5 under-the-radar prospects NY Jets could draft in first round

We're in the thick of draft season, and although we're less than two weeks away from the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, it's impossible to predict exactly who the NY Jets will target in the first round.

In fact, the Jets probably don't know their exact draft board order yet. The team has been connected to a wide array of prospects over the last few months, to the point where many of the top names have been repeated ad nauseam.

Players like Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu, Taliese Fuaga, Rome Odunze, and Brock Bowers have all been repeatedly projected as future Jets in mock drafts, but what if the Jets go in a surprise direction?

After all, no one predicted the Jets would select Will McDonald in the first round last year. Here are five under-the-radar first-round targets for the Jets who haven't gotten as much publicity.

5. The NY Jets could draft Oregon WR Troy Franklin

In such a loaded wide receiver class, some names are bound to be overlooked. One such player could be Oregon's Troy Franklin, who many project to be an early Day 2 pick in this year's draft.

Franklin was an ultra-productive player at Oregon, setting numerous school records with his 2023 season that saw him finish with 81 catches for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns. That helped earn him second-team All-American honors for his third and final collegiate season.

Franklin has a thin frame and struggled with concentration drops in his final season (he had nine drops in 2023), but he's an explosive playmaker who can make plays before or after the catch.

The Jets are unlikely to take him with the 10th overall pick, but he's someone they could consider if they trade down to the back half of the first round.