aggressive and move up and get him.

Round Three: Pick #87

TE, Charlie Kolar, Iowa State

I’m not sure why people aren’t higher on Charlie Kolar, in every mock I see he goes in the 3rd round for lower. I think he’s a 2nd round talent and when all is said and done, that’s where I think he goes. So far this year he’s caught 41 passes for 506 yards and 4 TD’s and Iowa State haven’t been great. He doesn’t have elite speed, but he has enough to threaten all three levels of a defense and he has good hands. Every young QB should have a good dependable TE, the Jets gave Zach Wilson Tyler Kroft, and Ryan Griffin. It’s time to correct that. He also shows a real willingness to block which you don’t always see from pass-catching TE’s

Round Five: Pick #167

WR, Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech

I like our receiver room in general, but Ezukanma has the potential to be a very special player. I don’t think he’ll be here at #167 but in this scenario he is, so I’ll take it. Great size at 6’3 and 220lb’s. Has excellent speed to get in behind defenses and an explosion off the line that you don’t usually see with guys this big. Plays with good body control and is dangerous after the catch and he has elite length. Too good to turn down at this point in my opinion. He already has 44 catches for 685 yards and 4 touchdowns this season, and with better QB play he’d have significantly more. A good target for Zach to have downfield.

Final Thoughts

There we have it. My first full mock draft of the season

DE: Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

OC: Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa

LB: Christian Harris, Alabama

S: Lewis Cine, Georgia

CB - Trent McDuffie, Washington

OG: Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech

LB: Brandon Smith, Penn State

TE, Charlie Kolar, Iowa State

WR, Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech

Obviously at this point, it’s all just a bit of fun. We don’t know how the rest of the season is going to play out, we don’t know how the Jets will attack free agency and we don’t know who they’ll look to re-sign. Some of these players may fall off a cliff in the 2nd half, some may vault their position after an outstanding combine, and some may not even enter the draft.

What I wanted to do at the start of the draft was fix three things. The defense as a whole, the offensive line and the pass-catching TE position. I feel like I did that with the selections above.

Let me know your thoughts below and which selections you like and which you hate.

As always I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read my Jets rambles. If you like what you read, please do consider sharing on social media and subscribing to future editions.