2019 NFL draft: Why the Jets need to stay put at No. 3 overall

Just like that, we are less than a month away from the 2019 NFL Draft. Free Agency has pretty much run its course. The New York Jets were big spenders, and did well to solidify holes on both sides of the ball. Despite this, they have some work left to do if they are going to be serious contenders anytime soon.

In terms of draft capital, the Jets are sitting pretty with the third overall pick.  With all the talk of trading back, it would be best to sit back and take the best player available at that spot. All off-season, there have been talks of Kyler Murray going No. 1 to the Arizona Cardinals, which would increase the chances of the Jets landing one of this year’s top pass rushers. It’s even possible that another team could trade up ahead of the Jets to land another top quarterback.

Whether or not either of these scenarios plays out is irrelevant. What is relevant is that this is the NFL in 2019 and teams will do ridiculous things to get their franchise signal-caller. Someone is going to fall in love with one of the top quarterbacks and mortgage their future on his right arm. The Jets need to capitalize on this and hope a guy like Nick Bosa fall into their lap.

This would not be the first time the Jets were handed a top talent by staying patient. If we go back to 2015, the Jets were picking 6th overall. Leonard Williams was thought by most to be the best overall player in the draft, but somehow he fell to the Jets outside the top five.

A similar situation happened in 2017. Jamal Adams was arguably the draft’s second-best player after Myles Garrett. The Browns took Garrett, but the Bears traded up to the second spot to grab their quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky. The rest of the teams picked based on need, and Adams ended up falling to the Jets.

The Bears were convinced that somebody was going to trade ahead of them to secure Trubisky. Heading into the draft, Trubisky was not even a consensus first-round talent. That is much akin to what we are seeing this year. According to many media rankings, Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray are listed in the middle of the pack.

Even if Bosa and Alabama’s Quinnen Williams go at the first two picks, the Jets will still end up with Kentucky’s Josh Allen. He may be as close to a sure thing as this draft has. He isn’t shy to admit how he feels about his skills. During his pro day, he said he thinks he is not only the best pass rusher, but the best player in the draft.

Any one of those three players will take the Jets front seven to a whole new level. It will give new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams another option when dialing up one of his signature blitzes. The missing piece to the defense, a dynamic pass rusher, is all the Jets need to have a shot at competing for the playoffs this year. A solid pass rush can hide some of the Jets’ holes in their secondary, and make life easier for Adams and newcomer C.J. Mosley to make big plays

The Jets need to hold on to their pick and draft a future cornerstone of their defense. This year is all about the defense at the top of the draft. It would be foolish to trade back and take a chance on something less than a sure thing. Especially when your biggest need can be filled by staying right where you are.