Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of a press conference.
There has been palpable buzz coming out of the NFL Combine that Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is a legitimate option for the New York Jets with the No. 10 overall pick of April’s draft.
An anonymous NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic that if the Jets took Bowers in the first round it would be a massive mistake.
“When you are picking in the top 10 and you need offensive line help and you take a tight end, that is malpractice,” the exec explained to Sando in a column posted on Wednesday, March 6. “You can’t do that. That is just ridiculous.”
The Jets Have Dipped Their Toe in the Premium TE Waters Before
In the modern draft era (since 1970), the Jets have selected five tight ends in the first round:
- Dustin Keller, No. 30 overall, 2008
- Anthony Becht, No. 27 overall, 2000
- Kyle Brady, No. 9 overall, 1995
- Johnny Mitchell, No. 15 overall, 1992
- Jerome Barkum, No. 9 overall, 1972
If the Jets did it again it wouldn’t be their first rodeo. However considering the other needs on the team, specifically on offense, selecting a tight end on day one would be a tough sell.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller told Jets team reporter Eric Allen very bluntly why he wouldn’t be a fan of that selection.
“I don’t think he’s a unicorn because he’s probably going to be 6-foot-2, 230. To me, that’s not a unicorn,” Miller explained. “If you asked me to just name the five or six best football players in this draft, Brock Bowers is absolutely on that list. When you start to talk about the positional value and the history of tight ends in the first round.”
There has been some buzz coming out of the #NFLCombine connecting Georgia TE Brock Bowers to the #Jets, but ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller gave some blunt takes on why that might not be ideal.
‘I don’t think he’s a unicorn because he’s probably going to be 6-foot-2, 230. To me…
Miller then started comparing Bowers to some of the other tight ends that have gone in the first round over the years.
He said Kyle Pitts of the Atlanta Falcons “was 6-foot-4, 240 [pounds]. That is a different animal when you’re just talking about the ability. Brock is not going to be that type of mover [and] he’s not going to be that type of mismatch on the edge. Now he brings more in the blocking game obviously. I don’t think he is the athlete that Dalton Kincaid [of the Buffalo Bills] was last year who went late first round.”
Miller finished by saying, “I like Brock Bowers. He should be a top-15 pick. I don’t know if I could justify taking a tight end in the top 10. Not in today’s NFL.”
Free Agency Is Key to Unlocking BPA Approach for Jets in the Draft
The No. 1 need for the Jets heading into the offseason is fixing the offensive line. Ahead of free agency, Gang Green needs three new starters and depth.
If a gun were held to my head to predict what will happen with the No. 10 overall pick in the first week of March it would be an offensive tackle.
The good news is the actual first round of the 2024 NFL draft isn’t until April 25. That means there is plenty of time to change that possibility.
For the Jets that starts with free agency.
One move that could help increase the flexibility with that first-round draft choice is by signing Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tyron Smith.
“There are some old veterans that might be able to be brought in for the right kind of money, it wouldn’t be cheap, but doable,” Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus explained. “Tyron Smith on the field is still one of the top five offensive tackles in the NFL. The guy is a superstar. Now you probably have to budget in the idea that you’re going to miss a few games from him. He’s going to get hurt at some point & miss a few games.”
.@PFF_Sam told @eallenjets that he thinks there is a ‘good group’ of offensive line free agents that are going to be available on the open market.
One guy he mentioned as a potential #Jets target that he doesn’t expect to ‘break the bank’ is #DallasCowboys OT Tyron Smith:…
The Jets don’t have a left tackle on the roster if you don’t include Alijah Vera-Tucker. There are only two top left tackles in the draft (Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu), the rest of them are considered right tackles.
If the Jets don’t want to be caught with their pants down, then signing a proven guy like Smith could put them in the best position on draft day.