It appears likely the New York Jets will select an offensive tackle in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. But don’t rule out the Jets making a surprise move to land major talent at another position with the No. 13 overall pick.
Tackle is a position of need for New York. And there are at least three tackles projected to be selected in the first half of the first round of this year’s draft.
Our Jets’ 2023 Mock NFL Draft has them picking Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State with the 13th selection in the first round. Peter Skoronski of Northwestern and Broderick Jones of Georgia are the other top tackle options. And Tennessee’s Darnell Wright is an option later in the first round.
However, Jets general manager Joe Douglas is not always so predictable at the draft. So there’s the chance he’ll shift gears and surprise the experts when the Jets make their first-round selection.
That said, let’s examine three sneaky options for the Jets with the No. 13 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
The Jets have three tight ends, veterans C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin and second-year pro Jeremy Ruckert. So why use a first-round pick on a tight end when that’s not a position of need?
Kincaid projects to be an offensive difference maker, that’s why. He's a big (6-foot-4, 246 pounds), athletic target who’s almost more of a massive wide receiver than a prototypical tight end.
The Jets have a slew of young offensive weapons, including wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman and running back Breece Hall. Selecting Kincaid would add another gamebreaker to this unit, making him a sneaky good pick.
You don’t think Aaron Rodgers would be thrilled to have Kincaid as one his top targets, or perhaps down the road, Kincaid couldn’t help Zach Wilson be a better quarterback? The Utah stud had 70 catches last season and 16 touchdowns the past two years. He’s a better receiver than any Jets tight end and would help make their offense scary good.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Again, not a position of need for the Jets, but the Jets showed quite a bit of interest in Odell Beckham Jr. before he signed with the Baltimore Ravens recently. So that means they are open to adding another dynamic receiver. And Smith-Njigba is just that.
The theory behind selecting Smith-Njigba, who was Garrett Wilson’s teammate at Ohio State, is similar to selecting Kincaid: Get another absolute stud playmaker on offense for Rodgers.
There are injury concerns about Smith-Njigba. He was limited to three games last season because of a hamstring injury. However, he looked healthy and impressed at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, even though he declined to run the 40.
In his one healthy season in college, Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2021. Those were better numbers than those put up by Wilson, who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season.
Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh
Now here is a position of need for the Jets. Having lost Sheldon Rankins in free agency, the Jets signed veteran Quinton Jefferson to a one-year contract. But the Jets desire a long-term answer on the interior of their defensive line next to All-Pro Quinnen Williams. And Kancey could be that player.
Kancey is undersized (6-foot-1, 281 pounds) but he’s a freakish athlete who makes plays. Extremely quick, Kancey had 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in two seasons as a starter in college.
Like Kincaid and Smith-Njigba, Kancey is projected to be a first-round selection in the draft. Yet, what could make any of these three a sneaky selection is Douglas pulling the trigger with the 13th overall pick since each is expected to go later in the first round.