Making the case for Jets to trade up in 2018 NFL Draft

Should the New York Jets consider trading up in the 2018 NFL Draft in order to land a premier player? It should only be done if they’re unable to land a top quarterback via free agency.

It’s no secret that the New York Jets need a quarterback. Their quarterback situation is so bad that they might even consider adding two of them this offseason, one via free agency and draft another. It’s always good to have more options when it comes to the most important position on the team. But should the Jets consider trading up in the 2018 NFL Draft if they feel a particular quarterback is a prospect that can lead their franchise to the promise land?

In the grand scheme of things, it all comes down to what happens in free agency. If they can land an established quarterback like Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum, or even do something bold and trade for Nick Foles, they wouldn’t have to trade up to land a quarterback and use their No. 6 overall pick to address another area of need.

The Jets have a plethora of issues to fix this offseason from their offensive line, pass rush, and lack of quality cornerbacks. It also wouldn’t hurt to add a few offensive playmakers so whoever is under center has some quality weapons to work with next season and beyond. If the Jets choose to address these issues via free agency, then they should undoubtedly trade up in this year’s draft.

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The Cleveland Browns, another losing franchise, are known to trade down in order to acquire more draft picks/players to bolster their team. Considering the Browns own the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks, means the Jets might want to consider trading up with them if it means landing the top quarterback on their draft board.

The New York Giants own the No. 2 overall pick and will more than likely draft a quarterback. The Indianapolis Colts currently own the No. 3 pick but the good news is they won’t be drafting a quarterback since they expect Andrew Luck to be back and ready to make some noise next season.

Ideally, if the Jets wanted to trade up, it would most likely be with the Browns to jump up to the No. 4 overall spot and then take a quarterback right after the Giants do. This year’s draft features a plethora of solid quarterbacks that are ready to start in the pros. The Jets would be wise to trade up in the draft order if they’re unable to land a top free agent quarterback to draft a franchise player that has the potential to be “the guy” they’ve been waiting decades for.

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If they’re able to re-sign Josh McCown to a one or two-year deal as a backup/mentor, then this scenario of trading up makes the most sense for the Jets to then draft a future franchise quarterback and have him in a situation to succeed in. It will be very interesting to see how this offseason pans out but make no mistake about it if the Jets miss out on a top quarterback in free agency, it would be in their best interests to trade up, sacrifice draft picks and/or players, to finally acquire the quarterback of their dreams before another team scoops them up.

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