Getty A group of New York Jets players battling against the Chicago Bears during an NFL game.
The New York Jets might have to get aggressive in April’s draft to acquire players that they covet.
That is exactly what Brad Spielberger of PFF recently projected in an article about first-round trades “we want to see” in 2023.
New York Jets receive: a 2023 first-round pick (No. 9 overall) and a 2023 second-round pick (No. 61 overall)
Chicago Bears receive: a 2023 first-round pick (No. 13 overall) and a 2023 second-round pick (No. 43 overall)
Should the Jets trade up for Jalen Carter? 👀
(Projected trade via @PFF_Brad)
Spielberger projected this trade with the thought in mind that the Jets could be moving up to select Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Jets GM Joe Douglas Can Steal a Top Talent Away From the Eagles
In this projected trade, Spielberger said the Jets can leapfrog the Philadelphia Eagles to land one of the premium talents in April’s draft.
Philly just lost one of its best players in Javon Hargrave during free agency. He signed a record-breaking $84 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Eagles hold the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of April’s draft and Spielberger believes they’re interested in Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
“Philadelphia already brought Carter in for a pre-draft visit, and the team traded up in the first round last year to take his Georgia teammate in nose tackle Jordan Davis. Jets general manager Joe Douglas was the Eagles’ vice president of player personnel from 2016-2019, so he knows as well as anyone how much Philadelphia values its defensive line.
When the Jets finally pull off their blockbuster acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, they have what appears to be, at best, a two-year window to contend. While this may not necessarily be the best long-term approach to roster construction, especially given Carter’s off-field issues, landing arguably the top talent in the entire class is how they can truly maximize the next two seasons.”
Spielberger said it might seem crazy for the Jets to pull off a move like this considering they’re about to sign Quinnen Williams to a “massive extension” but he argued that is “part of the idea here.”
Evaluating All of the Details of a Potential Jets-Bears Draft Trade
According to the NFL draft value chart, the Jets actually would be getting a discount for making this trade up with the Bears.
Essentially the deal is all about pick swaps in the first and second rounds respectively.
The Bears’ No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks are worth 1,642 points. While the Jets’ No. 13 and No. 43 overall picks are worth 1,620 points.
Even though the Jets would be dropping a lot further in the second round versus how high they’d be moving up in the first. The first round is king and former NFL general manager Randy Mueller believes this year’s draft class lacks quality and depth.
If that’s true then it behooves the Jets to go for a quality-over-quantity approach.
Carter is widely considered one of, if not the best talents in this 2023 draft class. However, there are a lot of red flags with him that could cause some teams to think twice about drafting him.
The former Georgia prospect showed up “nine pounds overweight” and couldn’t finish the positional drills at his Pro Day according to Mark Schlabach.
On a much more serious note, Carter’s draft stock has taken a hit with some legal issues.
Every NFL team including the Jets will have to vet this properly before they’re comfortable potentially pulling the trigger on the young man during April’s draft.