The New York Jets just Entered the Penei Sewell Sweepstakes
CINCINNATI — There are plenty of Bengals fans hoping the team lands Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Jets have officially entered the chat.
New York beat the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 on Sunday. It was their first win of the season.
As fulfilling as it is to avoid becoming the third team in NFL history to finish 0-16, the 1-13 Jets also fell in the NFL Draft standings.
They were in position to select Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in April. With Sunday's win, the Jets are set to have the second pick and the Jacksonville Jaguars are in position to take Lawrence.
New York may still take a quarterback with the second selection. Ohio State signal-caller Justin Fields is a top prospect, but he isn't considered a once-in-a-generation talent like Lawrence.
Most assumed the Jaguars would take Fields with the second pick because they don't have a young former first-round quarterback like Sam Darnold on their roster.
New York drafted Darnold with the third overall pick in 2018. The Jets don't need to move on from him, but taking a once-in-a-generation talent like Lawrence was a no-brainer.
Instead of taking Fields, the Jets could pivot and take Sewell with the No. 2 overall pick in hopes of protecting their young signal-caller.
New York drafted Mekhi Becton with their first-round pick in April. Pairing him with Sewell would give them two potential star tackles that could fortify their offensive line for the next decade.
They could still take Fields or one of the other quarterbacks, but it'll be tempting to select Sewell in hopes of beefing up their offensive line.
Most assumed that Lawrence would be the first selection and Fields would go off the board at No. 2.
That would've allowed the Bengals to land the 6-6, 330-pound Sewell. Instead, the top of the draft just got a big shakeup with only a few weeks remaining in the 2020 NFL season.
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