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It’s entirely possible that Jets general manager Joe Douglas will give quarterback Sam Darnold one more shot in 2021, the final year of his rookie contract.
And if that happens, Douglas would be wise to at least consider stepping down as the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Sure enough, this is the screening of ESPN’s latest Mel Kiper Jr. simulation project.
He has the Jets ranking 4th, in a deal with the Falcons – and takes Florida tight end Kyle Pitts in that fourth.
Here is Kiper’s analysis:
The Falcons strike a deal to get their quarterback. My comparison for the deal is the exchange of the Bears for Mitchell Trubisky in 2017. To move up one spot and get the No. 2 pick, Chicago gave up the No. 3 pick, 67, 111 and a third round the Next year.
So for Atlanta to move up two spots, they’re going to have to send the Jets the No.4 pick, likely their second-round picks this year and other picks. It’s a lot to give up, of course, but there will be competition. The Jets should take the best deal on the table, and that one means they only drop two spots and reclaim blue chip assets afterward.
Kiper has the Falcons with BYU quarterback Zach Wilson – not Ohio State’s Justin Fields – at No.2. Both are possibilities for Douglas, if he wants to trade Darnold and doesn’t end up dealing for them. Texans Deshaun Watson.
As for Pitts to the Jets at # 4, here’s what Kiper thinks:
So the Jets go down, add priority picks, and end up with one of the best players in that class. I still think they better give Sam Darnold another year and improve the talent around their quarterback. The 23-year-old is too talented to give up. Darnold never had a pass-catcher like Pitts, either. The 6-foot-6 Pitts can line up wide and into the lunge, and I would aim for him as a No.1 wide catcher. As I mentioned on the First Draft podcast, he’s going to end up being my top rated tight end. . He’s also extremely young – he was born in 2000 and will be 20 when he plays in week 1. By the way, since the era of the pool draft started in 1967, there has never been a close ending. also high. Pitts could be the first.
If Douglas stays at No.2 and doesn’t want to pick Wilson or Fields, he could take Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell to play right tackle, facing last year’s first-round pick Mekhi Becton. Or it could take on Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner.
Kiper, in this simulation draft, took Smith in third against the Dolphins, Sewell fifth against the Bengals and Fields seventh against 49ers, having traded five places in a deal with the Lions.
The Jets also have a second first-round pick this year (No.23), due to Jamal Adams’ trade with Seattle. Kiper asks Douglas to take Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye with that pick.
And here is the rationale for this decision by Kiper:
I went with a tight end to the Jets with their first pick, and that pick could be the best defensive prospect available. Robert Saleh’s defense could use help at all levels. Pay is next on my board. He had just 11.5 career sacks in Michigan, but he has athletic traits that NFL teams are looking for, which should push him into the first inning. You won’t find many 270-pound defensive volleys that can move like him.
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