At this time of year, you always have to take things with a grain of salt.
In the NFL we call this lying season, with that in mind, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas had some very interesting things to say at the podium of the NFL Combine.
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The Phone Lines Are Open
Douglas was asked during his open availability with the media about the possibility of trading down in the 2022 NFL draft:
“Yeah look we are always open for business. I think in the last two drafts I have had experience going down and coming up. We are going to look at every opportunity as it comes. If there is an opportunity to trade back and accumulate more assets and still be in target range to get the players we are excited about, of course, we are going to consider that.”
#Jets GM Joe Douglas says ‘we are always open for business’ to @Connor_J_Hughes question about trading in #NFLDraft. ‘If there’s an opportunity to trade back & accumulate more assets & still be in target range to get players we’re excited about of course we will consider that.’
Ah isn’t that the dream?
To be able to trade back, pick up some more picks, and still get the guy you wanted anyway.
After reading the tea leaves, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY said ideally Douglas would like to drop back “four or five or six spots” still get a really good player, and accumulate an extra first-rounder for next year.
Vacchiano also mentioned on the SNY NFL combine special that there are several players that could make sense if the Jets trade back a few spots from 10.
He mentioned the second-tier pass rushers after Kayvon Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson. Plus Vacchiano said the wide receivers are super interesting.
Without a consensus top guy, there is a real chance all of them could be on the board at the No. 10 overall spot. The Jets in theory could drop back to 15, pick up some key assets, and still take a really talented player there.
As we know, it takes two to tango. So who could be some of the teams interested in a potential trade-up?
Connor Hughes of The Athletic mentioned three possible teams that could make sense in no particular order: Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New Orleans Saints.
What Could Those Trade Packages Look Like?
The Jets’ No. 10 overall pick is worth 1,300 points according to the NFL draft value chart. So that means any team looking to move up would at the very least have to match that, if not overpay slightly.
Here is what a potential package could look like from those three teams mentioned previously:
Pittsburgh Steelers: No. 20 overall (850 points), No. 52 overall (380 points), and a 2023 second-rounder (420 points)
New Orleans Saints: No. 18 overall (900 points), No. 119 overall (56 points), and a 2023 first-rounder (1,000 points)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: No. 27 overall (680 points), No. 59 overall (310 points), 2023 first-rounder (1,000 points)
These wouldn’t be picture-perfect deals and you’d probably be dropping a little bit further than originally intended. Although the lower you drop, the more assets you get in return.
Each of these teams has some level of uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into free agency and the 2022 NFL draft.
The No. 1 thing Jets fans should be rooting for at the NFL combine and really throughout the draft process is quarterbacks shooting up the board. If that happens their pair of first-round picks will only grow in value which would be great news.
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3 Teams Mentioned as Possible Trade Suitors for Jets in Draft: Report