With the Rams/Chiefs 54-51 scorefest in the books, I think it's time to praise the Jets' decision to keep an unimaginative, defensive coach in power and draft a franchise QB while giving him absolutely no one useful around him. Aside from Darnold, is there any Jets offensive player that projects to be around in 3 years? Maybe Robbie Anderson? One of the OL? Certainly no RBs. Herndon seems to be doing OK. So 2 or 3 players.
Back in last year's thread, I offered free of charge my plan for what'd I'd do if I were the Jets GM before the 2017 draft. I can't find it easily, but here was the gist:
- If you don't like anyone in the 2017 draft's QB class (laughable in hindsight, but reasonable at the time), trade back and into the future as much as possible. Buffalo's tradeback for Mahomes got them an extra 2018 1st rounder and a 2017 3rd rounder.
- Draft mostly non-QB offensive players to lay the foundation for the presumed 2018 1st round pick. There was no offensive unit that didn't need better players.
- Let the Jets defense be terrible in 2017.
- Josh McNown placeholder QB in 2017 was fine. Let him mentor the young offensive unit in prep for the the 2018 draftee.
- 2018 draft one of the QBs, trading up as necessary to get Darnold, Rosen, or Mayfield. As it turns out, Rosen would have been available for relatively cheap.
- Use the rest of the 2018 draft on defensive help mostly, and any remaining offensive weak spots.
Using my plan would have gotten you probably LT Ryan Ramczek or TE David Njoku at the end of Round 1, and RB Dalvin Cook or RB Joe Mixon in Round 2. That's just taking consensus picks in the area where they were projected. I claim no special hindsight draftnik knowledge or else I would have said to take Mahomes or Watson and Kareem Hunt and George Kittle. Similarly, I can't claim I'd avoid busts like the two WRs taken in 2017 who are now out of the league. But I'd at least take 5 or 6 offensive players to build the offensive structure to give the 2018 QB a better foundation. I definitely would have taken at least 3 OL combined in the last two drafts.
Even if the offense were to improve in 2017, I'd be counting on the defense being terrible to get a top 10 pick, or else to have to trade up to get one of the top 3 QBs. As it happens, I probably would have wound up with Rosen after a trade up.
With all that, which team do you think is better off? It'd basically be a trade of Darnold, Adams and Maye for Rosen, Ramczek, Dalvin Cook or Mixon and a few extra picks scattered around 2018.
