3 Players Jets Should Target in NFL Draft to Boost Playoff Odds 

Are you sick of the Jets flashing potential, but not living up to it? 

If not for bad injury luck and poor quarterback play, the New York Jets would have been a playoff team last season. That doesn’t have to be the case this fall and the best way to get back on track is through the NFL Draft. 

That starts by nailing the No. 13 overall selection. A year after drafting three standouts – Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall – Jets fans know how much of an impact a good draft class can have. 

New York’s odds to make the playoffs aren’t listed just yet, but their odds to win Super Bowl LVIII have already gotten shorter – from +2800 to +2500. Listed with the sixth-shortest odds to win the Super Bowl in the AFC, oddsmakers project New York to be on the borderline of playoff contention. 

If the Jets have a successful draft, chances are those odds will only get shorter. You can get ahead of that drop-off and make some bonus money thanks to DraftKings Sportsbook. 

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Once you’ve completed those steps, the only thing left for you to do is kick back and watch your team bring home the bonus money. 

After you lock in that $150, you might want to use some of it on a Jets futures bet, especially if they draft one of the players listed below. 

No. 13 overall pick 

This pick is a little later than Jets fans are used to, but New York can still grab a stud this early in the draft. 

There’s a few different ways this selection might play out with areas of concern on the offensive line, safety and quarterback (if one isn’t signed or traded for this offseason). 

Let’s look at who might be the best options to fill those needs: 

Broderick Jones, Offensive Tackle (Georgia)

New York has questions all over the offensive line, with three players coming off surgeries last season and seven linemen headed to free agency. 

The blindside must be protected, regardless of who is taking snaps under center for the Jets and Jones would provide that after allowing zero sacks for last season’s National Champions. 

Jones is an absolute mauler at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds and some draft experts think he’s the best offensive tackle on the board. 

Taking Jones here is a no-brainer as long as the Jets have a quarterback. 

Brian Branch, Safety (Alabama) 

The Jets haven’t found a long term answer at safety since smartly moving Jamal Adams to the Seahawks before the 2020 season. 

Lamarcus Joyner and Jordan Whitehead weren’t very effective last season and there’s a good chance Joyner doesn’t return. 

Branch, a 6-foot, 195 pound junior this past season, was all over the field for the Crimson Tide. He was named a First Team All-American by some outlets and a Second Team All-American by others. He finished the year with 90 tackles (14 for loss), with three sacks, two interceptions and nine pass breakups. 

Branch would fill an immediate need now while also pairing up with Gardner in the defensive secondary for the long haul. 

C.J. Stroud, Quarterback (Ohio State)

Hear me out! Let’s say the Jets don’t land Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr. There are other options, of course, such as Jimmy Garoppolo or Ryan Tannehill, but those latter quarterbacks have shown that they aren't going to win many games with their arm. 

Stroud, on the other hand, has the pedigree to become that kind of quarterback. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound gun-slinger has the size and the stats, too, throwing for over 3,600 yards with 41 touchdowns (!!!) to six interceptions last season. 

The Jets would have to trade up to have a shot at landing Stroud, and that might be costly. But if the team doesn’t have a new quarterback by the time of the draft, it’s absolutely worth considering. 

It’s hard to say exactly who the Jets will draft this year, but they’ve proven to be one of the better drafting teams in the league under general manager Joe Douglas. 

Get ahead of the hype and lock in some bonus cash while you’re at it. Sign up with DraftKings today. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.