Mel Kiper 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Jets select O.J. Howard

Heading into the 2017 NFL Draft, ESPN guru Mel Kiper has the New York Jets selecting tight end O.J. Howard in Round 1 in his final mock.

In the grand scheme of things, the NFL is a passing league. The best teams have an established franchise quarterback and top receiving targets for them to flourish. When it comes to the New York Jets, unfortunately, for years now they’ve been struggling offensively to the point where they’re not consistent when it comes to scoring touchdowns. Heading into the 2017 NFL Draft, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper just dropped his latest mock draft.

Needless to say, he has the Jets selecting tight end O.J. Howard out of Alabama to help improve their offense dramatically. It’s hard to predict what exactly the Jets will do with the No. 6 overall pick but if they do go with an offensive player, Howard would finally bring some major production from a position that has been forgotten by this team.

With new offensive coordinator John Morton in town, there is hope that he will revitalize the tight end position for the Jets rather than keep it as an extra blocker on offense. Howard brings an impressive resume to the table and well, would be an exciting player to watch develop under either Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg.

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In his collegiate career, Howard totaled 1,726 receiving yards, 114 receptions, and seven touchdowns. Even if he was able to get close to 1,000 yards receiving on the Jets this upcoming season, that would be a massive upgrade over anything they’ve seen out of a tight end in years.

Kiper made a good point in that Howard is the most complete tight end in this year’s draft. Howard would be a solid player on offense and be a force to reckon with if the Jets get at least average quarterback play from whoever is under center.

Howard is the kind of tight end that would make those around him better thanks to everything he brings to the table. At 6’6″ and 251lbs., his frame would be a great red zone target since he does well when hauling in touchdowns in the red zone. For a team that needs a serious boost in talent on offense, they can’t go wrong with using their No. 6 overall pick on an impact player like Howard.