Jets Heading Toward 'Dream Come True' Draft Scenario?

Last year, the New York Jets traded star defenders Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner to the Cowboys and Colts respectively. At that point, even the most optimistic fan could not have imagined what is now unfolding. The pipe dream of landing a franchise quarterback and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was just that, right?

How realistic would that be?  Even with three first round picks?  How likely was it that the Jets would land the top two picks?  Or even two of the top three?  It may have seemed impossible then, but it certainly doesn’t now.

Just a couple of weeks ago with the Dolphins and Raiders coming up on the Jets schedule, it felt like Gang Green had a decent shot to get to 4-4.  From there, could some momentum carry them to six or seven wins on the year?  We wondered aloud right here, but as we know, things can change fast in the NFL.

First, those potential wins turned out to be losses.  So instead of 4-4, the Jets sit at 2-6.   With the Chiefs and Bills up next, a 2-8 start is all but locked in.  From that point on, would anyone be surprised if the Jets finish the season with no more than 3 victories?  Then there’s the story of the Indianapolis Colts.

Indy included their 2027 first round pick in the Gardner deal.  They might be the worst team in the NFL right now.  In the midst of a fire sale that could see more premium talent exported, they have a very real chance to hand Gang Green the first pick in the draft.

Should that happen, both the Jets and Colts finish with 3 wins or less, GM Darren Mougey will be in better position to turn this team around than any GM in franchise history.  And while his picks outside of round 1 haven’t yielded much, he appears to have hit several home runs in the first round.  David Bailey, Omar Cooper Jr, Armand Membou and Kenyon Sadiq offer plenty of proof of that.

Of course there are other teams that may be seen as “in the running” to get the top pick in the Dolphins, Titans and Chargers.  But the Dolphins, despite dumping almost all of their top talent, have played some very good teams quite close while clobbering the Jets two weeks ago.  A few more wins for Miami may be in the cards.

Then of course there’s the winless Chargers who just have too much talent to stay atop the draft.  At some point, they’re going to play well enough to reel off a few wins.

We’ve got to wait a couple of months to find out, but when the time comes, if things break right for Gang Green, it’s going to be a very interesting draft season.