The New York Jets’ future WR1 might already be on the roster Many are clamoring for the New York Jets to get a WR1, but they may already have that player on their roster. Elijah Moore could be the New York Jets’ long-term WR1 There has been a lot of discussion regarding the New York Jets needing to add an elite wide receiver to help quarterback Zach Wilson. With free agency in its second wave, the Jets still have not added a new wide receiver to the roster. It was painful for Jets fans to watch Amari Cooper and Robert Woods both get traded for Day 3 draft picks. In a crucial season for Wilson, the wide receiver room currently consists of five receivers, none of whom had over 550 receiving yards in 2021. So why does general manager Joe Douglas feel comfortable with the current roster? Is it because of the several talented prospects in the draft? Do the Jets feel good with their improvements at tight end? Both are possible, but I think the answer is simple: the Jets’ coaching staff and front office are confident they already have a WR1 in their second-round pick from last year’s draft. Elijah Moore’s strong finish When wide receiver Elijah Moore‘s rookie season ended in Week 14, it was a huge blow to the offense. The loss hurt not only because Wilson had just returned, but also due to the dominant run Moore was on. In the six games before his injury, Moore was legitimately a top 5-10 wide receiver in the NFL. In the 2020 college football season, Moore ranked second-best among qualified FBS wide receivers in both receiving yards per game on deep passes (61.3) and receiving yards per game on intermediate passes (43.3). He continued this two-way prowess in the NFL. From Weeks 8-13, Moore ranked fifth in both deep receiving yards (166) and intermediate receiving yards (207). The only other receiver to rank top 5 in both areas over that span was Justin Jefferson. Patience is key for young receivers Saying Moore struggled to get going over his first five games would be an understatement. Moore had a dismal 4.0 passer rating when targeted and tied Denzel Mims in receiving yards with 79 despite getting 21 more targets. However, as I have already gone into above, he made a significant turnaround. Once Moore found his groove, along with getting some better usage and quarterback play, he was one of the best receivers in the NFL. It’s common for rookie receivers to start slow as I went into more detail in this article. Even top wide receivers need time to adjust to the NFL. Many take at least a year or two. In 2020, Justin Jefferson was the lone rookie to break 1,000 yards. However, in year two, he was joined by four other receivers from his draft class, three of which were taken outside the first round. It’s not unreasonable to expect Moore to make a similar leap. What to expect from Elijah Moore in 2022 In a perfect world, Moore would pick up where he left off and be a top 10 wide receiver in the NFL. However, it’s asking a lot of Moore to have 96 catches, 1,300 yards, and 14 touchdowns (the 17-game pace he was on from Weeks 8-13), especially considering these numbers would rank second, third, and tied for first in the Jets’ single-season records, respectively. A more reasonable breakout season would feature over 75 receptions, 1,000 yards, and six touchdowns. This would establish him as a top 25 wide receiver and represent a similar leap to last year’s breakout players. The Jets may not have signed Allen Robinson or traded for Amari Cooper, but Elijah Moore is capable of being better than both.
I'm here for the Moore hype but having him on the roster should not make us feel like the WR room is set. Give Wilson as many weapons as we can.
Yeah - we've been so deprived of legitimate weapons on offense for so long that we should be careful not to think we're all set just because we seem to have finally gotten a good one. We need another tier 1 WR at bare minimum and more likely a better TE1 on top of it.
You make some good arguments for why we may want to look at Elijah that way. But in terms of JD/Saleh, how should we interpret the fact that they are going all in to sign Hill/Metcalf/Brown? If they felt Moore was in that league, would they be looking so hard to sign one of those guys? Here's my take. I would love to see JD use his draft capital to get two more top-tier receivers. If KT is available at 4, take him, but imagine if JD then (a) used #10 to get Garrett Wilson, and (b) used #35, #69, and a later pick to trade up to #15 or #16 or so and draft Jameson Williams/London/Burks or whomever is the best WR on the board at 15. Our WR room would include Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, and Jameson Williams. Will any of those guys ever be another Tyreke Hill or DJ Metcalf? Don't know, don't care. We would be on our way to the best WR room in the league once those guys have had a year or two to develop. And we would still have #38 left to use on a safety.
So, who wrote it? And why should anyone care about their opinion? Just because someone has a place to write, Tweet or put up a video doesn't mean that their opinion is any more valid than your own.
Stefan Stelling wrote it. He is an analytics writer for Jets X-Factor. I can't answer your other question.
If the Jets felt comfortable with their WR group why did they kick the tires on Ridley, Cooper, and make an actual offer for Hill? They're not. I love Elijah Moore and think he's going to be a productive WR for the Jets, but this WR group is not finished. They still need to add another high end talent like an AJ Brown or DK Metcalf via trade or Garrett Wilson at #10 (who won't be there ), as well as another depth piece.
I agree with this. I also agree that Moore is without a doubt a possible #1 WR in the NFL. I think he's got that kind of talent, skill, and mentality. Hopefully the Jets find a #1 in this upcoming draft and Moore becomes the #1 I believe he can be. Imagine going from the drek we've had the past few years to TWO young studs at WR in just a few months?
Rebuilding teams cannot afford to trade up two years in a row! They need MORE picks, not less. JD can get two excellent WR prospects in this draft without trading up.
I like this general sentiment to be aggressive in pursuing weapons on offense but we're too devoid of talent to be trading up. If anything it's looking like we should trade down from #4 to a later pick in the top 10 if possible. That'd give us a real chance to get both a tier 1 pass rusher and two tier 1 WR's.
I think the whole idea of "#1 wide receiver" is over exaggerated. Looking at the WR corp as a whole matters more. Most WR that are considered #1 almost always have a very good WR playing with them.
Thanks for filling in the information that should have been part of the original post. I am not impressed.
If they're going to go with Zach Wilson the Jets always need to have a WR on the field who presents real coverage problems down the field. Elijah Moore is one of those guys but he is just one guy and the Jets are not guaranteed to have him on the field all season. They need at a minimum another Elijah Moore on the roster to present the effect that might help Zach Wilson succeed. Ideally they have a receiver on each side of the field that presents deep coverage problems for the opponent. That's Zach's strength and if the Jets can't support that there is no reason to play Zach Wilson.
