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The New York Jets' Robert Saleh finds himself in an interesting position after the San Fransisco 49ers moved up the 2021 NFL Draft's queue earlier today to the third overall pick. The Niners recently departed defensive coordinator is now able to pull off one of the sports' pettiest moves: stealing a top-valued draft prospect right from under a team's nose.
Granted, with the number 2 overall pick in this year's draft, the Jets are in a prime spot to spoil the top prospect hopes of every team in the league outside of Jacksonville. But Saleh, whose defensive schemes led the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV and the brink of glory, is undoubtedly already aware of the delicious irony that this situation presents him.
Luckily for Saleh, the Jets are in a prime position to steal away the 49ers' hopes, as Shanahan seems to have played his hand a bit too obvious by moving up. San Fran has been at the heart of speculation this offseason, being linked to every quarterback that was rumored to be on the move not named Russell Wilson.
Apparently, the team has already been on the outs with former franchise darling Jimmy Garoppolo, who has either been unavailable or disappointing after his overthrown go-ahead, potentially game-clinching touchdown pass at the end of Super Bowl LIV. The rest of the 49ers' roster is ready to win now, and Shanahan has reportedly been frustrated for years.
Of course, after a relatively quiet free agency with no major moves outside of signing Trent Williams and Alex Mack, San Fransisco was apparently sold on riding Garoppolo's potential until his contract ran out. The signings made sense to protect their franchise quarterback, while they would have been able to pick one of the draft's highest-rated weapons at the 12th pick overall.
But by moving up to the 3rd pick in a draft that has at least three top-tier talents at the quarterback (four popularly projected to go top 8), the 49ers has essentially made it obvious who they are going for. They have no need of Florida's Kyle Pitts with George Kittle on the roster, nor would they have given up too much talent at other positions if they'd stood pat and drafted at 12th overall.
No, this move up was to target either BYU's Zach Wilson, North Dakota State's Trey Lance, or Ohio State's Justin Fields to replace Garoppolo on the roster, sooner rather than later.
If you're Robert Saleh, you know this. Having been on San Francisco's payroll, you probably know the way the wind is blowing on which specific quarterback the team is leaning toward. The big question for you now is this: how much faith do you have in Sam Darnold?
If the answer is a sizeable amount, then it's more than likely that the Jets head coach will either trade down or take Kyle Pitts as arguably the best overall player in this draft after Trevor Lawrence. Pitts profiles as one of the best tight end prospects of all time and a combination of sword and shield will be valuable for any signal-caller.
But, if that amount of faith in Darnold is anywhere under the halfway mark, then Saleh probably values him more as a trade chip. If that is the case, the Jets are live threats to steal San Francisco's hopes and dreams from them.
