Jets should trade up in 2024 NFL draft, analyst says

Tyler Greenawalt

Jets should trade up in 2024 NFL draft, analyst says image

The Jets are all-in for 2024.

It's why they've gambled on two injury-prone players at key positions like offensive tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams and added an aging edger usher in Haason Reddick instead of paying for the younger Bryce Huff. These moves are all with the hopes that Year 2 of the Aaron Rodgers experiment is better than Year 1.

The Jets also have the No. 10 overall pick, which puts them in an enviable position to either trade up, trade back or grab the best player available with their draft spot. However, ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes the Jets should continue to push all their chips into the middle of the table now and grab a high-impact player earlier in the draft.

"If the Jets traded up for Alt, for example, they could install him at right tackle and have Moses in the swing tackle role, where he would be valuable depth for a team that started 13 different offensive linemen a year ago," Barnwell wrote. "A move for Nabers or Odunze would give Williams time to recover from his torn left ACL and build a dynamic one-two punch with Garrett Wilson, which would make life easier for the guy who ends up replacing Rodgers, too. The fact the Jets kept their 2025 second-rounder and instead traded a 2026 pick to the Eagles for edge rusher Haason Reddick makes me think they're considering using that 2025 selection to help move up this year."

This would be a very bold move considering the Jets don't have a second-round pick in 2024 after the Rodgers trade. A move to get the best tackle or one of the top three receivers could be costly. But none of that matters to the Jets if they're thinking about their current Super Bowl window with 40-year-old Rodgers.

The best thing going for New York is that there are a lot of quarterback-needy teams looking to move up ahead of the Jets. That should, in theory, push positions like wide receiver and tackle back toward the Jets' No. 10 selection. If that happens, the trade-up cost would be a lot less for someone like Alt, Nabers or Odunze than it would be if New York tried to trade up for a quarterback.

It's a risky move for sure, but one the Jets can afford to take with their current situation and timetable.

Tyler Greenawalt

Tyler Greenawalt Photo

 

Tyler Greenawalt is a contributing writer for The Sporting News after stops at Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports and Turner Sports. He’s worked in written, video, social media and augmented reality content since he graduated from Syracuse University in 2014. His favorite teams – the New York Jets, Orlando Magic and Tottenham Hotspur – always find new and exciting ways to disappoint him, and he consistently questions his fandom. You can follow his bad sports takes at @TyGreen14 on X.