NY Jets bolster offensive line in latest The Draft Network mock draft
By Justin Fried
The NY Jets were gifted two high-caliber offensive linemen in a recent 2020 NFL mock draft from The Draft Network’s Jordan Reid.
The NY Jets are widely expected to overhaul their offensive line in the offseason and many believe that they will do so through the 2020 NFL Draft.
Numerous mock drafts from league insiders and analysts have the Jets selecting an offensive lineman with their first-round pick at No. 11. But with a need to fill multiple positions along the offensive line, they may need to double up in the trenches.
That’s exactly what one recent mock draft has the team doing.
Jordan Reid of The Draft Network recently published a mock draft that has the Jets taking Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round and following that up with the selection of LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III in the second round.
Simply put, that would be an excellent haul for Gang Green.
Becton has skyrocketed up draft boards in the last month after a strong showing at the 2020 Senior Bowl. Despite not originally being included in the “big three” of offensive tackles, he stands a good chance to be selected before at least one or two of them when all is set and done.
And for the Jets, he makes a ton of sense.
Becton has All-Pro potential at the next level with the length, power, and flexibility to be an elite player. He still has a few technical flaws that need ironing out be he projects as a day one starter who could develop into one of the best linemen in the league in just a few years.
If the Jets let Kelvin Beachum walk in free agency, they will need to replace him with a player who could step in and start from Week 1. While Becton isn’t as pro-ready as some of his counterparts, there’s no reason why he can’t do that.
And as for Cushenberry, the 6-foot-3, 312-pound junior is an uber-athletic interior offensive lineman who could be the solution the Jets have been searching for at the center position.
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While not the most powerful at the point of attack, Cushenberry excels in pass protection and has the hip flexibility and mobility to be very effective as a run blocker in a zone-blocking scheme.
Some feel that he’d be a better fit as a guard in the pros, but either way, he’d fill a position of need for the Jets.
With the need to surround quarterback Sam Darnold with a proper offensive line to help him flourish, this mock draft serves as an excellent blueprint for how the team should approach the draft.
Landing Becton and Cushenberry with their first two picks would be a slam dunk haul and one that would make Jets fans — and Sam Darnold — very happy.
Hopefully the Jets could pull off something very similar come late April.