Offense

New York Jets Mock Draft 1.0 Rounds 1-3

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The Jets officially locked down their position for the 2020 draft. They could have a compensatory pick added if the Giants bring back Leonard Williams but for the time being, this is where they’ll pick. Using The Draft Network Mock Draft Simulator and taking the best players at each position based on needs, potential, and more here is an early projection of what the Jets draft could look like.

Round 1 Pick 11: CeeDee Lamb WR Oklahoma

Robby Anderson seems inclined to look for the best possible destination to play both competitive football and get paid around $10 million a year. It remains to be seen whether or not the Jets will bring him back next year. With or without him on the roster, CeeDee Lamb would be an excellent addition. In this scenario, all three premier offensive line prospects were off the board. Lamb was the most talented player available and he projects to be a Deandre Hopkins Esque wideout at the next level. His route running could be improved but he’s a dynamic number one receiver type who can stretch the field and provide significant YAC potential with every catch. Adding Lamb would be an excellent weapon in Darnold’s arsenal for the future.

Round 2 Pick 48: Mekhi Becton OT Louisville

Adding Becton, especially in the second round would be a STEAL. Becton is a 6’7 369-pound beast who could immediately provide an upgrade at left tackle. Becton has the potential to be a Star left tackle who can produce in a big way at the next level. His size makes him an excellent pass protector and his mauling style of blocking makes him a beast in the run game. Adding Becton would be the type of move that would immediately gain Joe Douglas a lot of fans.

Round 3 Pick 68: Zack Baun EDGE Wisconsin

Zack Baun can be the type of piece that Gregg Williams would have a lot of fun with. He plays with a lot of heart and has a very high football IQ. He’s a smart pass rusher and a damn good one. He had 12.5 sacks last year for Wisconsin and deserves significant Draft attention. Baun is not a perfect player but he’s the kind of player with the potential to be a captain of the defense in the future and play a TJ Watt style role in the defense. Baun would be a great pick for the Jets at 68 and would immediately slot in as a rotational pass rusher.

Round 3 Pick 78: Najee Harris RB Alabama

If Lev Bell is still in the picture come April the Jets may be reluctant to take a half back. However, I don’t foresee Bell being a Jet come April. Najee Harris is the next good running back churned out of a school that’s produced so many talented backs over the past few years. He’s never been a lead back and if Bell is still around he would be a good complementary back. If he is the lead back then he will need to grow into the role over time and develop as a pass-catcher. Overall though he’s a talented running back with good size. He reminds me of Matt Forte and if he can be any bit as good as him then the Jets will have found themselves a nice weapon for Sam Darnold.

Summary of Rounds 1-3

The key point of the first three rounds was getting protection and weaponry for Darnold that will grow with him as well as adding an edge rusher with a lot of potential at the next level.

New York Jets: Matt Rhule, What Could Have Been

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NEW YORK JETS – Matt Rhule has a storied coaching career with experience galore. In 2013 that earned him the job as the head coach of Temple. Although there was familiarity with the team (he had coached there in various positions from 2006-2011) it was a new program from the one he left behind.

In the one year absence where he was an assistant offensive line coach for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, Temple was going through a drastic change. They just lost another head coach and the culture was in disarray. Matt Rhule was named the head coach and in his first season, they had a 2-10 record and were 1-7 in AAC play. He was determined to show progress in year 2. He did just that, the team finished the season with the Temple Owls holding a grasp on 6th in the AAC and a 6-6 record with a 4-4 record in AAC play. His third year was his “prove it” year, he had shown progress but now it had to be sustainable. Well, they went above and beyond in the next two seasons. They had a combined record of 20-8 over the two-year span, a 14-2 record in AAC play over the span and two conference championship appearances and one conference title. Matt Rhule built a successful program so it was time to look for what was next.

In lieu of some misconduct at the university, I don’t want to get into, the football program was in a disastrous state. The team needed to be led out of the dark and in came Matt Rhule. Matt started his first season with Baylor with a team full of guys he hadn’t even gotten a lot of time to look at. No cream of the crop guys, just guys who loved the game. They struggled mightily early with a 1-11 record in his first season as the head coach. They showed toughness and resilience. This made him an attractive head coaching interview and the Colts gave him a shot but ultimately Waco would remain his home. That paid off last season with a 7-6 record and a Texas Bowl appearance, which they won. Matt Rhule then received Jets interviews and was practically handed the job but only with the agreement that the front office got to pick his staff. Rhule ultimately returned to Waco to continue coaching the Baylor Bears. Gase was hired and people seemed satisfied. Matt Rhule has led the Baylor Bears to a 9-1 record at this point. Although they lost a heartbreaker to the Sooners the other night, this team is set up for a potential New Year Six Bowl game still. That’s a drastic revitalization of a program with no clear direction at all.

That level of revitalization is exactly what the New York Jets could have used. No matter how Adam Gase continues to do with the Jets, I believe Matt Rhule is going to be an excellent head coach in the NFL at some point and I think deep down the Jets may think about what could’ve been.

Current State Of The New York Jets Offense

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New York Jets

The New York Jets are 0-2, severely struggling and heading to New England to take on the Patriots. The state of the Jets offense is a poor one right now but each position has its one situation that I’ll run through right now.

Quarterback

Sam Darnold looked okay in game one but the game planning seemed to be an issue and things had to be ironed out. Mono will only prolong the process significantly. Trevor Siemian was tabbed to go in and fill in for him while he missed time and he is now out for the season. For the short term, Luke Falk now runs the show but for the long term, a healthy and well prepared Sam Darnold is a good Sam Darnold.

Runningback

Le’Veon Bell has established himself as the workhorse and key piece of the offense. Ty Montgomery has all the talent and versatility to be a key piece in the offense but he hasn’t been given a fair shot to work yet and demonstrate his full skill set. Plays with Bell and Montgomery could be dangerous. The rest of the backs have been nonexistent. Aside from Cannon’s returns he hasn’t done much yet either.

Wide receivers

This position had lofty expectations coming into the season. Despite injury concerns, this position was still expected to be a successful one of the New York Jets. Quincy Enunwa went down with a season-ending neck injury and Demaryius Thomas was just acquired and already can’t stop getting hurt. The Jets WR core had a lot of potentials but now Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder will see even larger roles within the team. Who ends up in the slot becomes the newest question. Greg Dortch continues to be a potential option and would provide some energy immediately upon his presence.

Offensive line

On paper, this unit should be impenetrable and protect the QB with ease. Trevor Siemian didn’t get hurt because of a competent offensive line. He got hurt because although all talented alone, together they suck. They need serious help because with all that talent this line should be great and right now it looks incompetent. It’s dangerous to put Darnold behind that and they need to get it together.

Tight end

Chris Herndon will immediately improve the state of this position upon his return but right now this position is not a factor. Ryan Griffin has been the starter and seen a few touches but none as impactful as what Herndon could do. Wesco, the rookie who was supposed to be a blocking TE has seen little time and instead the worse blocker, Griffin, is facing dominate defensive lineman who runs him over. Herndon’s return will reinvigorate the offense but for now, they must make do.