The second tier of receivers

Edition #312

Good morning!

I don’t think it’s a secret that the Jets will look to upgrade their receiver room during the draft. Signing Mike Williams was a masterstroke by Joe Douglas but like with the offensive line, it’s a short-term deal. The signing of Williams shouldn’t impact the Jets’ willingness to draft a receiver any more than Tyron Smith’s signing should deter them from taking a tackle. But how does the second tier of receivers compare?

Max Chadwick over at PFF had a mock draft out on Monday that I forgot to include yesterday. He had 6 QBs going in the first-round which would be an NFL draft record. Who did he have the Jets taking? You guessed it…Brock Bowers

PFF also had a note on pro comparisons and they believe that Brock Bowers is George Kittle in waiting: “This is probably the most common comparison on this list, but it rings too true to ignore. Brock Bowers is arguably the best tight end in college football history. Since 2014, Bowers ranks second among FBS tight ends in yards after the catch and first in yards after contact. 49ers tight end George Kittle is slightly bigger than Bowers but also makes explosive plays after the catch. Kittle ranks third in PFF history in receiving grade and fifth in yards after the catch despite being targeted just 664 times so far in his career. He ranks second behind Jonnu Smith in yards after the catch per reception.”

Rhett Lewis had a mock draft out on NFL.com and he had the Jets trading down with the Broncos who moved up to take Michigan QB J.J McCarthy. With the 12th pick in the draft they had the Jets taking Fuaga.

Woody Johnson addressed the Aaron Rodgers vice-presidency rumour and called it a “momentary distraction” - "He is getting back to football 100%. He never left football," Johnson said, via ESPN. "That was a momentary distraction, maybe like going in the dark room or whatever. But he's back 100%. Great leader. … If we can keep him on his feet, which I think we can, it's going to be an exciting start to the season."

There is a world where the Jets move up for a wide receiver, grab Marvin Harrison, Malike Nabers or Rome Odunze, and there’s also a world where one of them falls to the Jets at #10. However, I think both scenarios are unlikely.

As I’ve said before I think the Jets taking an offensive tackle in the first round is still the most likely scenario, preferably after moving down. If they can somehow add a 2nd round pick that brings the second tier of receivers into play and I wanted to compare six players and see how they stack up.

Here are the guys we’re going to be looking at and how they stack up from a measurable perspective. I also think it’s a useful exercise to look at all these players next to each other.

Brian Thomas and Adonai Mitchell are basically carbon copies, while Ladd McConkey and Roman Wilson are very similar. Franklin’s slight frame marks him out despite being 6’1 and Pearsall is by far the most explosive when you look at that vertical.

Production isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to college receivers, but we have some pretty extreme examples here. On one hand, you have someone like Brian Thomas Jr with his 17 touchdowns and Troy Franklin with his 1,300+ yards and 14 touchdowns. On the other hand, you have Ladd McConkey who brought in just 2 touchdowns and failed to pass 500 yards. All of these guys had good averages