NY Jets trade for Russell Wilson in latest ESPN mock draft

The NY Jets are just days away from using the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select their new franchise quarterback. At least, that seems to be the general consensus.

But one recent mock draft from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a different approach. Barnwell had the Seattle Seahawks trading superstar quarterback Russell Wilson to the Jets for a package that included the No. 2 overall pick.

Instead of using that pick to select a rookie QB, the Jets landed one of the greatest signal-callers of his era in Wilson. However, it should be noted that there is a catch here.

Barnwell’s mock draft was an all-trade scenario. That means that all 32 first-round picks were used as part of a trade — yes, even the Jacksonville Jaguars pick.

In Barnwell’s admittedly unrealistic scenario, the Los Angeles Chargers actually traded Justin Herbert and safety Derwin James to Jacksonville for the top pick. Yeah, that’s how unrealistic we’re talking.

The NY Jets wouldn’t seriously consider trading the No. 2 overall pick

Of course, this is all for fun. Barnwell isn’t actually predicting that this is what will or should happen, he’s just laying out what the “most probable” trade would be — even if there isn’t even a slim chance that a trade could happen.

There was a time not too long ago that the No. 2 overall pick was potentially on sale. The Deshaun Watson saga has taken a different turn, but a little over a month ago it seemed very feasible that the Jets could send that pick to Houston in a package that would return them Watson.

Again, that’s not going to happen anymore. But it wasn’t the only trade rumor the Jets were attached to.

For a brief moment, the Jets were also involved in rumors surrounding the aforementioned Russell Wilson. With Wilson reportedly unhappy in Seattle, the Jets were briefly seen as a possible landing spot for the future Hall of Fame QB.

But just like the Watson rumors, Wilson’s trade rumors died down — albeit for very different reasons. And following the trade of Sam Darnold earlier this month, it’s become abundantly clear what the Jets plan to do with their top pick in the draft.

They will draft a quarterback. In all likelihood, that quarterback will be BYU’s Zach Wilson.

Mock scenarios like this could be fun. They can serve as a temporary respite from the unrelenting process that could be pre-draft coverage.

But it’s important not to overthink things. Barring any unprecedented developments, we all know what the Jets will be doing come Thursday night.

And it won’t involve a trade for Russell Wilson.