NY Jets: Grading latest 3-round mock draft from Matt Miller, post-NFL Combine

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller released an updated 3-round mock draft (post-NFL Combine edition). We decided to give it a full report card.

Throughout the NFL offseason process, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller will occasionally drop an updated mock draft. At the conclusion of the NFL Combine, he released an updated three-round mock draft and we decided to grade his picks for the NY Jets.

If you’d like to enjoy a post-NFL Combine full seven-round NY Jets mock draft you can check out all the details by clicking here.

“Four straight offensive tackles come off the board with the New York Jets getting their left tackle of the future. Andrew Thomas dominated in the SEC while playing on the left side, which makes his transition to the NFL a little easier to project than his counterparts like Wills Jr. and Wirfs who played on the right side in college.

General manager Joe Douglas will prioritize the offensive line early in his tenure as he looks to give Sam Darnold the protection he needs at quarterback. Thomas can step into the left tackle position immediately, solving the biggest of the Jets’ question marks this offseason.

With all of the wide receivers still on the board, that has to be tempting for Douglas and Co., but league sources continue to insist that a receiver in the first round is not how the Jets will operate with this front office.”

Best players still on the board:

• Jerry Jeudy, wide receiver, Alabama
• K’Lavon Chaisson, edge, LSU
• CeeDee Lamb, wide receiver, Oklahoma

Grade: A+

The NY Jets get a player who is plug and play ready to insert on the left side of the offensive line for the next decade. Also, they barely survive by grabbing the last of the four premium offensive tackles in the 2020 NFL Draft.

When you evaluate the top options that are still available on the board it likely mirrors the decision the team will be faced with on draft day. Do you take the top receiver off the board? Or do you get one of the top offensive linemen still left on the board? Here the Jets make the right choice, while it may not be sexy, it is the right move.

Next: 2nd round

Here are a few facts to consider ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

This is one of the deepest wide receiver classes in recent memory. 

This means that wide receivers who are available in the second or third rounds would normally go in the first round of a typical year.

Also, good ones are going to drop inevitably because other positional runs are going to happen at offensive tackle and quarterback.

In this specific scenario the NY Jets land what many analysts have projected as a first-round wide receiver throughout this offseason process.

Laviska Shenault Jr isn’t your typical No. 1 wide receiver. He’s a 6-foot-2, 220-pound versatile prospect that can be lined up anywhere.

Shenault is a unique talent that is reminiscent of Cordarrelle Patterson. A do it all man that has an insanely high ceiling but also lacks some of the finer fundamentals.

Sadly he wasn’t able to fully participate in the NFL Combine due to a core muscle injury and inflammation of the pubic bone, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Despite those ailments that will sideline him for the next month and a half, he ran a 4.55 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and put up 17 bench press reps of 225 pounds.

Best players still on the board:

• Josh Uche, edge, Michigan
• Donovan Peoples-Jones, wide receiver, Michigan
• Stanford Samuels III, cornerback, Florida State

Grade: B+

Next: 3rd round

The 6-foot-4, 259-pound edge player from Tennessee is an athlete that has an ability to dip around the edge to get to the quarterback. Darrell Taylor would be a seamless fit in the NY Jets defense.

Under Gregg Williams, he could be a 3-4 outside linebacker and also has the versatility if he wants to put his hand in the dirt to be a 4-3 end.

The NY Jets have utilized this strategy in the past of investing mid-round picks into edge rushers like Jordan Jenkins, Dylan Donahue, and Lorenzo Mauldin. Some have worked, some have flamed out.

Best players still on the board:

• Tyler Biadasz, center, Wisconsin
• JK Dobbins, running back, Ohio State
• Michael Pittman Jr, wide receiver, USC

Grade: D-

The biggest reason for this grade is all the players that were left on the board. JK Dobbins is one of the top-flight running backs available in the 2020 NFL Draft. Tyler Biadasz is one of the top interior offensive linemen in the draft and could plug and play at center. While finally, Michael Pittman Jr has a connection with Sam Darnold via their alma mater.

The NY Jets need to upgrade their situation at corner and with their second third-round selection they find an under the radar defender from the ACC.

Hall is a high football IQ player that can play across a defense. In his four seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers, he has five interceptions, although his final season was robbed from him due to an ankle injury.

Best players still on the board:

• Matt Hennessy, center, Temple
• Khalid Kareem, edge, Notre Dame
• Cam Akers, running back, Florida State

Grade: C+

Bryce Hall is a talented player with some durability issues. This is another case of talented players being left on the board affecting the final grade. Matt Hennessy would be another plug and play kind of guy at center. Khalid Kareem offers a different flavor on the edge. While Cam Akers may be one of the most underrated players in the entire 2020 NFL Draft.