3 surprise prospects connected to the NY Jets in recent mock drafts

2. NY Jets draft target: David Ojabo, DE, Michigan

Once again, it's certainly reasonable that the Jets target an edge rusher early in the 2022 NFL Draft. That isn't the surprise here. Instead, the surprise is with the player.

In the latest mock draft from ESPN's Jordan Reid, the Jets select Michigan defensive end David Ojabo with the 10th overall pick. Ojabo is a good prospect who's on the rise, but he's not the Michigan defensive end most would expect the Jets to be connected to.

Aidan Hutchinson has stolen the spotlight for Michigan this season and emerged as one of the best overall prospects in this year's draft class. Reid has Hutchinson going second overall to the Houston Texans in his mock.

But eight picks later, after adding cornerback Derek Stingley with the third overall pick, the Jets went back to their defense and selected Ojabo.

In a few months' time, we might not be discussing Ojabo as a surprise this high. A former high school teammate of 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh, Ojabo has been shooting up draft boards after recording 10 sacks in 10 games this season.

He's a little raw and inexperienced, but the raw talent is there for Ojabo to be a superstar in the NFL one day. Below is an excerpt from Reid's explanation of the pick.

"Ojabo is the defensive prospect who has helped himself most this season, as he has 10 sacks and four forced fumbles in 10 games. It's just a one-year sample for the third-year sophomore, but he has starred on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson. Ojabo is the exact type of prospect the Jets should covet to place alongside a healthy Carl Lawson in 2022. The Jets can fill both of their biggest need positions -- corner and edge -- with their two top-10 picks."

- Jordan Reid, on David Ojabo

At this point, projecting Ojabo as a top-10 pick is a little rich for most analysts. For now, it's a surprise. But that might not be the case come January or February.