Three potential 2024 NFL Draft targets for Jets

After entering 2023 with Super Bowl aspirations, the New York Jets (4-8) have seen their season spiral out of control. As much as the on-field results have been frustrating, one silver lining to four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers's Achilles injury is that the Jets will retain the rights to their 2024 first-round pick. 

With that in mind, it's an opportune time to examine a few potential prospects who could be available when New York is on the clock next April. According to Tankathon, the Jets are projected to pick sixth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here are three targets they may want to consider selecting. 

Brock Bowers, Georgia tight end 

Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 240 pounds

Rodgers’s return will undoubtedly elevate the Jets offense, but as a unit that has scored just 10 touchdowns this season, better playmakers are needed across the entire offense. Assuming the Jets select sixth overall, they'll likely miss out on Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., and if they opt against taking the second-best wideout in the class, Bowers would be a solid addition.

The two-time national champion established himself as a key component of the Bulldogs offense immediately upon arriving on campus and will leave Athens as one of the most decorated tight ends in college football history. Despite an ankle injury limiting his production and forcing him to miss two games, Bowers still led Georgia in receptions (56), receiving yards (714) and touchdowns (six).

When healthy, Bowers can take over a game as a receiver in a similar way to Kansas City's Travis Kelce or San Francisco's George Kittle. Back in October, Bowers posted his 10th career game with at least 100 receiving yards and one touchdown, the most by a tight end this century, per CBS Sports research (h/t 247Sports). 

Jayden Daniels, LSU quarterback 

Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 210 pounds

While drafting players who can immediately contribute to the 2024 Jets would be a good use of a first-round pick, it's impossible to deny the benefits selecting a quarterback could offer. Rodgers is 40 years old, and there's no telling how he'll perform following his Achilles injury, which is especially concerning since he had a disappointing 2022 season with the Green Bay Packers. Nonetheless, if Rodgers rebounds, the opportunity to draft a top quarterback prospect won't come along for some time, but the need will still exist.

Although New York probably won't be in a position to land USC's Caleb Williams or UNC's Drake Maye, Daniels is an intriguing quarterback prospect with high upside. The dynamic LSU signal-caller is the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy (-1200) after entering the season with little buzz surrounding him as a player and draft prospect. In 12 games, Daniels amassed 4,946 total yards of offense and 50 touchdowns, breaking numerous school, SEC and FBS records in the process. 

Considering Daniels burst onto the scene late in his collegiate career, his best football is probably yet to come, and spending time learning behind Rodgers would be ideal in preparing him for his eventual starting role.

Olu Fashanu, Penn State offensive tackle

Height: 6-foot-6 Weight: 319 pounds

The Jets are no strangers to poor offensive line play, and this season has been no different, as the unit has allowed 51 sacks, the third-most in the NFL. Injuries have been a factor in the O-line's ineffectiveness and have led the Jets to start three different players at left tackle this season. Upgrading at the left tackle position could be the best move New York can make to improve its short-term outlook, though selecting Fashanu would also prove to be a worthwhile long-term investment.

Fashanu, a 22-game starter at left tackle for the Nittany Lions, is widely regarded to be the top offensive lineman in his draft class. While he doesn't have as much experience as other prospects, it's easy to understand why since Fashanu has never given up a sack in his career and has only allowed 17 total pressures. The Penn State standout is Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN's No. 7 overall prospect, and the draft guru believes Fashanu could earn "an Orlando Pace-type grade heading into next year's draft."

"[Fashanu] could have been a top-10 pick in [the 2023] draft, challenging Paris Johnson Jr. to be the top tackle off the board," Kiper wrote last week. "In any other class -- a class without Williams and Harrison -- he'd be the easy pick as the No. 1 overall prospect. That's what kind of talent he has. Fashanu has the size, footwork and physical traits teams wanted in a high-end left tackle."