NY Jets help Aaron Rodgers in post-trade 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft

The entire landscape of the NY Jets' organization changed on Monday when they officially agreed on compensation for an Aaron Rodgers trade. Rodgers is headed to Florham Park, and with him come growing expectations.

The postseason should be a bare minimum for a healthy Rodgers and the Jets in 2023. The Jets didn't trade for Rodgers with the goal of competing for one of the final wild-card spots. They have their eyes on a division title and a Super Bowl run.

After all, what else could you expect after trading for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history? A man who has been named MVP in two of the last three seasons. A surefire future Hall of Famer.

The Jets undoubtedly have high expectations with Rodgers now at the helm, but he can't do it all himself. The team needs to continue surrounding him with talent. The 2023 NFL Draft is a prime opportunity to do so.

The Rodgers trade likely impacted the Jets' draft plans. They moved down from No. 13 overall to No. 15 in the first round, they don't pick at all between 43 and 112, and they only have five total selections.

Of course, a trade-down is possible, but for the purposes of this mock draft, we won't be including any trades. The Jets will have to be selective if they want to maximize the production of their 2023 NFL Draft class.

We put together our first seven-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft following the Aaron Rodgers trade with the help of Pro Football Network's mock simulator. Here are the results of our mock.

Round 1, 15th Overall, NY Jets: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

The Jets were lucky enough to have two of the top three offensive tackles still on the board by the time they picked at No. 13 overall. Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr. was gone, but Northwerstern's Peter Skoronski and Georgia's Broderick Jones remained available.

This was an easy selection for me. Johnson is my top target for the Jets, but in the likely scenario that he's gone, I'm more than happy with Skoronski.

Some teams reportedly view Skoronski as more of a guard prospect in the NFL, despite his collegiate success as a left tackle. The Jets are not one of those teams, at least according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler.

The Jets believe that Skoronski can play tackle in the NFL, but unlike Jones, who is almost exclusively a left tackle, Skoronski has the versatility to play virtually anywhere on the offensive line.

A three-year starter at Northwestern, Skoronski was twice named first-team All-Big Ten and was voted a Unanimous All-American in 2022. With 33 career starts under his belt, he's seen as perhaps the most NFL-ready offensive lineman in this class.

Skoronski stands at 6-foot-4, 313 pounds, and possesses pro-ready technique, a high football IQ, and impressive fundamentals. He allowed just one sack and two QB hits on nearly 500 pass-block snaps last season.

Skoronski can immediately compete for a starting tackle job in his rookie season, with the versatility to play essentially anywhere the Jets want him. Some even believe he can be an All-Pro-caliber center at the next level.

The Jets swapped first-round picks and still landed an instant-impact starter at a position of need. This is a major win for Gang Green.

Round 2, 43rd Overall, NY Jets: Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin

Keeanu Benton is one of my draft crushes this year. A four-year starter at Wisconsin, Benton is one of the best run-stuffing defensive tackles in this year's class, with the athleticism to provide a high ceiling as a pass rusher as well.

Barring a trade-down, the Jets will need to be very selective with the route they go in the second round. The Jets don't pick again until the fourth round, so they need to make this selection count.

I stuck with the trenches and gave head coach Robert Saleh another exciting young defensive lineman to work with. Benton can slot in immediately as a contributor on early downs.

The 21-year-old never put up gaudy numbers at Wisconsin, with his best season coming in 2022 when he finished with 4.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 12 games. He wasn't exactly asked to be a stats guy, however.

Benton was a force in the middle of Wisconsin's defense, eating up blocks and penetrating into the backfield. He was predominantly asked to be a 1-technique run-stopper, but he flashed plenty of pass-rush potential at the Senior Bowl.

At 6-foot-4, 309 pounds, Benton has great size for the position that he blends with impressive athleticism. Benton scored an excellent 8.9 on the Relative Athletic Score, with top-tier times in the 3-cone and broad jump.

I love Benton as an early-down starter alongside Quinnen Williams in the Jets' base 4-3 defense. Let Quinton Jefferson come in as a rotational 3-technique on passing downs, while Benton could eventually develop into more of a three-down role in the future.

Round 4, 112th Overall, NY Jets: DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas

The Jets are reportedly interested in re-signing Kwon Alexander after the draft to fill their third linebacker spot, but that might not happen if the team drafts a linebacker this week.

Robert Saleh's love of athletic linebackers, specifically ones who are former defensive backs, has been well documented to this point. From Jamien Sherwood to Hamsah Nasirildeen to Marcell Harris, Saleh has a type when it comes to linebackers.

Texas' DeMarvion Overshown fits that profile to a tee.

Overshown was one of the top safety recruits in the 2018 recruiting class when he joined Texas a few years back. He made the switch to linebacker ahead of his junior season and carved out a permanent role in the Longhorns' defense.

At 6-foot-2, 229 pounds, Overshown plays a bit like an oversized safety. He has fantastic sideline-to-sideline range and has no trouble matching up physically with opposing tight ends in coverage.

Overshown is an excellent downhill thumper and has improved his tackling skills each year. That year-over-year improvement is why I'm higher on Overshown than some of the other linebackers in this class.

The Texas native has made significant strides at the position over the last two seasons, specifically as it pertains to his processing and play recognition. That should allow him to continue growing at the NFL level.

Overshown could immediately compete for the starting SAM linebacker role — the same role he played at Texas — as a rookie and be a regular contributor on special teams.

Round 5, 143rd Overall, NY Jets: Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss

The Jets have almost completely reshaped their wide receiver room this offseason, and their work still might not be done. While a receiver in the first round seems unlikely, don't discount the possibility of adding one later in the draft.

The Jets already said goodbye to one Ole Miss receiver this offseason. Why not replace Elijah Moore with a fellow Ole Miss alumnus?

I was surprised to see Jonathan Mingo still on the board at pick 143. In fact, I debated taking him with the Jets' previous selection in the fourth round. I wasn't going to pass twice.

At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Mingo is a well-rounded, competitive big slot who thrives after the catch. I get major Quincy Enunwa vibes when watching Mingo's tape. Both players excel as big-bodied, deceptively fast slot receivers with outstanding hands.

Mingo regularly makes difficult catches look routine and has no trouble wrestling the ball away from defenders. He's a bully with and without the ball in his hands.

Mingo's ability to make plays after the catch makes him a great fit in a Jets' offense that prioritizes yards after the catch. He still needs a little work with his route running, and you shouldn't expect Tyreek Hill-like athleticism, but Mingo has all the tools to be a very productive NFL receiver.

Drafting Mingo might spell the end of Corey Davis' time with the Jets, but given that the team needs cap space, it's probably for the best. Mingo can compete with Denzel Mims for the fourth wide receiver spot and serve as the backup slot to Mecole Hardman in year one.

Round 5, 170th Overall, NY Jets: Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State

The Jets already addressed the safety position when they traded for former Baltimore Ravens defensive leader Chuck Clark last month. They might not be done adding to the position, however.

Clark and Jordan Whitehead are currently penciled in as the team's starting safeties, but both players are at their best near the line of scrimmage in prototypical box safety roles.

Ideally, the Jets could add a more natural free safety early in the draft and potentially even consider cutting Whitehead to save cap space. Unfortunately, this is not a very good safety class.

One Day 3 option that could make some sense, though, is Oklahoma State's Jason Taylor II. Taylor was a two-year starter at Oklahoma State who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022 — the same year he led his team in tackles and led the Big 12 in interceptions.

Taylor has impressive speed for the safety position, having run a 4.50 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He paired that with a 43-inch vertical jump which ranks in the 99th percentile among all safeties in Combine history.

That speed helps him cover a tremendous amount of ground in the defensive backfield, and it allowed him to be used as a single-high safety quite a bit at Oklahoma State.

He tends to be a bit overaggressive, having missed a whopping 17 tackles last season, and those overaggressive tendencies show up in coverage as well. Still, he has natural instincts for the position and can develop into a future starter.

Taylor could compete for snaps as a rookie and contribute on special teams, making him a similar project to someone like Tony Adams. In a weak safety class, Taylor is one of my preferred targets for the Jets.