Jets 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Gang Green selects Baker Mayfield

If the 2018 NFL Draft is all about finding that franchise quarterback, then the New York Jets need to find that young gun with the sixth overall pick.  Good luck Trader Mike Maccagnan!

The New York Jets are currently constructing their own Big Board, from which they will select from the top collegiate talent in the country.  This 2018 NFL mock draft identifies need positions, and suggests high-value talents, based on the current roster, and building for the future.  So the Florham Park brain trust must get things right, to say the least.

This Jets mock draft that will not only help immediate needs but continue rebuilding the right way.  It won’t be easy but have trust in Trader Mike to get the job done and leave this year’s draft with a smile on his face since if all goes down according to plan, the Jets will be contenders before we know it.

In addition to all the draft coverage you will find here at The Jet Press, please also visit Walter Football, DC Pro Sports Report, and EDS Football. Here’s a full 7-round Jets mock draft that will provide Gang Green a positive future moving forward.

The Jets have the No. 6 pick in the draft, and there are at least five NFL-worthy QBs.  That does not bode well for Maccagnan standing pat.  Even if no other team leapfrogs Gang Green, it’s difficult to see the Joe Namath-esque Mayfield getting past John Elway and his Denver Broncos with pick No. 5 but stranger things have happened in the draft.  SI’s Peter King and draft guru Mel Kiper see the Browns making Josh Allen the top pick.  Expect to see the Jets take the next best quarterback available if the Broncos go in another direction in Mayfield who would bring that a familiar swagger back to the big apple that we haven’t seen in decades.

Miller is a feel-good story, from college walk-on to the most prolific receiver in Tigers history.  The 24-year-old All-American is the anti-Robby Anderson, who quietly gets the job done, with Wayne Chrebet-ish moxie.  Miller, along with the return of Quincy Enunwa, can help transform one of the league’s worst receiving corps into one of the best.  But last month the Memphis kid was sporting a walking boot.  So don’t be surprised if the Jets take a risk here since he has what it takes to be a fantastic wide receiver for years to come.

There are talented edge rushers in this year’s draft, and the Jets should address that weakness early and often.  Armstrong declared that he’s leaving after his Junior season because the team captain has little to prove in Lawrence, and everything to gain in the NFL.  Naysayers point to Armstrong’s drop in sacks from 10 in 2016 to 1.5 last year, but that was largely due to a change of scheme, where the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year was responsible for run-stopping duties (63 tackles).  He could achieve greatness on a Jets defense that is severely lacking a consistent pass rush.

Bilal Powell is entering his eighth season.  Chubb would be the bruising-but-dynamic back that this team has sorely lacked since Curtis Martin.  With Matt Forte not coming back in 2018, it opens things up for the Jets to dedicate more resources to winning the time of possession battle.  Chubb would compliment both Powell and Elijah McGuire nicely and create a new three-headed beast out of the backfield.

It would be wise for organizational development to draft two QBs to learn under a re-signed Josh McCown.  The 6’6”, 225 lbs. pro-style gunslinger out of Tampa has got all the tools.  With a marginal Thundering Herd behind him, Litton broke many of Chad Pennington‘s school records, with 3,000 passing yards, 25 TDs and a 134 QBR per season over three years.  Remember, Tom Brady was a lowly regarded sixth-rounder.

This 6-7, 307 lbs. left tackle began as a JUCO star, rated the nation’s top two-year-college lineman.  He moved on to Texas, where he served two suspensions in 2014 by ex-Longhorn coach Charlie Strong. He then transferred to the same Carrollton, GA, Division II school that produced last season’s promising Jets mid-rounder Dylan Donahue.  Harrison is one of this draft’s sleepers; projected as high as the second round, and as low as sixth.  He will be a stud on the Jets offensive line that is in dire need of better talent to win more battles in the trenches.

The All-Mountain West Conference Junior announced himself eligible for this year’s draft after leading the nation with 173 tackles.  He’s not the biggest or the fastest, but he’s got all the right instincts and could learn much from a year under the tutelage of a returning Demario Davis.  Maybe he could replace Darron Lee, who plays out of position at ILB.

Hercules Mata’fa, OLB/DE, (Washington State)

Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State

Beau Benzschawel, G (Wisconsin)

Must Read: Top 5 free agent wide receivers Jets should consider

After last season’s purge, the Jets should be rewarded with at least two compensatory picks, and most may rank higher than the late-round grade conservatively presented here.  This defense needs a Hercules or someone who can hit hard and play the role.  Johnson is that big-bodied CB with all the tools and intangibles — the Second Team All-American rated as one of the top ten corners in the draft.  Benzschawel is a developmental beast for yep, you guessed it, bolstering the Jets offensive line with decent depth.