Any reasonable person understands that projecting the entire NFL Draft is meaningless and rather silly, a just-for-fun exercise meant to encouraging some friendly debate.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller — tireless mock drafter that he is — has projected the full 2017 draft.
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Who does he project the Jets to select? Here’s a look:
Round 1 (No. 6 overall): FS Malik Hooker, Ohio State
Round 2 (No. 38 overall): RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
Round 3 (No. 70 overall): CB Chidobe Awuzie, Colorado
Round 4 (No. 141 overall/compensatory): C Tyler Orlosky, West Virginia
Round 5 (No. 151 overall): WR Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech
Round 6 (No. 192 overall): CB Jalen Myrick, Minnesota
Round 7 (No. 229 overall): TE Adam Shaheen, Ashland
It’s worth noting that the NFL hasn’t yet handed out compensatory picks, so it’s not clear if the Jets will get one at all. They don’t have a regular fourth-round pick, due to the Brandon Shell trade from 2016 draft weekend. Right now, the Jets have six picks.
In Miller’s pretend draft, he has the Jets addressing some positional needs — free safety, cornerback, and center. This is a deep cornerback draft class, so maybe the Jets can wait until the second or third round to get a corner, rather than taking one at No. 6.
As for Hooker to the Jets, here’s how Miller breaks down that projection:
It’s time to remake the New York Jets secondary. Up first: a ball-hawking free safety I’ve compared to Earl Thomas. Malik Hooker was just a one-year starter at Ohio State, but in that one season, he grabbed seven interceptions and dominated Michigan and Clemson while playing with a torn labrum in his hip and a hernia. The surgery to fix those injuries will keep Hooker from running at the NFL Scouting Combine, but they won’t keep him from being a top-10 pick. The Jets don’t need to entertain moving Darrelle Revis to free safety when the option to draft Hooker is very real. Revis’ bloated salary and lack of effort are better served away from a young locker room in need of leaders. Bring in Hooker, sign a free agent like Tony Jefferson at strong safety and get ready for a new Jets defense in 2017.
Interesting ideas. It sounds like Miller is on-board with the Jets trading strong safety Calvin Pryor, their first-round pick from 2014. Jefferson, 25, is a familiar face to third-year Jets coach Todd Bowles, the Cardinals’ former defensive coordinator. Jefferson has spent his entire four-year career so far with Arizona. A Jefferson-Hooker safety pairing would be intriguing.
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To give you an idea of who isn’t available for the Jets at No. 6 in Miller’s mock draft scenario, here is his top five:
1. Browns: DE Myles Garrett
2. 49ers: QB Mitch Trubisky
3. Bears: QB DeShone Kizer
4. Jaguars: RB Leonard Fournette
5. Titans (from Rams): CB Marshon Lattimore
Should the Jets pass on quarterback Deshaun Watson? Yes, says Miller. He projects Watson to go 12th to the Browns.
What do you think of Miller’s seven Jets projections? Sound off in the comments.
Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
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