INDIANAPOLIS – The Jets need to start scouting teams that are scouting quarterbacks with watchful eyes and other signs of falling in love.
The fuss on Tuesday when the NFL Combine kicked off was that there might not be a quarterback worthy of the top 10 in the draft, which would mean the Jets have fewer opportunities to look at number 4 and number 10. If their phone doesn’t ring with commercial offers, then the Jets did not get the full benefit of having a young quarterback on the spot plus two of the best choices to deal with another team looking for their own Zach Wilson to build.
So what are the chances of Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh, Malik Willis of Liberty or another quarterback starting to climb and increase the value of Jets’ assets? The quarterbacks took part in a 15-minute series of interviews for the team on Tuesday night and had to throw themselves at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday.
“It happens every year – quarterbacks are pushed out,” said Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, who has the impossible task of taking over from retired Tom Brady. “People will choose their poison, and other people may rate it higher or lower than us.”
The Jets are in a sweet position if the trading market develops, because the goal of the Broncos (№ 9) and the Commanders (№ 11) would be to jump over the needy defenders Panthers (№ 6). If trading up to number 4 is too expensive for some partners, number 10 may attract interest from Saints (No. 18), Steelers (No. 20) and Buccaneers (No. 27), especially if all quarterbacks remain available after nine selections.
“As we approach the draft, we see what teams have joined the free agency and theirs [remaining] needs, ”said Broncos CEO George Patton. “It’s great to know what people may or may not accept in front of you. You watch everything. ”
The consensus among the draft gurus is that all five quarterbacks selected in the first round last April will be rated higher than the best option in this class. Well – unless journeymen and unsuccessful starters Drew Locke, Taylor Heineke, Sam Darnold, Theism Hill, Mason Rudolph and Blaine Gabert will not lead teams in 2022 – there is still a need for new blood.
“I believe it’s quality class,” said Kevin Colbert, CEO of Steelers. “There may not be as many players in this position as there were in the past, but there will certainly be NFL starting quarterbacks coming out of this class.
Only once in this century (2013) did the draft not include a quarterback in the top five. The NFL has been shown to be right to devalue the class led by EJ Manuel (№16 in the Bills) and second-round Jets Geno Smith. But the teams that passed in 2017 to Patrick Mahoms (№ 10) and Deshon Watson (№ 12) may think differently.
“This is the most important position in the sport, so we are always looking,” Patton said. “No stone turned to find this man. We know we need to play better than a quarterback. So we will be aggressive. “
The Jets already have the most drafts with two players from the second round and one from the third round, all in the top 70. So it’s not like they’re looking to get a pack of picks to accumulate more darts.
But a team that wants to trade a veteran – even one that needs an extension, given the Jets’ $ 48 million salary ceiling space – makes more sense in the victory phase of the recovery now. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah suggested that the Jets could act as a middleman by recruiting high-end players for one of their first rounds, then watching their choices change again in exchange for a trade-seeking quarterback veteran.
The wild card for the Jets could be Colbert, who is retiring after the draft and could follow in the footsteps of former Ravens General Ozzy Newsham, who gave Lamar Jackson to his successor on his way out. Pickett played his home games at Steelers’ Heinz Field College.
“We try not to say [we’re trading] third and sixth, ”Colbert said, as a commercial example. “It simply came to our notice then [Pro Bowl receivers] Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. We always try to put a name of choice in a given year and make sure we think it’s an equivalent trade. “