ESPN’s Todd McShay is staying true to his previous projection in his latest mock draft, pairing the Jets with a quarterback at No. 2. From there, McShay changes his tune with New York’s second first-round pick, giving the Jets an edge rusher to finish out Day 1.
McShay is firm in his belief that BYU’s Zach Wilson will be the No. 2 pick, whether the Jets plan to use the selection or not. In this projection, McShay has the Jets staying put and taking their quarterback of the future.
Here’s his explanation for the selection:
The logic here stands from my last mock draft: I expect Wilson to be the No. 2 overall pick, whether or not it is the Jets making it. Projecting this pick isn’t necessarily suggesting they should or will move on from Sam Darnold, but if they do, Wilson is the obvious next move. If they don’t, watch for a QB-needy team to trade up to take him here. Wilson is creative and can extend plays, he can hit the deep ball and his toughness in the pocket stands out.
The BYU product is viewed by many as the second-best quarterback in this year’s draft following a dominant junior campaign. This past season, Wilson completed 73.5% of his passes while throwing for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions. Across three years at BYU, Wilson threw for 7,652 yards, 56 touchdowns and 15 interceptions
For the Jets’ second first-round pick, McShay has them taking Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari.
Here’s McShay’s reasoning for the pick:
The Jets landed a quarterback at No. 2, so let’s pivot to defense here. They need someone who can get home on the QB besides Quinnen Williams, who led the team with seven sacks in 2020. Ojulari is a pass-rush specialist of sorts, showing good speed, bend and first-step quickness. As for the lack of playmakers on offense to support Wilson, keep an eye on free agency this month and then Day 2 at the draft, where numerous high-end receivers and running backs will be available.
While Ojulari is a bit undersized for an edge rusher at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, he has a level of explosiveness and athleticism that is coveted at the NFL level. He’ll just need to put on some weight to be a fit in New York’s 4-3 defensive scheme.
Ojualri was a second-team All-SEC selection this past season, totaling 30 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles in 10 games.