NY Jets trade up for OL in 7-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft

Round 2, 34th Overall, NY Jets: Creed Humphrey, C/OG, Oklahoma

The Jets can’t make the same mistakes they made with Sam Darnold. That’s why, with Creed Humphrey still on the board at 34, we decided to double down on bolstering the offensive line despite other needs.

Humphrey is one of the most accomplished linemen in this class having been named All-American on three separate occasions. He’s a two-time team captain, two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, and perhaps the best center prospect in this draft class.

There’s some talk that he could go Round 1, but he plays a position that oftentimes gets overlooked. The Jets are the ones to benefit from this as they manage to completely revamp the future of their offensive line with two picks.

Humphrey could either take over for Connor McGovern as the starting center or move to guard early in his career. Either way, the Jets land two Day 1 starters in Jenkins and Humphrey who should start for a very long time.

This is a dream scenario for Gang Green.

Round 3, 66th Overall, NY Jets: Payton Turner, DE, Houston

The Jets bolstered their pass-rush in a big way this offseason adding the likes of Carl Lawson, Sheldon Rankins, and Vinny Curry to an already stout defensive line that featured players like Quinnen Williams, Folorunso Fatukasi, and John Franklin-Myers.

And at pick 66, they add yet another promising young piece to that defensive line rotation in Houston’s Payton Turner. We wanted to address cornerback here, but with Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr. going four picks before us, we didn’t feel the value was there.

Turner is a powerful, athletic lineman with a  massive wingspan. At 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, he’s quite large for a true, three-down edge rusher. He projects as someone who can play outside at defensive end on early downs before shifting inside on passing downs.

Given that he only moved to his natural edge rush role in his junior and senior seasons, Turner is only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. His energy and natural physical gifts make him a perfect fit for new head coach Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme.

With the addition of Turner, the Jets’ defensive line would have the potential to be one of the best in the league.

Next: 3. More depth at CB and RB