New York Jets Rumors: Working To Add Another QB, Jets’ Mock Draft 2017 Evolves

New York Jets rumors have the franchise seeking another quarterback. The Jets gave Josh McCown a contract during free agency, presumably answering who would be the Jets’ starting quarterback for the 2017 NFL season. The team hasn’t stopped looking for another quarterback, though, signaling the front office isn’t completely sold on McCown. After a season of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty, and Geno Smith, it appears that the Jets are working very hard to improve upon the 5-11 record that had them as the last place team in the AFC East.

A report by the New York Daily News has some interesting tidbits about what the team is doing during the NFL offseason. These latest New York Jets rumors indicate interest in selecting Mitch Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft. This would be a bold move for the team, which has been linked to the North Carolina quarterback in the past as well. Taking Mitch Trubisky early in the draft might just give the team its quarterback of the future.

“They got their eyes set on the North Carolina quarterback. The Jets are all over this kid. All over him. They’ll probably deny it if you ask, but they love that kid. That’s their guy. They’re not going to get him, though, because I think that kid is going to get over-drafted.”

What makes these New York Jets rumors intriguing, is that most 2017 NFL mock drafts originally had the team targeting Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with the No. 6 overall selection. Could the Jets target two quarterbacks in the 2017 NFL Draft? That might be overkill, especially since McCown’s contract is at a starters’ salary. What happens with Christian Hackenberg at that point? Maybe the former Penn State quarterback quietly gets shown the back door.

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has a different answer for the team in the first round, noting in his latest New York Jets’ mock draft that the team will instead target a tight end with that early selection. A report on his third NFL mock draft of the offseason has the Jets selecting O.J. Howard of Alabama. It would be a very bold move for the team to take a tight end this early, especially since Howard didn’t post the exemplary stats that some fans would want to see from a top draft pick.

O.J. Howard’s stats for Alabama included 45 catches for 595 yards and three touchdowns during the 2016 college football season. The 6-foot-6, 248-pound tight end is certainly a beast on the line, giving the Jets another pass blocker at the same time. If these Jets’ mock draft rumors turn out to be true, then it is easier to suggest that the team targets a quarterback in the later rounds. At that point, though, Mitch Trubisky might already be off the board.

Though these New York Jets rumors have the team circling Mitch Trubisky, it’s possible that a team selecting in the top five takes him off the board before they even get a shot. The Cleveland Browns still have a glaring hole at the quarterback position that could get addressed during the draft. The team did acquire Brock Osweiler from the Denver Broncos, but it’s possible that he may never even see a snap with his new team. The San Francisco 49ers are also lurking.

It’s possible that as many as four quarterbacks get selected during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech), and DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame) could all get taken if there are a series of draft-day trades. That could still leave Davis Webb (California), Brad Kaaya (Miami), Nate Peterman (Pittsburgh), Josh Dobbs (Tennessee), and Chad Kelly (Ole Miss) as players the Jets could take a risk on a bit later. However, could the prospect of missing on Trubisky lead to some interesting Jets trade rumors to move up?

With the draft not taking place until the end of April, there is a lot of additional time for Jets’ mock drafts to be published. There are a lot of holes on the Jets’ roster still, including on the offensive line and at safety. That puts a lot of work in front of the team before the next NFL season begins. Not only does this mean that a lot of players are going to get linked to the team before the first round of the NFL Draft arrives, but that the New York Jets rumors are going to continue to evolve over the next 30 days.

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