The New York Jets made a few moves this off-season to acquire Trevor Lawrence and Logan Wilson. They traded away Sauce Gardner, their 3rd and 6th round selections. The Zach Wilson trade netted them a first round pick but they sent Minnesota their 4th, so heading into the draft, the Jets had five draft picks. Understanding that the majority of their picks were in the later rounds, their approach to scouting came in the form of elite and raw talent. Here is the New York Jets rookie class.
1.21 – LE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
The loss of defensive end Carl Lawson was tough to swallow for the Jets, but Lawson wanted $22M for the next three seasons and that was too much money, so the Jets were targeting a defensive end or a pass rushing outside linebacker in the first round. The Jets are very happy that Sawyer fell to them, they believe that he has the mechanics to rush the passer from the interior and from the edge. Sawyer has 90 strength, 82 speed, 81 tackle, 81 pursuit, and comes equipped with all of the pass rushing traits. He is a raw prospect, but the Jets are expected to deploy a 4-3 front this season after being gashed on the ground last season.
2.4 – HB Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina
Breece Hall was drafted by the Jets and has made a huge impact for the PML Jets, but he took a step back in season 2. Breece Hall led the league in fumbles amongst all halfbacks, he had 10 fumbles in 17 games. Hall is a dominant force on the ground when he’s able to hold onto the ball, but he became a liability late in the season, so the Jets wanted to bring in a guy who they thought was the perfect complement to Hall’s downhill style of running. Keaton Mitchell had the fastest 40 times out of all the halfbacks in the draft. He has 95 speed, 98 acceleration, 95 agility, and 92 change of direction. There were concerns with his durability, strength, and his ability to be a three down back but the Jets will not need him to be a workhorse. Aside from Chase Claypool, the Jets lack speed on offense and Mitchell will provide that for them.
5.4 – CB A.J. Woods, Pittsburgh
Sauce Gardner was traded to the Steelers for Trevor Lawrence this off-season and it left the Jets with a hole to fill at the corner position. Bryce Hall and D.J. Reed Jr. are capable corners, but both lack real speed to run stride for stride with the elite receivers in the league. A.J Woods was the only corner prospect in the draft with ‘elite’ speed and he was buried deep down the overall draft board, but the Jets didn’t have a 3rd or 4th round draft pick, so they targeted corner prospects that they hoped would fall. Woods has 95 speed, 98 acceleration, 97 agility, and 91 change of direction. He’s very raw in coverage, but he has the speed to keep close to any receiver in the league, especially on streak routes. The Jets plan to use him in the slot until he’s able to improve his coverage ability.
6.4 – MLB J.T Killen, Coastal Carolina
The Jets acquired outside linebacker Logan Wilson for the Cincinnati Bengals, but they were still lacking a third linebacker for their 4-3 scheme. Killen checked off all of the boxes for them. He is 6’3” with 89 speed, 87 jumping, 84 change of direction, and 85 hit power. He’s only 64 overall, but he’s suitable for a special teams role until the Jets are able to work on his tackling (69) and coverage ability.
7.4 – Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
Alexander Johnson is the current starting left outside linebacker for the Jets. Johnson is older and he’s on a one year deal. Johnson was with the Jets last season and had 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in his limited playing time. He is the perfect mentor for Eichenberg who will sit behind him for majority of his rookie season barring injury. Eichenberg was an athlete in college, he won the national championship, and he was an All-American. The Jets believe they can turn this seventh round selection into a future starter next season.
