Four weeks from today, the NFL world will be coming off the high that was the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Reading the tea leaves, the New York Jets seem destined to select BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick overall.
So what becomes of QB Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick overall in 2018?
Pro Football Network chief draft analyst Tony Pauline says he has an idea.
“Obviously, the market is shrinking. It’s probably going to be a third-round type pick. The Colts are out; the 49ers are now out. Maybe you’re looking at Washington; maybe you’re looking at Chicago. I guess the sleeper would be the Carolina Panthers. That is the sleeper team unless they want to move up and get a quarterback. They talked about Deshaun Watson. The owner, David Tepper, wanted Deshaun Watson. I don’t know if that’s the situation right now, given everything Deshaun Watson has going on, but I think the Panthers would be the sleeper team as far as Sam Darnold is concerned. And you’re likely looking at a third-round pick or a fourth-round pick that could be a conditional upgrade depending on how much Darnold plays à la the Carson Wentz trade to the Indianapolis Colts.”
As for the Jets, Pauline said there’s virtually no chance of the team picking anyone but Wilson.
“Last week before the pro day, I said that it was 90% that Sam Darnold was going to be traded, and they were going to take Zach Wilson with the second pick. I was hedging because I wanted to see his pro day. It’s about 99%. I think Zach Wilson will be a New York Jet. I’m not going to say it’s set in stone because we’ve got to wait for those medicals.”
If the Jets pass on Wilson, the other quarterbacks on the board include Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and Alabama’s Mac Jones.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to select Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick overall.
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