It's often best not to put too much stock into NFL mock drafts, but that's not necessarily true when it comes to NFL insider Peter Schrager — at least as far as his NY Jets picks are concerned.
Schrager is as plugged-in as any insider around the league, and his track record with the Jets over the last few years is about as close to perfect as you're going to get. That's why it's pretty notable that he has the Jets selecting Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in this year's draft.
Schrager released his first mock draft of the year on Tuesday, and he had Bowers going to the Jets with the 10th overall pick. Bowers is widely seen as the consensus top target for the Jets, and Schrager seems to agree.
"This is a special prospect. In fact, I've been told by multiple general managers that I'm not high enough on Bowers and that his ability after the catch sets him apart from just about every tight end prospect since Kyle Pitts. Excellent player, a winner and another weapon for Aaron Rodgers to exploit -- this pairing does indeed make a ton of sense."Peter Schrager
NY Jets fans should pay attention to Peter Schrager's mock draft
Schrager isn't just another NFL analyst mindlessly guessing what might happen in this month's draft. His mocks are always based on what he's hearing from his conversations with people around the league. His track record speaks for itself.
Schrager had the Jets selecting Quinnen Williams in 2019, Mekhi Becton in 2020, Zach Wilson in 2021, both Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson in 2022, and Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness in 2023.
He was 100 percent spot on with his Jets projections from 2019 to 2022 and was possibly the only notable NFL analyst to predict the Jets would draft an edge rusher in the first round last year.
Van Ness would end up going two picks before the Jets to the Green Bay Packers at No. 13 overall, leading Gang Green to select Will McDonald instead. It's fair to believe that Van Ness would've been the pick for the Jets if he was still available.
This is more than just guesswork. Schrager has correctly predicted five first-round picks in a row for the Jets and nearly predicted a sixth. He also had the Jets selecting Baker Mayfield in 2018 — something that likely would've happened had he still been on the board.
This isn't Schrager's final mock draft — that will be released during draft week — so there's still time for his prediction to change. But as of now, there appears to be fire at the source of all this Brock Bowers smoke.
The Jets brought Bowers in for an official top-30 visit on Monday, the same day Aaron Rodgers returned to the team's facilities for the start of the offseason program. Was that just a coincidence or a planned move on the part of the Jets?
Bowers is the popular pick for the Jets in the first round. And right now, the most accurate Jets mock drafter in the world seems to agree with that projection.