Back in July, the New York Jets made a decision to part ways in trade disgruntled safety Jamal Adams. In the trade, they sent Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick to the Seahawks for Bradley McDougald, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick. The New York Jets currently sit at the bottom of the NFL with an 0-6 record and are in line to get the first overall pick. If all the cards align, the Jets will likely select quarterback Trevor Lawrence from Clemson despite the fact that they have Sam Darnold already and he has not had sufficient time to fully develop and show his potential.
After selecting Lawrence, the Jets have one more first-round pick. That looks to be the 31st pick as things stand right now. They also have the first pick of the second round, 33, and can add even more at that point. Here are a few players the Jets may be interested in that would be available at 31.
Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
The New York Jets currently are fairly thin at the cornerback position and would benefit from a boost. Adebo stands at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds, a very versatile size, and has been fairly decent since becoming a factor as a sophomore in 2018. Over the last two seasons, he has played in 22 games, recording eight interceptions, 69 solo tackles, 28 assisted tackles, and 27 pass deflections, as well as a forced fumble. The Stanford star was a first-team All-PAC-12 selection as a sophomore and a junior and opted out of the 2020 season to focus on the draft. Stanford head coach David Shaw had some high praise for his cornerback:
“Paulson has everything NFL scouts are looking for in a corner. He has great speed, long arms, great instincts, and the ball skills of a wide receiver. Most importantly he is mentally and physically tough, extremely competitive, and has a high football IQ. He will make a significant impact early in his NFL career”. The Jets would pair Paulson with Quincy Wilson. Lamar Jackson and Blessuan Austin, as well as Pierre Desir and Brian Poole are free agents after the season.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
Darnold has not had many weapons in his career. Denzel Mims was just selected by the Jets at 59th and will look to become a nice piece. If the Jets draft Lawerence to replace Darnold, they ought not to make the same mistake that they made with Darnold. They need weapons and they can get that with Bateman. Bateman initially was opting out of the season before deciding to opt back in and that has proven to be a good decision.
Minnesota will play its first game on October 24 and Bateman will look to show why scouts gave him praise like this. Tom Luginbill of ESPN raved about what he saw in Bateman. ”He reminds me of Keenan Allen. He is one of those guys when his feet leave the ground, he can adjust to errant throws. The quarterback does not have to be perfect with him. He gives Tanner Morgan a lot of confidence. Even if he is not open, he is really open”. Another ESPN analyst Ron Gilmore said the following:
“He has all the skills that you want in a wide receiver. You can really start right off the bat by looking at his ability to run routes. He can make guys miss and has an explosive first step. I don’t know how fast he is. He may not be a 4.4 or 4.3-speed burner, but he runs well enough”.
The Jets would be very fortunate to get a player of his caliber at 31. Pairing him with Mims would form a very formidable receiving corps.
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
What would be better to pair with Lawerence than his former teammate and running back from his whole career? Etienne stands at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds making him a sneaky fast and strong back. The Clemson star is the best running back in a thin class and would be an instant starter in the NFL. As a freshman in 2017, he rushed for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns. Following the fabulous freshman showing, he had a historic sophomore campaign, rushing for 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns. A truly remarkable season.
As a junior, he took a slight step back, rushing for 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns. In his 46 career games prior to the 2020 season, he has accumulated 4,281 yards, and his 65 career touchdowns are the most in school history for a non-quarterback and most yards in school history. So far in five games as a senior, the Clemson legend has five rushing touchdowns, on 67 attempts, and 436 yards.
That’s not the full story.
Etienne has become one of the great dual threats in college football, receiving a touchdown on 19 attempts for 274 yards. The Jets are looking for a replacement for Le’Veon Bell after releasing him and rookie La’Mical Perine has yet to show his talent that he exhibited for the Gators. New York would be lucky to have the college football legend fall into their lap.
The New York Jets have many needs to help their disgruntled roster but with the first pick, another first-round pick, and another three in the top 100, they are primed to help remodel their franchise.
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