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

This is it. We’ve reached the home stretch. The NY Jets and the rest of the NFL are less than five days away from the start of what could prove to be a monumental 2021 NFL Draft.

Franchise directions will be determined. Dreams will be accomplished. And we’re sure to see our fair share of typical draft drama before the weekend is over.

For frequent readers of these mocks, you will know that we’ve been running this series essentially weekly for nearly seven months now. When you have a team as bad as the Jets were last year, it only makes sense.

There’s a good chance that this is the last team-specific mock that we release prior to Thursday’s draft. So let’s make this one count.

For the most part, we’ve opted against trades in our mock scenarios. But that won’t be the case today. The Jets’ will have a difficult decision to make at pick 23, and their best option might just be to trade up a few slots and ensure they snag their guy.

That’s exactly what we did here.

But who did they trade up for? What did they give up? Were there any other surprises in the draft? All of those questions will be answered shortly. Even quicker if you’re one of the readers who skip the intro slide every time.

We know you’re out there. We see you. Two more paragraphs — you could do it.

As usual, we used The Draft Network’s Mock Machine to run through one possible scenario that could unfold in this year’s draft. Just a little spoiler alert, this might be my own personal favorite mock draft that we’ve done.

With that, let’s take a look at the results from what will likely be our final seven-round mock draft of the 2021 draft season.

Next: 1. A new QB and a first-round trade-up

NY Jets Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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

Barring any unforeseen, unprecedented turn of events, the Jets will select BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the second overall pick come Thursday. And thus, the team will usher in a new era of football.

That will include a new coaching staff, a new quarterback, and a new supporting cast. A formula that will hopefully allow the Jets to find more success than they did in the Adam Gase/Sam Darnold era.

Wilson has all the tools to develop into a franchise quarterback in the NFL. His arm talent is superb. His timing and placement are top-tier. And he has the mobility needed to extend plays with his legs.

Some will prefer Ohio State’s Justin Fields with this pick. Others could even consider Trey Lance of North Dakota State. Either way, the futures of all five top quarterbacks in this class will forever be tied together.

This is the 2018 NFL Draft class 2.0. Let’s just hope the Jets get it right this time around.

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Round 1, 19th Overall, NY Jets: Teven Jenkins, OT/OG, Oklahoma State

We have a trade! In this scenario, the Jets send picks 23, 107 (early fourth round), and 146 (early fifth round) to the Washington Football Team in exchange for the 19th overall selection.

Using the Draft Tek trade value chart, the Jets come out on top by only a few points. It’s a slight win for New York, and they also manage to land one of their top targets in the entire draft in Teven Jenkins.

Jenkins has seen his draft stock soar over the last month or so and at this point, it seems unlikely that he makes it to 23. With teams like Washington, Chicago, and Tennessee looking for interior offensive line help, the Jets leapfrog them all and grab Jenkins.

The Oklahoma State product is a mean, nasty mauler with nimble feet that should allow him to excel in a zone-blocking scheme. Ideally, he could take over one of the two starting guard spots before potentially being George Fant’s long-term replacement at right tackle.

Jenkins is a home-run pick and the Jets don’t have to give up too much to get him.

Next: 2. More OL and EDGE help

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

NY Jets Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

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

NY Jets Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Round 6, 186th Overall, NY Jets: Demetric Felton, WR/RB, UCLA

Demetric Felton is one of the most interesting prospects in this year’s draft class. Originally a wide receiver in college, Felton switched to running back full-time in his senior season after splitting time at both positions as a junior.

He went on to lead the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards per game and set a new UCLA record in 2019 with four touchdowns of 75 yards or more. He’s a dynamic, versatile offensive playmaker — someone Mike LaFleur could have a lot of fun with.

Felton is entering the draft as a wide receiver, but will certainly require time to learn the nuances of the position. And at just 5-foot-8, 189 pounds, he lacks the ideal size for the position.

The Jets could use Felton as a gadget player on offense allowing him to utilize his speed and agility in multiple facets. Certainly a player who could find a ton of success in a Kyle Shanahan-inspired system.

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Round 6, 226th Overall, NY Jets: Jacob Harris, TE/WR, UCF

The Jets are looking for speed and athletic freaks on offense, and it doesn’t get much freakier than UCF’s Jacob Harris. Standing at 6-foot-5, 219 pounds, Harris was a virtual unknown in draft rooms before he put together a pro day for the ages.

The former walk-on ran a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash which, at his size, is downright unheard of. Given his massive stature, many teams have been projecting him as more of a tight end at the next level.

A tight end that would be faster than almost everyone on the field.

That said, Harris is a little old for a prospect, especially one that’s as raw as he is, as he turned 24-years-old earlier this month. But he has a rare blend of size and athleticism that give him All-Pro upside.

Don’t expect him to be much of an in-line blocker, but Harris could be a matchup nightmare with a little extra development. Definitely a player worth taking a chance on here late in Round 6.