Should Jets Select Cody Mauch in First Round of 2023 NFL Draft?

This former Jets scout thinks New York should pick this North Dakota State offensive lineman in the NFL Draft.

The New York Jets' College Scouting Department needs to clear a couple days on their calendar and dedicate the time to watching North Dakota State University's Cody Mauch.

That's what I did.

All told, I watched a lot of game film on the Bisons' left tackle. I don't go off half-cocked when I encourage the team's entire scouting staff to take a look at a prospect. Plus, I studied the one-on-one's during the Senior Bowl week and the Senior Bowl game too.

I am still baffled why Mauch was placed at left guard, center, and right tackle during the Senior Bowl with the kind of lateral footwork and footspeed he has.

Mauch's footwork is superior to the other media darling left tackles in this draft class. Mauch graded out higher on game film than Northwestern's Peter Skoronski, Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr., and Georgia's Broderick Jones at the position.

If anyone should be moving to guard it's Skoronski and Jones, who both look like guards trying to play left tackle on game film.

Outside of not missing a beat against higher level competition at the Senior Bowl, the other cool thing about that film footage was it drove home the versatility Mauch brings. He showed he can play pretty much every position along the offensive line, and that value cemented him as my LT1 heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.

I could argue myself about who has better footwork, Mauch or Oklahoma's LT Anton Harrison, but if I was making the decision in New York, the name "Cody Mauch" would be on my draft card.

In the end, I love the overall package of what Mauch brings more. I love the off-the-charts levels of aggression and want.

Mauch is a much faster version of my favorite left tackle of all time, Joe Jacoby, who played for Washington's famous offensive line, nicknamed the "Hogs," back in the 1980's.

Scary thought.

Jacoby wore No. 66 and his nickname was "Highway 66" because once he got rolling he demolished everything and everyone in his path while playing in four Super Bowls and four Pro Bowls along the way.

The pure speed Mauch has running straight ahead is unlike anything I've seen in 40 years from an offensive tackle.

He looks like a tight-end when he's running, which makes sense, because he came to the Bisons' as a 6-foot-5, 221 pound tight-end in 2017 out of high school. The thing that doesn't make sense is how darn fast Mauch is for someone who's now 303 pounds.

Mauch's straight-line speed is astonishing.

He also lost a couple front teeth and let his hair grow out. He's everything a team would want on game day as the first man off the bus.

I banged on my keyboard begging the Jets to draft North Carolina State's LT Ikem Ekwonu (No. 6 CAR) in last year's draft. Ekwonu showed on his college game film he was a mean and nasty blocker with an unquenchable appetite to drive defenders into the ground.

New York's offense needs to have a more aggressive demeanor than the opposing defense, and Mauch has that same thing to his game.

Grading Cody Mauch 

6-foot-6, 303 pounds 

2022 game film reviewed: Arizona, South Dakota State, Illinois State and post-season games Incarnate Word, Montana, and South Dakota State (FCS Championship Game). Additional game film reviewed: Day one and two of Senior Bowl week and the Senior Bowl.

Grade: First-Round (Top-15 Elite)

Talent upgrade for Jets: Yes

Scouting Report

Tenacious, nimble and fast mauler with long arms who excels in pass protection and run blocking. Kicks out quickly while maintaining a balanced and wide centered base. Uses hands well to shield the perimeter in pass pro. Slides up and down the pocket with ease like he's being controlled by a video game joystick. Occasional mistake of settling too shallow in the pocket, which leaves him chasing. Rarely overaggresses and overextends, but covers up mistakes with phenomenal speed and effort. Inconsistent inside sustain run blocking, but has a switch within and can flat-out dominate defenders at times. Pulls and gets out to the second-level like he owns the land out there. Gets even further downfield with ease. Shows a little tightness in open space, but if he connects, it's over. Put on a clinic on this block of game film.

Bottom line:

With the 13th pick overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select Cody Mauch, offensive tackle, North Dakota State University. 

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