Making the case for Jets to trade up in first round

Heading into the 2017 NFL Draft, would it make sense for the New York Jets to consider trading up in the first round? Here’s to making a case as to why it’s only worth it if they truly want to draft a quarterback.

After months of patiently waiting, the 2017 NFL Draft is finally here. For the New York Jets, they have a lot of tough decisions to make as they currently have the No. 6 overall pick in the first round. Earlier this morning, I made the case as to why it makes more sense for the Jets to consider trading down in the grand scheme of things. But would it make sense for general manager Mike Maccagnan to consider trading up in the draft order instead?

The only conceivable way it would make sense for Maccagnan to consider trading up would mean he’s enamored with a quarterback. The kind of quarterback that would be a Week 1 starter and capable of being a franchise player for the next decade leading the Jets consistently to the NFL Playoffs.

Problem is, all the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft leave much to the imagination. The truth of the matter is, it’s not a great draft class at the most important position on a team. Yes, there are quarterbacks like Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson that should do good in the NFL but again, these aren’t extraordinary players that are ready to step in and start legendary careers.

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They each need developing and coaching to the next level and considering that the Jets already have not one but two quarterbacks already in the same situation, it doesn’t make sense to trade up. They still don’t know what they have in Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg. There is a good chance that hopefully one of them will be worth building around in the future to finally bring consistent success from under center.

There is also a good chance that both could be busts and the Jets would be back at the drawing board in 2018 and probably 2019 to find a franchise quarterback worth drafting into the organization. The bottom line is since both Petty and Hackenberg are still unknown talents due to little to no sample size. Bringing in another rookie quarterback that he traded up for wouldn’t be a wise move for Maccagnan to make.

It would be the exact same situation if not worse to bring in yet another quarterback that needs to be developed over the next year or two to even determine if they’re even starting material. It’s best the Jets either stick with the No. 6 overall pick and use it to address a major area of need or trade down to stockpile more picks to continue rebuilding the franchise the right way. Trading up, on the other hand, wouldn’t be worth it for the Jets. Especially if it’s considered to land one of the top quarterbacks available that might not be worth trading up for.

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