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

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Round 3, 86th Overall, NY Jets: Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford

We finally address the cornerback position here in Round 3 in the form of Stanford’s Paulson Adebo. Following a standout freshman year, there was talk that Adebo could garner first-round consideration before long.

However, a somewhat disappointing sophomore year hurt his draft stock, and he opted out of the 2020 season creating an interesting draft evaluation for scouts.

Adebo is a long, physical cornerback who stands at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds. His ball skills are one of the first things you notice when watching him on tape as with eight interceptions and 34 pass deflections in just 22 career games, he has some of the best ball production in the class.

His background as a high school wide receiver certainly doesn’t hurt in that area. Adebo is also a sure tackler, but he’s a little stiff in the hips and was inconsistent when asked to play press-man.

He might be best fit in a Cover 3 scheme where he’s allowed to play more off coverage. Robert Saleh’s defense is rooted in a Cover 3 scheme making Adebo a perfect schematic fit here on Day 2.

Round 5, 154th Overall, NY Jets: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State

The Jets traded away both their fourth and early-fifth round picks giving them quite the gap between selections here. But back on the board again, the Jets add a mid-round running back who could see significant playing time early on.

Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard is the definition of a home-run hitter at the running back position. With a background in track, Hubbard is able to explode through open running lanes to break long runs — as evidenced by his seven runs of 50 yards or more in 2019.

Hubbard isn’t the fastest running back in the class (he ran a 4.50 40-yard dash at his pro day), but he has excellent vision and is more explosive than he is fast. The Alberta native’s burst is impressive and he has no trouble finding open lanes.

Hubbard is still a work in progress as a pass protector and he lacks the ideal balance to be a regular between-the-tackles runner. But he projects very well in a zone-blocking scheme where he could put his vision and acceleration to good use.

This would be an excellent mid-round pick.

Next: 4. Late-round offensive playmakers