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This time of year, NFL analysts release mock drafts daily and for New York Jets fans, draft speculation started in November — maybe sooner.
More often than not, these mocks are nothing more than educated guesses but there are a few names within the industry that garner more attention than others. One is NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah, who released his second mock of the offseason on February 22.
This article is not intended to recap Jeremiah’s latest prediction though, it’s intended to point out one glaring trend — the recent fall of edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
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Thibodeaux Labeled ‘True Wild Card’ of Draft
A year ago, it felt like the explosive pass rusher out of Oregon was a lock for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Then came Aidan Hutchinson and a few red flags and all of a sudden, Thibodeaux stock has been freefalling around the league.
Jeremiah’s mock was the latest example of that. The well-connected insider dropped the Oregon product to No. 8 in the order, which means both the Jets and Giants would have to pass on Thibodeaux three different times.
“Thibodeaux is a true wild card in this draft,” Jeremiah stated after sending him to the Atlanta Falcons. “I could see him going anywhere from No. 2 overall to outside of the top 10. Atlanta has a HUGE need for pass-rush help.”
I’ll repeat — “outside of the top 10” — what a bombshell!
Of course, Jeremiah noted that he may still get drafted by the Detroit Lions at two but at this point, everything is on the table for the polarizing talent. Dare I say, the Jets may even have a shot at him with their second first-rounder based on this news.
Gang Green selected offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu at No. 4 and cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner at No. 10 in this mock draft.
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Fans Jump on Thibodeaux News
Jets fans quickly reacted to this shocking development. One named Glenn Naughton wrote: “Acceptable, but edge or trade down from 10 would be better. Passing [on] Thibs? Hmmm….”
Joe Caporoso of the “Badlands” podcast and Turn On the Jets dot com gave his take as well: “Ekwonu starting to become the closest I’ve seen to the consensus pick for Jets at #4 (not far and away but feel like it is becoming most common/expected path)…all that being said, I’d still think they’d go [Thibodeaux] if on board at #4 pending what happens in FA/trade market.”
This prompted a trade scenario for pick No. 10. A fan commented: “I could see them trading up from 10 for Thibs if it fell like that.”
Another Jets supporter responded, going in a different direction. “Jets need to take edge at 4. Travon Walker is the real deal. Jermaine Johnson is worthy of pick 4 idc idc.”
Andrew Golden of Jets X-Factor noted that the Carolina Panthers’ selection was the biggest surprise of all. “Trevor Penning over Kayvon Thibodeaux sure is something,” he tweeted.
Finally, there was some wishful thinking from Michael Meegan of Turn On the Jets. “This [Thibodeaux] slide gonna end with the Jets getting Ekwonu at 4 and Thibs at 10,” he wrote.
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