NY Jets should not draft quarterback in first round

The NY Jets still have one big question mark at quarterback. Regardless of who they will have under center in 2016, they should not use their No. 20 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on the position.

At this point in time, contract talks between Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets have stalled. No side is anywhere close to some kind of new deal as rumors are everywhere that either he’s asking for too much money, the Jets don’t want to overspend on him or the fact that he might just consider retirement because he’s not getting the interest from other teams he thought he would in free agency.

Truth of the matter is, no matter who is under center next season, the Jets should be just fine. Based on their recent free agent acquisitions, the Jets are looking like they will focus their strengths of the team on their stout defense and rushing attack.

Nov 29, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws the ball In the first half at MetLife Stadium.The Jets defeated the Dolphins 38-20. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

Remember, Fitzpatrick was simply brought in last offseason to be a veteran insurance policy for quarterback Geno Smith. Due to the fact that Smith was injured with a broken jaw due to an altercation with a teammate, Fitzpatrick took the opportunity and ran with it.

It was the perfect situation for him to be in the grand scheme of things. The offensive playbook was very familiar to him, the Jets spent a ton of money in acquiring better talent on both sides of the football and he was able to ultimately thrive. It’s hard to believe he would replicate what he did last season in 2016 because the Jets will look much different due to players coming and going via free agency.

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With the 2016 NFL Draft on the horizon, the Jets have plenty of options they can go in.

They still have some glaring issues on their offensive line that is only getting older and need to add some youth to their linebacker corps.

They shouldn’t waste their No. 20 overall pick in the first round on any quarterback since plenty of decent ones will still be available in the middle to later rounds.

Unless the Jets trade up and pretty much give away a whole lot to get there, there is no way they will land a Jared Goff or Carsen Wentz. It would be a tremendous mistake to not grab the best available offensive lineman or top linebacker when they’re on the clock in favor of another quarterback that won’t really be 100% ready to make the transition to the pros.

This year’s draft is very weak at quarterback but heavy with defensive players. Considering the options the Jets have at quarterback, it’s best they stick with what they have in-house and bring in one other option at quarterback. If Fitzpatrick returns, that would be the ideal situation to be in but if he doesn’t, the Jets should still be fine.

More jets: Jets smart to stay firm in contract talks with Ryan Fitzpatrick

In the event he’s not coming back, the Jets should simply either bring in one more quarterback via free agency or draft one and have a true open competition for the starting spot this summer. The best player that wins should get the promotion and be allowed to run with it just like Fitzpatrick did last season. But to waste a top pick in the first round on a quarterback wouldn’t make much sense at all since at the end of the day, other needs must be addressed if the Jets plan to be competitive again come next season.

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