After trading away a sixth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens as part of a package to acquire veteran tackle Morgan Moses, the New York Jets have seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, five of those picks are Day 3 selections, between rounds 4-7.
That leaves New York with only two picks in the top 72, the No. 10 overall selection in the first round and No. 72 in Round 3. This means general manager Joe Douglas must be creative in trying to fill current and future holes on the offensive line, and at wide receiver and quarterback.
So, a trade back in the first round would not be a surprise. Since they signed the top left tackle on the free-agent market, Tyron Smith, added guard John Simpson, and traded for Moses, a right tackle, the Jets could afford to move back instead of selecting one of the top three tackles at No. 10.
If the Jets could add a second-round pick, or perhaps a very early third-rounder, it’s easy to see them trading back in the first round. Which makes trying to mock their first three selections an intriguing exercise.
Since the draft is five weeks away, let’s stick with the picks the Jets currently have for this exercise.
New York Jets 3-round 2024 Mock Draft
1st Round (No. 10): Brock Bowers – TE – Georgia
If they hadn’t signed Smith, this pick would have been a left tackle. But now they’re going to wait to select an offensive lineman and take the best player on the board. And it will be someone for Aaron Rodgers to target in the passing game, just not a wide receiver.
Brock Bowers is the consensus top tight end in the draft. He was a prolific receiver in college and would immediately add another star playmaker in the Jets passing game, along with wide receiver Garrett Wilson. There’ve been comparisons to Kyle Pitts, and many scouts agree that Bowers will be the next great tight end in the NFL. Look no further than Travis Kelce and George Kittle to see how far that can help a team offensively.
Keeping Rodgers, who’ll turn 41 this season and is coming off a ruptured Achilles, upright is priority No. 1. But No. 1a is surrounding him with more talent. Forcing defenses to figure out how to contain Wilson, Bowers and Breece Hall, with Rodgers at the helm, is a dream scenario for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
3rd Round (No. 72): Blake Fisher – OT – Notre Dame
If somehow Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy miraculously falls, the Jets could try to trade up into the second round or look to draft a quarterback in this spot. But more likely is that they pick an offensive lineman who will get some reps this season but not be counted on as a Day One starter.
Enter Blake Fisher, the other Notre Dame lineman in this draft, the one not named Joe Alt. Of course, if Alt fell to No. 10 overall, the Jets might jump on him instead. But assuming that’s not going to happen, Fisher is the guy in Round 3.
The 6-foot-6 lineman was the 13th-ranked offensive tackle at the NFL scouting combine. An excellent athlete, many experts agree that he would benefit by not being rushed into a starting role. Consistency in the run game and pass blocking is needed, but the physical tools are there.
Fisher might be more of a right tackle in the NFL than a left. But he could well be part of a future starting line with Carter Warren (2023 Jets draft pick) emerging as the left tackle.
4th Round (No. 111): Jordan Travis – QB – Florida State
The Jets don’t need an immediate starter at quarterback, with Rodgers in the fold. Nor do they need someone to step in right away as the No. 2 after signing veteran Tyrod Taylor.
That creates a perfect scenario to select Jordan Travis in the fourth round. He fractured his leg on Nov. 18, so being with a team that won’t need to rush him is a perfect fit for the 23-year-old. It’ll also benefit him to practice and attend meetings with Rodgers and Taylor every day.
The 2023 ACC Player of the Year has drawn raves for his athleticism and leadership abilities. He had 44 TD passes and only seven picks on 677 attempts the past two seasons and is a threat with his legs when needed (32 rushing TDs in college).
A drawback is that he’s not very big (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) and the Jets just had a smaller, athletic quarterback who failed miserably the past three seasons with Zach Wilson. So, perhaps, a quarterback like Joe Milton of Tennessee, who stands 6-foot-5 and is more of a pocket passer, could be more appealing.
But Travis has intangibles that make him an intriguing Day 3 option.
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