Big Board Shows Starting Quality Offensive Line In The NFL Draft For The New York Jets

It is a good draft for the New York Jets to address their needs along the offensive line, the part of the team that most clearly needs an upgrade.

The Jets need to add one if not two players via the NFL Draft this offseason, this in addition to likely needing at least two starting caliber signings in free agency. The Jets offensive line may have improved over the course of the season but given how terrible they were at the start of the season, it wasn’t a very high bar for the unit to clear.

The positive for the Jets is that this is a good draft for the offensive line. Among the Top 50 players on the Pro Football Focus Top 100 Big Board, there are seven offensive linemen. That means that the Jets could potentially score at least one starting caliber player along the line in the first two rounds.

Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner released his board this week, with several players who could project for the Jets early on.

No. 8 – Andrew Thomas (OT, Georgia) - Thomas is the top ranked offensive lineman on the PFF board, as Renner writes that “He earned a 76.7 pass-blocking grade that season and has seen his grade improve every year since.”

No. 9 – Jedrick Wills (OT, Alabama) – The multi-year starter for the Crimson Tide has been rising up boards in recent weeks and moved into top 10 category in mock drafts. Renner calls him “explosive” and says that he stands out as the best offensive lineman athlete this draft.

No. 13 – Tristan Wirfs (OT, Iowa) – A name often mocked to the Jets, the Iowa lineman was the best in the Big Ten this past year and can play guard or tackle. Renner adds that Wirfs “allowed only one pressure over his final seven games.”

No. 16 – Josh Jones (OT, Houston) – A standout at the Senior Bowl, Jones hasn’t garnered a ton of attention at this point but continues to impress. “For a supposed project, Jones is already very advanced,” PFF notes.

No. 30 – Netane Muti (G, Fresno State) – Talk about praise, Renner says that the highlight reel on the standout interior offensive lineman is fantastic – “Muti's is almost Quenton Nelson-esque in its dominance.” Wow.

No. 35 – Jonah Jackson (G, Ohio State) – A fifth-year transfer from Rutgers to Ohio State paid off for the Big Ten’s best interior lineman. Jackson is a draft-and-play guard.

No. 49 – Tyler Biadasz (C, Wisconsin) – A multi-year starter for a program that churns out some of the best linemen in the country. Renner likes the versatile Biadasz, who he writes “has an elite grading profile with back-to-back seasons as a top-three graded center.”