NY Jets land franchise LT and developmental QB in 2024 NFL Mock Draft

The NY Jets still have plenty of football left to play this season, but it's never too early to start thinking about the draft. The 2024 NFL Draft class is loaded with top-tier talent at a number of positions.

The Jets will enter the draft with some major decisions to make regarding positions such as quarterback, wide receiver, and the offensive line. Fortunately, all three of those position groups look pretty stacked as we sit here in October.

The Jets won't have a second-round pick, as that pick will transfer to the Green Bay Packers as part of the Aaron Rodgers trade. With only selections and one pick in the first two rounds, the Jets will need to make their moves count.

With the help of Pro Football Network's Mock Simulator, we ran through one way-too-early possibility for the Jets' 2024 draft class. Note that draft order is determined by current standings at the time of writing. This is not a draft order prediction.

Round 1, 6th Overall, NY Jets: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

The Jets don't hope or expect to pick this high come April, but if they do, landing a franchise left tackle would be a nice consolation prize. That's exactly what Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt projects to be.

Standing at a massive 6-foot-8, 315 pounds, Alt is widely seen as one of the top overall prospects in this year's draft class. The former high school tight end converted to offensive tackle in college and has quickly established himself as one of the premier offensive linemen in the nation.

Alt started the final eight games of his freshman season at left tackle before earning first-team All-American honors as a sophomore. He's shown no signs of slowing down this season, either.

As the son of a former Pro Bowl left tackle, Alt has the pedigree, size, athleticism, and technical refinement to be a day-one starter and future All-Pro at the NFL level. Here is your long-term left tackle of the future.

Round 3, 68th Overall, NY Jets: Cole Bishop, S, Utah

The Jets haven't exactly valued the safety position highly since Joe Douglas took over, and it's shown at times. Don't be surprised to see the team address the position within the first few rounds of next year's draft.

Utah's Cole Bishop is one of the better safety prospects eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft. Bishop is a physical safety who stands at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, and thrives down near the line of scrimmage.

He's not an elite athlete by any means, but Bishop is a strong run defender and efficient tackler — something the Jets could really use in their secondary.

With Jordan Whitehead set to hit free agency this offseason, Bishop could be an ideal replacement, both in the short and long term. He's already a much more consistent tackler than his veteran counterpart.

Round 4, 99th Overall, NY Jets: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

One of the most highly-touted college quarterbacks at the moment, Shedeur Sanders could be an ideal developmental quarterback for a Jets team looking ahead to life after Aaron Rodgers.

The son of Deion Sanders followed his father to Colorado this year and has been one of the most prominent reasons behind the program's immediate success. Sanders is a dynamic playmaker with an NFL-caliber arm, even if he's still a little rough around the edges.

It's unclear if Sanders plans to declare for this year's draft, especially in such a loaded class of quarterbacks. If he does, however, he has a chance to establish himself as a Day 1 prospect by the end of the season.

For now, however, he's firmly in the mid-round range, as Pro Football Network's mock simulator suggests. I love this pick for the Jets.

Round 4, 105th Overall, NY Jets: Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU

Jets head coach Robert Saleh loves his defensive linemen, and while the team has loaded up on edge rushers in the last two drafts, they haven't really prioritized the interior of their defensive line.

LSU's Mekhi Wingo is exactly the type of defensive tackle prospect that could catch Saleh's eye. The Missouri native is undersized at just 6-foot, 295 pounds, but he's an excellent athlete with a high pass-rush ceiling.

He's reminiscent of 2023 first-round pick Calijah Kancey, although he's not quite as refined as a pass rusher just yet. That's to be expected for a player with just 12 career starts under his belt. He also doesn't turn 21 years old until a few days before the draft.

Wingo is a perfect mid-round defensive tackle project who could add some extra pass-rush depth to the interior of the Jets' defensive line. Let him develop behind Quinnen Williams and unleash him on passing downs.

Round 6, 169th Overall, NY Jets: Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame

The Jets have their running back of the present and future in Breece Hall, but it never hurts to take a swing on a Day 3 running back every year. Notre Dame's Audric Estime would be an ideal late-round target for the Jets in April.

At 5-foot-11, 227 pounds, Estime fits a running back archetype that the Jets don't currently have on their roster. He's a big-boded, bruising tailback who has no problem running through contact and squaring up in pass protection.

Estime is in the midst of his second season as Notre Dame's starting running back and is already averaging over 7.0 yards per carry through six games. His draft stock could continue to rise as the season progresses.

The Jets added the speedy Israel Abanikanda in this year's draft. Estime and Abanikanda complement each other's skill sets well and could develop into a very capable one-two punch behind Hall.