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NFL Draft Rumors: Jets Trade Up And Select Paxton Lynch, According To Mock Drafts

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 07:26 PST, Apr 22, 2016

With the 2016 NFL Draft less than a week away, rumors surrounding the New York Jets and their plans for the No. 20 overall pick are heating up. While there was a chance a few months ago that California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff or North Dakota State Bison quarterback Carson Wentz could fall to the Jets, the recent trades by the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles have ended those discussions.

Even though the odds are strong that the Jets eventually come to terms with Ryan Fitzpatrick, the team is still looking for a young quarterback to develop for the future. At pick No. 20, many NFL insiders believe the Jets will select Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch. Others believe they will have to trade up in order to draft him.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Jets have been connected to Lynch for the past month. With Goff and Wentz set to be the first two players picked in the draft, some analysts have even speculated that Lynch could be taken within the first five picks. While Lynch is viewed to have a ton of upside, his current level of play does not warrant being picked that high. Unless another team reaches, Lynch could be available for the Jets at pick No. 20.

As seen in a recent mock draft from USA Today, there is even a chance that the Jets may have to trade up in order to acquire Lynch.

“Given the trades at the top of the board, don’t be surprised if another deal goes down for a quarterback-deprived team that falls in love with Lynch. One team that may try to pull off such a move would be… the Jets, who would currently be forced to choose between Geno Smith or Bryce Petty as their starting quarterback in 2016.”

Choosing between Geno Smith and Bryce Petty is not what the Jets and their fans want in 2016. Even if the Jets do manage to draft Lynch, the odds are strong that he is not going to be the starter on opening day. While Smith or Petty could work as stopgaps until Lynch is ready, the Jets should still be able to come to an agreement with Fitzpatrick, as reported by the Inquisitr.

Fitzpatrick had the best year of his career in 2015 with the Jets, but he is not their future. At 33-years-old, Fitzpatrick is not going to get any better than he was last year, and the odds say that he will regress. Regardless, it makes sense for the Jets to re-sign him. In addition to giving the Jets the best chance to win in 2016, he would be a much better mentor to Lynch than Smith or Petty.

The latest mock draft from Sports Illustrated also believes the Jets will select Lynch.

“What will the next week bring for the Jets, as it pertains to their QB spot? Ryan Fitzpatrick’s return? Brian Hoyer’s arrival? No matter the outcome, they’re scrambling for 2016 and in limbo for 2017.”

While some analysts believe that pick No. 20 is too high for Lynch, the Jets have to do everything possible if they believe he can be a franchise quarterback. While he is viewed in a tier below Wentz and Goff, no one really knows how these quarterbacks are going to translate into the NFL. Regardless, the odds of finding a franchise quarterback in the first round are significantly higher than finding one in later rounds.

With the New York Jets in desperate need of help at the quarterback position, rumors will continue to link them to Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch. A lot is going to change over the next week until Thursday’s NFL Draft, but expect the Jets to ultimately end up with a quarterback. Whether or not that quarterback is Lynch remains to be seen.

[Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images]

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