NY Jets: Players to target on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft

3. Edge rushers and linebackers the NY Jets could target

EDGE – Azeez Ojulari – Georgia

EDGE – Ronnie Perkins – Oklahoma

EDGE – Chris Rumph II – Duke

LB – Nick Bolton – Missouri

LB – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Notre Dame

One of the rumored areas of interest on Day 1 for New York was another edge rusher. The Jets have Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry, but that will probably not preclude them from adding another pass rusher at the defensive end spot.

The more the merrier is an approach that Robert Saleh-coached defenses have taken in the past, and you can never have enough pass rushers.

With that in mind, at 34, there is a player on the board in Azeez Ojulari who will receive serious consideration. Ojulari has seen his stock rise in recent times because of his blend of speed and power, and he just missed the cut in Round 1.

Many of the draft’s top-rated edge rushers went off the board in the tail end of Round 1. The question with Ojulari is fit — some teams have him as a standup 3-4 outside linebacker.

He is a raw project that needs molding, but the Jets staff might be up to the task of tapping into Ojulari’s potential.

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The Jets are also looking for long-term answers at the linebacker position — a key spot in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense. C.J. Mosley is still a Jet, and Jarrad Davis is on board, signed to a one-year deal by the Jets in free agency, but there are questions about their long-term roles with the team.

Blake Cashman has traits that suit the Jets’ new defensive scheme, but durability has been an issue throughout his career.

The types of linebackers that the Jets have targeted for the last 15 years have changed. New York is on the hunt for hybrid linebackers who can excel in space and coverage. A player like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is someone to monitor very closely.

JOK is a linebacker/safety hybrid that will never leave the field. His talents are so versatile that he succeeded in covering slot receivers at Notre Dame. And don’t be surprised if the Jets end up drafting players very similar to what Jeff Ulbrich had at linebacker in Atlanta.

Let’s not forget that the Jets targeted Keanu Neal in free agency, who will be playing linebacker in a similar system under Dan Quinn in Dallas.