Why Michael Pratt may be the right move for the Jets

Edition #611

Good morning!

If you’re a New York baseball fan, you’re probably feeling pretty good this morning. We’re going to have to wait a little longer to get those vibes from the Jets, but my confidence is currently riding the crest of a wave when it comes to the 2024 season. Today we’re talking Quarterback.

Here’s a turn-up for the books, according to Ben Baldwin and his algorithm for predicting offensive line performance, the Jets are slated to have a top-10 unit in 2024 based largely on their tackles. Of course, this does depend on us staying healthy for the season.

Bill Barnwell believes the Jets are looking to move up in the draft this year, and he believes the Haason Reddick trade offers some evidence. He wrote, “the fact the Jets kept their 2025 second-rounder and instead traded a 2026 pick to the Eagles for edge rusher Haason Reddick makes me think they're considering using that 2025 selection to help move up this year.”

ESPN’s recommendation for the Jets is to trade up for Joe Alt or one of the top receivers in the draft: “The Jets are all-in around 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who might retire as early as next offseason,” Bill Barnwell wrote. “They should want to add the best available player who can impact the 2024 team, and the players most likely to make that immediate impact are at the top of the class.”

The Jets are hosting University of British Columbia offensive lineman Giovanni Manu for a visit this week. I’ve never seen him play but as a 6-foot-8, 352-pounder who ran the forty in 4.96 and put up a 33.5-inch vertical, I’m interested. Jordan Schultz called him the best-kept secret in the draft…but considering he has about 10 official visits, I’m not sure he’s a secret anymore.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Jets have brought in Washington State safety Jaden Hicks for a visit. I do think it’s almost guaranteed that the Jets will be taking a safety at one point in the draft, and I’d love that to be Hicks in the later rounds of the draft.

Despite having a four-time NFL MVP taking snaps for the Jets, there’s something about the Jets QB position that leaves me feeling uneasy.

The Jets still haven’t found a taker for former #2 overall pick Zach Wilson and I’m starting to think it just won’t happen. Nobody wants to take on that contract and Woody Johnson committed to not releasing him, so the Jets are in a bind.

Next week the team arrives back at 1JD for their first set of OTA’s and it’s going to be interesting to see if Zach is there. Maybe the Jets need to just eat a lot of that money on the contract to get any kind of draft capital back.

If the Jets do manage to move Zach then it’s reasonable to expect them to try and find the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers. Tyrod Taylor is here for the next two years, but at 34 he’s certainly not the man to take over when Rodgers either retires to his cave or breaks down.

One name we’ve seen mentioned a lot recently is Tulane’s Michael Pratt who is expected to go between picks 90-150. The Jets have picks #111 and #134, meaning they’ll have the means. Although I think he’ll go much closer to 90 than he will 150, so that #111 pick may be too late.

I’ve watched a fair bit of Pratt as I thought he may enter the draft last year and started previewing his 2022 tape…before he elected to go back to Tulane for his senior season.

When he first arrived as a freshman he struggled consistently with his touch and accuracy and that’s reflected in a 55.1% completion.

But if you watch Michael Pratt in 2023 compared to 2020, it’s like you’re watching completely different players. Not only can he throw with touch on all three levels, but his accuracy down the field has improved considerably.