NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah: New York Jets might go wide receiver at No. 11
Sitting at No. 11, the New York Jets are a bit in no man’s land in the NFL Draft. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
In confusion, there is often times profit.
The Jets, theoretically, are in a prime position in next week’s draft to land a player at a position of need. In all likelihood, they will be able to draft a top left tackle, with Andrew Thomas (Georgia) possibly in the mix. Or the Jets might just make a move and grab an elite wide receiver, such as Jerry Jeudy (Alabama) or CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma).
Or, chaos could reign supreme and the Jets could potentially see the top left tackles and both wide receivers clear out in the first 10 picks. It is perhaps a far-fetched scenario, but it could leave a draft board in shambles.
Potentially, perhaps a wide-open draft isn’t a bad thing, pointing the Jets towards a trade back in the NFL Draft. Or if the top tackles are off the board, the team could be eyeing one of those wide receivers, something that NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks could play out with the Jets pick.
The Las Vegas Raiders, picking one spot behind the Jets at No. 12, were the subject of a question on Thursday’s conference call with Jeremiah, a highly-respected draft analyst. It is here that he brings up the Jets in a couple of scenarios, laying out where the team might go.
“They can go a lot of different directions there. I am fascinated to see what happens in front of them, though, because as it stands, we look at that wide receiver run potentially could start with the Jets at 11 and the Raiders follow that right up at 12,” Jeremiah said on the call.
“So as we stand a week out, you'd say, okay, well, the Raiders probably are going to get their first or second choice of receivers if that's what they elect to do. But I think when it's all said and done, I would not be shocked at all to see Jacksonville trade out of 9. I know there's been some conversations from other teams I've talked to that say they think that's a possibility. So you could see teams either trading up for a tackle there or a wide receiver at 9. You could see the Jets go with one at 11 if they don't like their tackle situation.”
The Jets could sit at No. 11 and still get an offensive tackle if Mekhi Becton (Louisville), Tristan Wirfs (Iowa) and Thomas are all already off the board. Jedrick Wills could well be at No. 11 for the Jets although he only ever played right tackle in college and never on the left side.
At the end of the day, if the draft board shakes out the right way, the Jets could potentially shore up their offensive line or add a playmaker wide receiver. Either scenario isn’t a bad place to be.
Perhaps no man’s land isn’t so terrible after all.
