2018 NFL Draft: New York Jets 7-round mock draft in November

2018 NFL Draft: New York Jets 7-round mock draft in November
by Michael Pallas

Link

https://nflspinzone.com/2017/11/11/nfl-draft-2018-new-york-jets-7-round-mock-draft-november/

Say what you will about the 2018 NFL Draft, it’s not the year of the quarterback everyone is making it out to be, especially for the New York Jets.
At the beginning of 2017, it was a three-horse race in the 2018 NFL Draft. Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, and Josh Allen headed everyone’s list as the top three quarterbacks. Allen is sliding. Darnold has had an up and down season, and Rosen is steady.


The New York Jets enter the 2018 offseason with a lot of holes, and it’s not a very deep free agent class at many positions of need. Many people are focused on the quarterback position, but they have a lot of needs to fill. They need edge rusher, cornerback, running back, and quarterback in 2018.

Regardless of what you think, the Jets are still one more season of building away from becoming a true playoff contender. They’re young and hungry, but they still need to learn.

Jets fans just need to trust the process. They need to be patient and let Mike Maccagnan and (hopefully) Todd Bowles develop this team into a viable annual contender. It will take time, and 2018 is just another year in what will be the building blocks of something Jets fans can be proud of.

Round 1: Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State (Junior 6'2" 198 lbs)
Round 2 (first pick): Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson (Sophmore 6'5" 260 lbs)
Round 2 (second pick): Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame (Junior 6'2" 225 lbs)
Round 3: Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn (Sophmore 6'3" 214 lbs)
Round 4: Jerry Tillery, NT, Notre Dame (Junior 6'6" 317 lbs)
Round 6: Dimitri Flowers, FB, Oklahoma (Senior 6'2" 247 lbs)
Round 7: Drue Tranquill, S/LB, Notre Dame (Senior 6'2" 231 llbs)

 

Round 1: Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State



The way Morris Claiborne is playing, the Jets should re-sign him to a new deal. With that said, the opposite is happening with Buster Skrine. Skrine is have a roller coaster season. That combined with the $6 million cap savings and only a $2.5 million cap penalty for cutting him, may lead to his release.

The Jets will need another corner in that case. Tarvauis McFadden is a true shutdown corner that Skrine isn’t. McFadden doesn’t have the turnover numbers in 2017 that he did in 2018, but that’s ok. He’s a physical corner who’s plays bump-and-run as good as anyone, and he can go get the football when people are foolish enough to go after him. He also plays zone coverage very well. He’s also added punt return duties in 2017, which only adds to his draft stock.

The Jets will need another cornerback who can cover, especially if they’re going to be more aggressive in the pass rush. McFadden can fill that need and then some. The Jets would have two shutdown corners and be able to be as aggressive as they want to be up front with McFadden on one said and Claiborne on the other.

 

Round 2 (first pick): Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson



Tony Romo made an astute observation during the broadcast. He pointed out that it’s not necessarily the defensive line’s fault for the lack of sacks, but the edge rushers, because the linemen are getting double-teamed, and linebackers getting home would open more one-on-one situations for the linemen.

That means the Jets need better edge rushers to set the edge. Maybe it’s just Jordan Jenkins getting used to the NFL, or maybe having someone else on the other side would help Jenkins. Ferrell is that guy.

Ferrell is a unique talent who can play the run, rush the quarterback, or play the pass. He has three pass deflections, 12.5 sacks, and 25 tackles for loss so far in his career at Clemson. The best part of Ferrell’s game is his ability against mobile quarterbacks.

He’s done well at keeping contain on mobile quarterbacks and stopping them for limited gains when they do escape the pocket. He sets the edge and gives the defensive linemen a chance to do their thing. That’s something the Jets need, and the combination of Ferrell and Jenkins could be a match that allows Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson to become the force they should be.

 

Round 2 (second pick): Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame



With the exception of two games, against the Jaguars and Bills, the Jets running game has been below average in 2017. They’re averaging four yards per carry as a team, but no running back is averaging even 50 yards per game, and they only have the game with the Jaguars when they had a 100-yard rusher.

Adams is one of the best running backs in the draft. He’s going to fall to the second round, because he’s primarily used as a runner, and hasn’t caught many balls in his career at Notre Dame. 2017 has been his breakout season, as he has entered the Heisman Trophy race.

He’s not just a speed back, nor is he just a power back. He has a combination of speed and power that should land him in the first round, but he will probably also be deemed a one-year wonder. So far in 2017, as per the website 33trucking.com, he’s averaging 5.6 yard per carry after contact, 92 YAC yards per game, and has seven runs of 60+ yards.

The best part of the running style of Adams is a Le’Veon Bell-esque patience. He waits for the hole to open, and explodes through it. The addition of Adams to this team will ignite the offense to heights it hasn’t seen since the days of Curtis Martin.

 

Round 3: Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn



Stidham looked good at Baylor, but a lot of quarterbacks look good at Baylor. That system is designed to get the ball out with one read. He had a 6-1 TD-INT radio at Baylor in limited action, but what he’s showing at Auburn is that he’s not a “system quarterback.”

Even though his accuracy has gone down, partly due to more throws, he’s still above 65 percent. The fact that he completed more than 65 percent of his throws at Baylor and now the same at Auburn proved it wasn’t just Baylor’s system, which typically produces high completion percentages, even on the deep balls. He’s showing he can play the position.

He has all the traits scouts look for. He’s got a strong arm, good size (6-3, 210 pounds.), and he can attack the defense on all three levels. He has enough athleticism to make it at the next level, and he’s not a run-first quarterback.

The only knock on Stidham would be his lack of playing time. He’s only had 11 starts (18 games played) in college, and that’s not really enough of a sample size. If he Jets decide their guy, though, he could essentially redshirt 2018 while the Jets are developing the pieces around him and step in when the 2019 season begins.

 

Round 4: Jerry Tillery, NT, Notre Dame



The Jets run a 3-4 base defense. In a 3-4 defense the most important player in the nose tackle. The nose tackle eats up blockers and allows the linebackers to get to the runner or the defensive ends to get to the quarterback.

Tillery is actually a unique player, because at Notre Dame, he’s playing nose tackle in a 4-3 defense. So, he’s used to making tackles behind the line of scrimmage, getting sacks, and being a disruptive force. He’s not a typical nose tackle in the sense that he’s not just a space eater. He has a rare combination of strength and athleticism, and that will help the front seven immensely.

Offensive lines will have two options when it comes to Tillery. They can double team him and hope the linebackers don’t get home, or they can play him one-on-one with the center and hope the center doesn’t get beat. Don’t let the 310-pound frame fool you into thinking he can’t handle centers one-on-one. Even though most nose tackles are bigger, Tillery can handle his business.

 

Round 6: Dimitri Flowers, FB, Oklahoma



Many people like to talk about the many quarterbacks the Jets have played over the years. With that said, recently, the fullback position has been a revolving door as well. Back in the days of Curtis Martin, when Martin dotted the I (as is commonly said about the running back in the I-formation), his fullback was Jerald Sowell.

A consistent presence of a fullback is key to success in the running game. If a team doesn’t choose to run 12 personnel a lot, and use I-formation instead, then having the same fullback is important. Having the same fullback allows the running back and fullback to work together in tandem and know each other’s tendencies.

Flowers gives the Jets multiplicity, and that’s key in a late round pick. He’s a great lead blocker for the running game. He’s a solid runner himself, if you want to use him in short yardage situations. He’s a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, and with his ability to tackle, he can give the team help on the special teams unit, which is always a plus.

Drafting Flowers would give the Jets a solid player for years to come. He can provide stability to a position that hasn’t been stable for over a decade.

 

Round 7: Drue Tranquill, S/LB, Notre Dame



Tranquill is in the same position that Jabrill Peppers was in last year. The Fighting Irish have used him at safety and linebacker, and in 2017 mostly at linebacker. He’s a little undersized to play linebacker at the NFL level. So, a move back to safety would probably be prudent.

Drafting Tranquill does the same thing that drafting Flowers does for their offense. It provides the defense with more flexibility. Tranquil would be a good guy to have on special teams and in a situational role at safety.

In obvious passing situations, now the Jets don’t have to rely on slot corner help, because they have a safety in Jamal Adams who can line up one-on-one against the slot, and they can have Tranquill and Maye lineup at safety. If teams decide to split out a tight end, instead of having a slot corner on him, they can use Adams against him and still have three safeties on the field in case of the run.

 

If we sign Cousins, a couple offensive lineman, a wide receiver and maybe a CB in free agency this draft could make the Jets a very dangerous team.