2021 NFL Draft: Impact of the New York Jets’ win on the first round

How does the New York Jets’ win impact the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft?

The New York Jets were finally able to capture their first win of the season, but while it counts as a win it could be more of a loss when it comes to the 2021 NFL Draft. Because of the win, the Jets fell to second in the order for the 2021 NFL Draft behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, who also have just one win.

With the Jets no longer at the top of the draft order, the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft could end up having a much different result just because of the flipping of two teams. The Jacksonville Jaguars need a quarterback, so there isn’t much of a difference in need for them between the first and second pick, just the player selected.

However, placing the New York Jets in the second slot changes the landscape of the draft. With Sam Darnold still on his rookie contract and a high probability that Trevor Lawrence will go to the Jaguars at the top pick, the Jets could do something different. With Darnold, the Jets don’t have to force the pick of a quarterback and could instead find pieces to build a stronger team around him.

The New York Jets could opt to take offensive tackle Penei Sewell to go opposite their 2020 first-round selection in Mekhi Becton to create a perimeter on the offensive line in front of Darnold. This would only further the trickle-down effect, taking away the presumed pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the third slot of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Cincinnati does not need a quarterback and Sewell is far and away the best offensive tackle in the class. They could opt to reach for an offensive lineman or address a need on the defensive side of the ball, like a linebacker, edge rusher or cornerback. For the Bengals, they are still in the midst of a rebuild so their pick might just be the best available player that isn’t a quarterback.

All of this could mean that at the fourth pick the Carolina Panthers could have their choice of quarterback outside of Lawrence. However, the play of Teddy Bridgewater this season has made some question whether or not the Panthers need a quarterback as well. Now, at the fourth pick, there’s less “play now” pressure on the pick, so they could take someone to sit behind Bridgewater for a while. But for the sake of argument, what if they don’t? What if the Panthers opt to take a non-quarterback and entrust the offense to Teddy Bridgewater, then what?

Moving through the current draft order we see the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, which is from a trade with the Houston Texans, and the Philadelphia Eagles over the next few picks. The Dolphins and Eagles invested in quarterbacks last year and the Atlanta Falcons have expressed an intent to stick with Matt Ryan.

This is where things get interesting. If only one quarterback goes in the first seven picks that means that the Dallas Cowboys could be on the board with the eighth overall pick and the opportunity to replace Dak Prescott with a much cheaper option under center. The contractual struggles between the Cowboys and Prescott have been long documented and with this option presented, Dallas could very well take it.

The other side of this is that trades could, and most likely would happen. The catch is why would a team make the jump? Trading up into the Top 10 isn’t a cheap move and there are few teams in the top half of the draft who are truly quarterback-needy and would need to trade up for Justin Fields or even Zach Wilson.

Going through the current draft order the Detroit Lions at 10 might be the most likely to draft a quarterback outside of the Jets and Jags. The next five teams, picking from 11 to 15, could also be contenders for a quarterback, but don’t direly need one. Those teams are the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. All five have quarterbacks in place, so a trade up that would cost a lot of assets might not be the wisest move.

Even after that, the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders are question marks for making that type of move for a quarterback and then you’re into the playoff teams.

Essentially, what seemed like a lock at the top of the draft for back-to-back quarterbacks could be sent into a whirlwind with just one win. Lawrence is still the lock at the top of the draft, but the New York Jets do not have to force a quarterback selection the way Jacksonville would have needed to do with the second pick.

Could we see Justin Fields tumble down the order? Will Zach Wilson even go in the first round now? These are the questions that are sure to be asked until the order changes again. For now, mock draft attempts will likely be all over the map as there are plenty of questions worth asking at the top.