2019 Draft Needs: New York Jets
Andy Benoit and Gary Gramling are breaking down draft needs for all 32 teams. You can also see every team in a single post here.
Biggest Need: Perimeter Cornerback
Most would say edge-rusher, and maybe that’s valid, especially since defensive coordinator Gregg Williams likes to employ different versions of Cover 2—a coverage that’s dependent on getting quick pressure from a four-man rush. But more than that, Williams loves to blitz. He can’t help himself. If you’re going to play an attack-minded defense, you need corners who can win one-on-one outside. The Jets have only one: 2018 mega-free agent Trumaine Johnson (and that might be just in theory, given that Johnson so often did not win one-on-one outside last year). New corner Brian Poole is built for the slot, while Darryl Roberts is best served as a utility backup.
Hidden Need: Big Wide Receiver
Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jamison Crowder form a solid trio, especially in an Adam Gase scheme that puts a premium on short-to-intermediate catch-and-run opportunities. But with a young, playmaking style QB like Sam Darnold, Gase could tinker with more one-read pass designs in 2019. Enunwa and Crowder are built for interior reads, while the speedy Anderson answers on downfield reads. What New York doesn’t have is a sizeable target who can win on simple outside reads.
Also Looking For: Edge Rusher
Edge rusher is not as vital in a blitz-intensive scheme, but it will give Williams more comfort to fall back on Cover-2 calls.
Who They Can Get
For cornerback, you're talking about a trade down (a possibility since the Jets traded their second-rounder to Indianapolis to get Sam Darnold last spring). LSU's Greedy Williams could potentially be had in the mid-first, with Georgia's Deandre Baker another option as a versatile, competitive perimeter cover artist. Your big receivers are the Ole Miss guys—D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown—along with competitive-catch specialist N'Keal Harry of Arizona State and Iowa State's Hakeem Butler. But if the Jets stay put, you're probably looking at Kentucky's Josh Allen as the third overall pick (assuming Kyler-Bosa go 1-2).
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