NY Jets land Zach Wilson, star pass-rusher in 7-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1, 2nd Overall, NY Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

This pick hasn’t changed in quite a long time, and don’t expect it to change anytime before the draft. Barring any last-minute, unforeseen developments, the Jets will be drafting BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second overall.

The current Jets regime has notably been tight-lipped in regard to leaks, but that hasn’t necessarily been true regarding their interest in Wilson. And in reality, why should it be?

No team is going to leap-frog the Jets for Wilson — a player who 23 out of 23 surveyed NFL teams had ranked as QB2 behind Trevor Lawrence. So why not make it known? What is there to hide?

Wilson possesses the arm talent, accuracy, mobility, and moxie to be a franchise quarterback at the next level. The Jets will need to right their prior wrongs and surround him with a competent supporting cast.

There can be no more Sam Darnold-sized mistakes.

Wilson will be the pick. Now, the Jets must put together a roster conducive to development.

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Round 1, 23rd Overall, NY Jets: Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia

The plan was to target the offensive line or cornerback with this pick, but the top options (Teven Jenkins, Greg Newsome, etc.) were all off the board. Thus, we gave head coach Robert Saleh one of the most talented pass-rushers in this year’s class in Azeez Ojulari.

Ojulari has about as high of an upside as any pass-rusher in the 2021 draft class with an elite first step and ample athleticism. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2019 leading the Georgia defense with 5.5 sacks.

But it wasn’t until 2020 that he began to emerge as a legitimate first-round prospect, despite playing just two years of college ball.

Ojulari led the entire SEC in sacks (8.5), tackles for loss (12.5), and forced fumbles (4) all in just 10 games. He opted to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.

At 6-foot-2, 249 pounds, Ojulari primarily played a stand-up pass-rusher role at Georgia and could seem like a tricky fit in the Jets’ 4-3 scheme. But look no further than Robert Saleh’s use of Dee Ford in San Francisco for a comparable solution.

Ojulari is just 20-years-old (turns 21 in June) and would give the Jets a talented young pass-rusher with All-Pro potential. The Jets front-four would immediately become one of the best in the NFL.

Next: 2. A starting OL and a high-upside CB