Perfect Jets 2024 NFL Draft plan: Bolster struggling O-line for Aaron Rodgers, add juice to pass-catching unit

The 2023 NFL season became the New York Jets' nightmare scenario just four offensive snaps into Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.

That's when Gang Green's anointed savior, Aaron Rodgers, tore his Achilles tendon, sending the Jets' plans to end the longest postseason drought in professional North American sports (MLB, NBA,NHL, NFL) into a tailspin. That streak was extended to 13 consecutive seasons (the Jets' last playoff appearance came in the 2010 season) after New York ended up starting four different quarterbacks, including Rodgers' one start, in their 7-10 campaign. The other three were the team's second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Zach Wilson (11 starts), longtime Rodgers' backup from Green Bay Tim Boyle (two starts) and journeyman Trevor Siemian (three starts).

Before the season started, the plan was for Wilson to learn for a few years under Rodgers and then take over, like Jordan Love has done with the Packers. However, Wilson's performance over the last three years is a far cry from what Love did in 2023, when he threw the second-most touchdown passes in the regular season (32) and helped lead his team to a playoff victory. 

Wilson's 57% completion percentage, 23-25 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 73.2 passer rating in the span of his NFL career since 2021 all rank dead last in the league among 38 qualified quarterbacks across the last three seasons. As a result of Wilson's poor play and the rotating door at the game's most important position, the Jets scored 18 offensive touchdowns on 2023, the fewest in the NFL. That total also ranks as the fewest since 2-14 Kansas City Chiefs' total of 17 in the 2012 season. The Chiefs then went into 2013 with the first overall draft pick and selected left tackle Eric Fisher.

Jets ranking on offense in 2023

* Fewest offensive TD by any team since 2012 Chiefs (17)

However, there were some bright spots that allowed the 2023 Jets to win five more game than the 2012 Chiefs. Second-year running back Breece Hall bounced back from a torn ACL as a rookie to have the fourth-most scrimmage yards (1,585) in the NFL last season, ranking as the most by a Jet since Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin's 1,942 back in the 2004 season. Hall paced the league in scrimmage yards (507) and co-led the NFL in touchdowns (four) across the final three weeks of the season. Reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson became the first Jets player ever with over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons despite playing with six different quarterbacks since 2022. 

That makes Hall and Wilson the first teammate duo from the same draft class with 2,000 or more career scrimmage yards each in their first two NFL seasons since the New Orleans Saints duo of wide receiver Marques Colston and running back Reggie Bush across the 2006 and 2007 seasons. 

Defensively, head coach Robert Saleh's unit held up as one of the league's best despite the lack of support from arguably the most anemic offense in football. They allowed the fewest yards per play (4.6) and the third-fewest total yards per game (292.3) in the NFL last season.

Jets ranking on defense in 2023

Outside linebacker Bryce Huff served as the second-most disruptive pass-rusher in all of football among those with at least 250 pass-rush snaps, pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 21.3% of his pass-rush snaps, trailing only All-Pro Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons (21.8% quarterback pressure rate). The Jets need to do what it takes to retain him as he is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Sauce Gardner, also balled out in 2023, becoming the first cornerback to be named a First-Team All-Pro in each of his first two seasons since Dick Harris did so in 1960 and 1961. Gardner's 4.6 yards per target allowed is the lowest in the NFL the last two seasons among those with at least 100 targets since 2022. 

New York doesn't have its own pick in rounds 2, 5 or 7. The Jets traded a 2024 conditional pick to the Green Bay Packers as part of the trade for Aaron Rodgers. Since he played less than 65% of the team's snaps in 2023, four snaps total, the pick being sent to Green Bay was the Jets' second-rounder. Their fifth-round pick went to the Denver Broncos along with linebacker Jacob Martin in exchange for an extra 2024 fourth-round selection. The Jets' seventh-round pick is in the Baltimore Ravens' possession following a deal in which they acquired safety Chuck Clark in a trade. 

Here is how the Jets should utilize the seven draft picks they have currently. This does not account for compensatory picks, but those will be added to this mix when they become official later in the offseason. New York could gain as many as three. 

Jets' team needs: OT, OG, S, LB, EDGE, WR   (via Josh Edwards)  

Jets' key unrestricted free agents: DE Bryce Huff, LT Duane Brown, DE Carl Lawson, OT Mekhi Becton, C Connor McGovern, K Greg Zuerlein, P Thomas Morstead

Jets 2024 draft picks*

* Compensatory picks not yet known

Here's who the Jets will select 10th overall, according to CBS Sports' latest mock drafts:    

CBS Sports mock drafts

Find Aaron Rodgers an anchor at tackle

The Jets most pressing need is simple: find help to protect Rodgers. Their quarterback is now 40-years-old and coming off a major leg injury. The last thing New York needs is for him to be running for his life on the MetLife Stadium turf. The Jets cycled through an NFL-most 13 starting offensive linemen, a metric they need to see go way down in 2024 with better health and production at the position. 

Jets 2023 offensive line ranking

There are three top tier offensive tackles that have separated themselves from the rest so far in the 2024 draft cycle: Notre Dame's Joe Alt, Penn State's Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga. One or two of these three should be in play for the Jets at pick number 10. 

 Alt (6-8, 322 pounds) is a mountain of a human being. He is an absolute destroyer in the run game, bulldozing defenders with ease. He hands out more pancakes than an IHOP as run-blocker. As a pass-blocker, his agility could get him into some trouble at the next level, but that's something that can be improved upon with the right coaches and strength and conditioning program. He was a unanimous All-American in the 2023 college football season. Alt allowed just one sack and five quarterback pressures on 351 pass-blocking snaps in 2023. The left tackle's 90.7 Pro Football Focus offensive grade is the third-highest among college offensive tackles. Alt would be a Day 1 starter for many NFL offenses.   

Fashanu's blend of developmental experience and athletic traits (6-6, 317 pounds) make him a clear-cut top offensive tackle in this class right now. He will enter as rookie year at age 21. Fashanu is almost flawless from a technical perspective in pass-protection, and his 2023 stats back up what your eyes tell you. The left tackle didn't allow a sack while surrendering just eight quarterback pressures on 365 pass-blocking snaps in 2023. The only nitpick with him is he doesn't always look to run opposing defenders over near the end of a play during his run-blocking. That's an easily correctable issue, and with Fashanu's athletic gifts, the sky is the limit. 

PFF actually has Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga (6-6, 334 pounds)  graded higher (90.9 PFF offensive grade) than Alt (90.7) and Fashanu (79.6). A key component to Fauga's high marks is his prowess as run-blocker. He is the 2024 draft's best run-blocking offensive lineman with a 90.9 PFF run-blocking grade in 2023, the second-best in all of college football. His pass-blocking technique could use some refinement, but that's a coachable trait that can be built upon in the NFL. 

Add a legitimate secondary threat at WR opposite Wilson

After Wilson's 1,042 receiving yards, no other wide receiver on the tea had over 350 receiving yards. That looks like a typo, but it's not. Tight end Tyler Conklin's 621 receiving yards and Hall's 591 receiving yards were second and third on the team while former Packers wideout Allen Lazard's 311 receiving yards were the fourth-most on the team. He just completed Year 1 of a four-year, $44 million contract and was a healthy scratch the last two weeks of the season. He'll probably look better with Rodgers in the lineup, but he can't be relied upon as the team's number two pass-catcher entering next season.

The Jets would be well-served finding a capable, younger receiver with more juice off the line of scrimmage with their third round pick. One option with their third-round pick could be Washington's Jalen McMillan. He stands at 6-1, 192 pounds, and his 40-yard dash time is expected to be in the high 4.3's or low 4.4's at the NFL Scouting Combine. McMillan's ability to rise up for contested catches in tandem with his ability to create extra yards after the catch make him a nice fit in any offense. 

Find a starting caliber safety in the later rounds

The Jets are set at cornerback with two-time First-Team All-Pro Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. However, their safety position needs help. Jordan Whitehead, Chuck Clark and Ashtyn Davis all set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason. 

Ohio State's Josh Proctor could be of interest to Saleh later in the draft, perhaps with their sixth-round pick. Listed at 6-2, 205 pounds, he isn't the biggest safety, but he packs a strong punch pound-for-pound in the run game. Proctor could use work in space as a tackler, but his anticipation and football IQ in coverage are strengths any coaching staff looks for. He mainly played free safety, but he also moved around and played some nickel as well as box safety near the line of scrimmage. Proctor was named the Big Ten's Third-Team all-conference safety in 2023. 

He was targeted 34 times and allowed 18 completions for 193 yards while also recording a pick-six on his only interception of the season against Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa in the clip below. Proctor's film study and quick-twitch skills are evident. 

Given the vacancies at the safety spot over in Florham Park at the moment, Proctor could be a nice, inexpensive depth addition to the Jets' secondary.