The New York Jets have had a great offseason and the added improvements give them much more flexibility with their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and that’s led to a lot of discussion as to what the Jets should do at No. 10.
Jets Have Multiple Draft Options In the First Round
The Jets have made quite a splash after a very silent beginning to the offseason. Fans were frustrated when the team let fan-favorite Bryce Huff walk to Philadelphia. New York later traded for Haason Reddick, who was on Philadelphia at the time. So, essentially, the moves combined to be Bryce Huff and a conditional third-round pick in 2026 (if Reddick plays 67.5% of the snaps for the Jets) for Haason Reddick.
The Jets traded their No. 112 and No. 228 picks to Baltimore for Morgan Moses. They also signed guard John Simpson and tackle Tyron Smith to round out the offensive line. Moses and Smith are coming off seasons with injuries — Smith missed games and Moses didn’t but had surgery after the season — and Simpson is a stable replacement for Laken Tomlinson.
They also signed Mike Williams. That signing gave the Jets the pure vertical threat the Jets lacked for an Aaron Rodgers-led offense. They re-signed kicker Greg Zuerlein and punter Thomas Morstead. This keeps most of the special teams specialists intact. Their only major loss there was Justin Hardee signing with Cleveland. However, the Jets hope that Irvin Charles can grow into the top specialist, in terms of kick and punt coverage.
Interior defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw will replace the departed Quinton Jefferson as the interior pass rush specialist, and Leki Fotu was added to beef up the interior specifically in run situations.
Joe Douglas has done a good on in filling in a lot of holes in free agency, which has given the Jets flexibility in Round 1. The Jets no longer need to draft a specific position to fill a need — an offseason that started with them needing to draft an offensive tackle.
As of right now, the Jets are Super Bowl contenders — on paper. That hasn’t been able to be said at any point in any offseason since 2008.
In the podcast episode below, we discuss which options the flexibility has given the Jets, and how New York should proceed in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Discussion points
- 0:33 – 1:49 What holes do the Jets still have to complete the roster?
- 1:50 – 7:02 Breaking down the third-best option at N0. 10 – drafting an offensive lineman
- 7:03 – 8:34 Breaking down why the Jets should decide to trade down, and what they should acquire for it
- 8:45 – 14:04 Why a playmaker at No. 10 is still the most crucial pick
About the Host
Michael Pallas: has been covering the New York Jets since 2015 for various outlets and in various formats. He’s a contributor for Last Word on NFL where he covers the Jets.
Main Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski – USA Today Sports
