2020 NFL Draft: Trade-up targets for the New York Jets

Round Three: Defense

The New York Jets’ cornerback room was a mess last season. Trumaine Johnson was even worse in his second year in green and white, playing in only seven games with five starts. He was placed on IR ending his tumultuous Jets tenure. Gang Green was forced to play Arthur Maulet and sixth-round rookie Bless Austin for the rest of the season. They played pretty solid football, but not enough to not warrant an upgrade.

Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler has a chance to go earlier on day two of the draft, but if he slips out of the second round the Jets should be aggressive in his pursuit. He has great size, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, combined with plus athleticism. He can stick to his man like glue which could draw flags for being overly aggressive.

New York would be lucky to have the chance to make a move for Dantzler as I believe he could get some round one chatter as we get closer to the 2020 NFL Draft. Gregg Williams would be able to focus more on creating quarterback pressure with at least one side of the field covered.

When was the last time the New York Jets had a good pass rush? How ’bout edge rusher? It’s been a long time. They seemed to prioritize interior defensive lineman rather than pass rushers for whatever reason. That needs to end in this year’s draft.

Utah edge rusher Bradlee Anae is projected to go in the third round, but New York may need to move up a few spots to secure him. Anae is an extremely high motor player who shows impressive pursuit. He’s a good pass rusher that has the potential to be better with proper coaching. He may not be able to get double-digit sacks every year, but he could come very close to that. He had 13 sacks for the Utes in 2019.

Another edge rusher that the New York Jets could target is Josh Uche. The Michigan product is also projected to go in the third round, but his stock could rise the closer we get to the 2020 NFL Draft. Uche projects as an outside linebacker with elite athletic ability. He has very good pass rush instincts and could become a double-digit sacks guy, which is something the Jets haven’t had in a long time.

Gregg Williams has deployed safety Jamal Adams in numerous ways and there’s no question he could have a fun time coming up with ways to utilize Uche. He had 8.5 sacks in his last year at Michigan, but his potential is pretty high. If the Jets re-sign Jordan Jenkins he could form a nice edge duo with Uche.