The New York Jets seemingly are in a win-now mode with the moves they made during the offseason as well as having a returning Aaron Rodgers on the roster coming off a torn Achilles tendon. The team currently holds the 10th pick in the draft on Thursday night but there could be some more movement that is happening.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini is reporting that Jets general manager Joe Douglas is exploring the possibility of moving up in the 2024 NFL draft.
“It would be an even louder statement if they trade up for a playmaker. The Jets are exploring those options, league sources said. It would be the ultimate win-now move, giving up current (and perhaps future) draft capital to move up for a pass-catcher. Douglas is an aggressive GM, having traded up in the first round in two of his four draft. In those cases though, he had multiple first-round picks.” h/t Bleacher Report
This would be intriguing as they do not own their second-round pick as a result of the Aaron Rodgers trade but they could move some capital in order to jump a few spots. The New York Jets have been linked to Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers but this move signifies that they may be wanting one of the three wide receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers.
It takes two to tango so would a team with a pick above them be interested in moving back to the 10th pick or even fully out depending on the haul they could get back?
Which wide receiver should the New York Jets target if they trade up in the 2024 NFL draft?
The New York Jets have made strides in improving the offense during the offseason with the addition of wide receiver Mike Williams, offensive tackle Tyron Smith, left guard John Simpson, right tackle Morgan Moses and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. However, with the 10th pick, it is difficult to see the team moving up into the top three picks.
If the Jets could, moving up to four to take Marvin Harrison Jr. would be the best bet as they are not going to get the third pick from their division rival New England Patriots. With MHJ likely off the board before they could make a deal, Malik Nabers feels like the better fit for the Jets system.
Pairing Nabers with Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams on the outside would be an incredible offense. Nabers also has shown the ability to play in the slot so that would help the offense as well while being an elite deep threat with almost 1,000 yards from the slot position for the LSU Tigers last season.
If the New York Jets could land Malik Nabers, this team could be a serious threat in the AFC to compete with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs.