2022 NFL Draft: Jets Trade Back in First, Surround Zach Wilson With Weapons in 7-Round Mock

Blake Pace debuts his first seven-round mock draft, sending Kayvon Thibodeaux and Drake London to Gang Green in the first round.

With the 2022 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, I decided it was time to take my first crack at a seven-round mock draft for the Jets — using PFF’s simulation model. This team is set up tremendously with five top-70 picks and, as we’ll see in just a little back, a couple of great trade options to add even more draft capital.

I continue to love the depth of this draft class in rounds two and three, so maximizing those picks could make this a home run draft for Joe Douglas and company. Let’s kick things off with an uber-talented edge rusher, the highly discussed Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Blake Pace's Seven-Round Jets Mock Draft

Blake Pace of Jets Country debuts his first full mock draft of the year, sending five defenders and four offensive playmakers to New York

Round 1, Pick No. 4: Jets select EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon

Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve been team Thibodeaux this entire draft process, and he fell right onto our laps here after Aidan Hutchinson, Travon Walker and Evan Neal went 1-2-3.

The smoke surrounding his off-field passions and desire to build his brand to make the most out of his career have never seemed off-putting to me, as we’ve seen plenty NFL players complement their on-field talents with the monetization of their off-field personal life. It would be one thing if teammates and coaches were speaking out against him in the locker room, but where it stands now is just an athlete realizing he’s got a small window to make as much money as possible.

As far as his fit with the Jets, he’s going to be given plenty of time to blossom into the three-down starter he can be since this Jets defensive line rotates at such a high frequency. They’ll be patient with him, utilize him for his strengths and work patiently on his weaknesses. This coaching staff will do a great job building up his pass-rush moves and technique and, in the meantime, he’ll rely on his power-speed combo to overwhelm tackles and get to the quarterback.

TRADE: Jets Move Back to Pick No. 15

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Jets Receive: Pick No. 15, Pick No. 51 & a 2023 3rd

Eagles Receive: Pick No. 10

When the opportunity came up to slide back to No. 15 and pick up a second rounder this year and a 2023 third, I couldn’t resist. It was either that or slide back to pick No. 20 with the Steelers and pick up their 2023 first but, since this isn’t a 2023 mock, I went with the more fun option.

I like this wide receiver class at the top in general, so with none off the board through nine picks it seemed like the best value would be to pick up some extra picks and still be able to land one of the top names in the class.

Round 1, Pick No. 15: Jets select WR Drake London, USC

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Often mocked to the Jets at pick No. 10, USC’s stud wideout Drake London wasn’t nabbed between 10-14 and still finds himself a member of Gang Green despite the trade-back.

I’ve already written about London’s strengths and fit with the Jets a few weeks ago but, to reiterate my thoughts, he’s the top receiver of this class and a fantastic fit in New York with his YAC ability, catch radius and run-blocking prowess. He’ll be a fan favorite and someone quarterback Zach Wilson can always try and count on with his strong hands and contest catch ability.

READ: Why USC’s Drake London Is Finishing Piece to This Jets Offense

Round 2, Pick No. 35: Jets select SAF Dax Hill, Michigan

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

This one feels like the most unrealistic to happen, as some have this Michigan defensive back as a top-20 player in this class, but the board fell beautifully for New York here and lands them the second-best safety in this class.

Hill could easily be a starting slot defender from Week 1 of his rookie season and would have a strong case with the Jets to be just that, while also filling the role of a reserve as a deep or in-the-box safety. He’s a freak athlete who was glued to his assignments this past season in pass protection, while still having the ability to lay licks in the run game. He’s scheme and positionally diverse, something Robert Saleh has loved when adding players to his defense.

Round 2, Pick No. 38: Jets select iDL Travis Jones, UConn

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

One of my favorite targets for the Jets in the second round, someone I’ve also written about in recent weeks, was sliding here to 38 and couldn’t slide any further.

READ: Why the Jets Should Draft UConn’s Travis Jones

Jones has recently been mocked as high as the early 20s in round one, clearly getting some love following a great Senior Bowl and combine as he was seen as a fringe day-two talent when the college football season wrapped up.

He’s a terrific run-stuffer with physical hands and concrete feet and was the best pass-rushing defensive tackle of this draft class during the 2021 season. My favorite aspect of him being in New York is allowing fellow defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to kick out as a 3-tech in early-down scenarios, where he can use his athleticism more to his advantage while Jones is planted at nose tackle.

Round 2, Pick No. 51: Jets select LB Chad Muma, Wyoming

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Having this many picks in the top two rounds seems a little unfair at this point, as New York also got the chance to add a top-five linebacker in this class to its defense with Wyoming’s Chad Muma.

Another draft favorite of mine, Muma was part of the National team during the Senior Bowl and worked closely with the Jets coaching staff that entire week. He fits the type of character this organization is looking for, was one of the best linebackers in the nation and tackling — something the Jets could use some help with — and has comfortability playing in a zone coverage scheme.

Round 3, Pick No. 69: Jets select iOL Dylan Parham, Memphis

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After investing heavily on defense with the last four picks, we’re back on offense and beefing up the depth of this already-strong offensive line.

You can never have enough talented offensive linemen and, despite New York already knowing its starting five for 2022, injuries will happen and players will eventually run out of gas in the tank. Parham, a versatile offensive lineman best fit for wide-zone-heavy offenses, has plenty of game experience and had an impressive showing at the combine with a 40-yard dash time of 4.93 seconds. He’s a little slender for the NFL standard, but he’s a high-IQ player with solid body control and a low center of gravity.

Round 4, Pick No. 111: Jets select TE Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The hometown kid sees his childhood dream come true here in Round 4, as the Jets nab their receiving tight end in Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert to fill out their tight end room.

New York has already made sizeable upgrades to its tight end room with physical blocking tight ends in CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, and now they can get one who will serve his role almost solely in the passing game. Don’t get me wrong, Ruckert is a willing and active blocker, but he’s a little inconsistent with his technique and balance and is best suited to begin his career hauling in passes.

The argument can be made that he’s a little underrated because the passing offense at Ohio State was centered around Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave when it comes to his pass-catching ability, and I think his athleticism enough shows there’s talent waiting to be utilized at a higher clip.

Round 4, Pick No. 117: Jets select RB Kyren Williams, Notre Dame

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Another chance here to add some depth to the offense, bringing in one of the strong backup options for Michael Carter at running back in Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams.

Tailor-made for this outside zone run game, Williams has the lateral agility and breakaway speed to make defenders miss while also having enough body control to bounce off tackles and hold his own when pass-blocking. For a run offense that’s meant to feature several backs that can move outside the tackles, Williams is a strong option to help keep the offense balanced while Carter is on the bench.

Round 5, Pick No. 163: Jets select DB Cordale Flott, LSU

When you get to this portion of the draft it becomes best player available, so I took the top cornerback/safety option there that would make sense on this defense.

Flott has great closing speed on his targets and has fluid hips to change directions with ease depending on his receiver’s route. He’s got experience all over the secondary — playing outside corner, slot corner and safety — and is also one of the youngest players in this draft class. He has an extremely thin frame and doesn’t locate the ball well, but he trusts his athleticism to come out on top if all else fails.

MORE:

• Four Day 3 Running Back Targets For Jets to Complement Michael Carter
• NFL Draft Trade Proposal: Jets Trade Up With Bengals, Pick Tyler Linderbaum in First Round
• Ex-Jets Scout Explains Why New York Should Pick Breece Hall in 2022 NFL Draft

Follow Blake Pace on Twitter (@BlakeAndrewPace). Be sure to bookmark Jets Country and check back daily for news, analysis and more.